Deer Camp: The Place To Be

There are some fringe benefits that come from a day or weekend of firearm deer hunting, but a hunter who is envious or jealous of another hunters success will never understand this basic concept.

Some sportsmen may wonder what those benefits may be. Here is just a short selection of key things that can come from a hunt, and anyone who thinks about the topic for a few minutes will undoubtedly come up with many others.

*It gives us the opportunity to spend time outdoors. This means hunting in all types of weather conditions, and while some hunts seldom produce a heavy-antlered buck, we learn to appreciate those that do.

Do more than your share in camp.

*It's a father, mother, grandfather, uncle or other close friend who gives unselfishly of his/her time to help new hunters learn more about this sport. It's simple things like pointing out deer tracks, a buck rub on a tree or a ground scrape, that helps other hunters learn more about deer hunting.

*It's sighting in a rifle, and knowing how to do it with a minimum number of shots. It is taking the time to be certain your firearm is shooting accurately, and knowing that more deer are killed with a single, deliberate shot than by squeezing off several shots at a moving target that is more likely to wound than kill the animal.

*It means helping others and sharing in their joy and success. This may mean helping to blood trail a deer with another person or helping another hunter drag out an animal. It means doing your share or more to help around hunting camp. This may include chores such as washing dishes, cutting and splitting firewood, bringing in fresh water, helping others to hang their deer from the buck pole, cook meals, and countless other tasks. It means giving and taking, and sometimes it can mean even more.

Deer hunting allows the use of our five senses.

*It is the sight and smell of wood smoke curling from the chimney of deer camp. It is the distant glint of lantern light through the darkened trees as we make our way back through deep snow to camp and its warmth after a long hunt.

*It is that first breath-taking sight of a good buck, his antlers bone white, moving slowly and cautiously upwind of you. You track his progress, pick a hole through the cover that offers a small but open shot, and waiting patiently for the buck to walk into the opening and offer a clear shot at the heart and lungs. And don't forget to share some of your venison with others who may be less fortunate.

*It is the fragrance of cedar and pine needles, fresh backstrap tenderloins or venison liver and onions sizzing in the frying pan, old pine knots hissing, spitting and popping in the wood stove, and the pleasant warmth of a cozy fire in deer camp after many hours out in the cold. Don't forget to take your turn at getting up during the night to add wood to the fire. Everyone benefits from that move.

*It is the healthy exercise of walking, sitting, and still-hunting. It is seeing your breath on a frosty morning, seeing nothing clearly while hunting on a foggy day, picking up the sight of large and splayed tracks in the snow that could be a buck, and seeing a chickadee land on the brim of your cap while trail watching.

*It is the endless participation of hunters bragging up their favorite rifle cartridge, and the retort of another hunter claiming his round is more accurate and deadly, and never once laying this issue to rest. It's not so important to determine who is right or wrong, but that there is lively discussion pro and con on this or any other topic.

Lively conversations are healthy additions to a deer camp.

*It's knowing that if you down a deer, that others will be there to help. It's also the knowledge that you'd do the same for your camp mates or even a perfect stranger. It's just one of the things that deer hunters do.

*Deer hunting is the knowledge that alcohol may be a deer-camp tradition, but it's never used until all firearms are unloaded and put safely away, and then used in moderation. Deer hunters must learn that alcohol, taken in moderation, doesn't give sportsmen the right to act loud and loutish fools during trips to town. Hunters should project an image of being caring and responsible individuals, not loud and obscene fools. Always address the animal you shoot in a caring and respectful tone.

*Another benefit of deer camp is the knowledge that members of our armed forces, by their presence in world-wide hellholes is helping to guarantee our right to own and possess firearms and the privilege to use them while hunting in a safe and sane manner. Many of our countrymen and women have given their life, or have been critically wounded or scarred mentally, to make our hunting possible. Our armed forces deserve our eternal respect.

*Last, but not least, use this hunting season to introduce someone new to the sport we love. Give freely of your time and knowledge, make women and youngsters feel welcome, and if helping them means giving up a day or two of your hunt, do it so that hunting will continue to grow. Be selfish, and think only of yourself, and hunting as we know it today will soon be on the ropes.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors