DEER CAMP traditions
Wisconsin
Curious as to what if any deer camp traditions people have. Can be either archery or firearms camp.
In my Firearms season camp, we have the same evening main course meal each year. Friday: Pheasant and veggies Saturday: Beef Tenderloin/Steaks, Cheesy potatoes Sunday: Spaghetti and garlic bread Monday: Chicken on the grill Tuesday: Stir- Fry Wednesday: Burgers on the grill Thanksgiving Friday: Pork Tenderloin & veggies (for years it was duck, but we don't get ducks on our property anymore) Saturday: Venison and onions, cheesy potatoes,
We don't have any real hunting traditions like cutting a shirt tail if you miss a deer, or smearing blood of your first kill on your face.
I suppose the one thing we do, is that on opening morning, as everyone leaves the shack to head into the woods, we always tell each other "good luck and shoot straight".
And we always tell the kids that there were reports of "The Phantom" recently being spotted in the area near the stand they are going to hunt on opening morning.
("THE PHANTOM" is a huge whitetail buck that mysteriously roams our woods. He had been shot twice over the years, only to jump up and run away as the hunter approached to field dress him. He first appeared in the early 70's, and is still out there. :) )
back in the late sixties and seventies,...all recurves,...deer camps in Jackson County,...if a guy missed a shot at a deer he had to throw his hat down and everyone got one shot at it with a hunting arrow from as far away as the shot was
Our deer gun camp used to be a lot of all night Smear Games which included many Adult beverages when the guys that started the camp in the late 40's were around. They would be pissed if they new we no longer play smear, the beer drinking happens on Friday night now for most of us, and we hunt all day long. Of coarse, the old timers in our camp also said if you didn't see 20 deer a day up here (North of Winter, Cheq. Ntl Forest) you weren't out in the woods. I do miss the smear games a lot, fun times.
casekiska ..... I like that tradition! Problem is, I have a guy in my bow camp, that gets buck fever so bad, he misses 3-4 bucks a year! He wouldn't have any hat left!
We actually feel bad for the guy, as he is a total dead-eye when we practice at the archery range we built next to the hunting shack. It just seems that whenever an actual buck comes around, he gets too wound up. And with each miss and each passing year, he seems to get the yips even worse.
Aushegun - you should start the hat tradition in your camp & tell your guy to buy extras! It's a fun tradition & mostly harmless. Some of the guys kept their hats year after year, the holes became badges of honor. Good times, back in the day.....
Aushegun- his last name isn't "Soady" is it?
I'm going to start a new tradition. Go to Ausheguns for my meals!
I Guess Trapper, I'll meet you there. I thought the tater tot hot dish was the bomb in ours.
Case - We use to do the same tradition only most misses during the season. There wasn't much left of the hat as we'd wait for our annual shoot so everyone could take shots at the hat, problem was if you missed the hat, yours went up.
Tweed - Nope his last name is nothing like that.
Trapper & live 2hunt - I'm nearly 6'3" and over 300 pounds, and I am not the biggest guy in camp (ok the heaviest, but not the biggest) We have 18 guys in camp opening weekend, and the smallest is my brother at 5'11, 180#s. Everyone else is over 6 feet, with 5 being 6'4 or taller. We have a former Badger lineman, 2 former Badger hockey players, and then some of the teenage grandkids are already 6'5 or taller. (The baby of the group is 13, and already 6 foot tall) If you dare to get between this group and their food, you are a brave soul!!! But yes, I have joked for years that if I ate year round, like we do at deer camp, I would be as wide as I am tall!
Actually we hunt very hard, hunt all day, and thus we reward ourselves with good meals. Back when my dad was alive, he was the camp chef, and he would come in early to get dinner going. But when he died in 96, some of the other began to share the cooking duties, but now we just eat later, since everyone hunts all day. So most dinners we begin eating around 9pm. Those who aren't cooking are setting up the dinner table, and attending to other things. The youngest in camp always have dish duty. (We don't have running water, and only propane heat/lights, so dishes can be a drag.) I guess that I forgot to mention that tradition..... the youngest in camp do dishes.
Our family gets together fri night before the opener for food and drinks. We eat lots of chili so we go through a lot of toilet paper. Needless to say we don't see much for deer. Lol
Smear, cribbage, and natural case hotdogs.
Smear, cribbage, and natural case hotdogs.
Whoever shoots the biggest buck the year before is responsible for bringing a bottle of booze to camp. Friday night we season a venison roast from the year before and everyone takes a shot of whatever the bottle for that year was, a shot also gets poured over the roast. The roast goes in the roaster opening afternoon and we eat it opening night. Nights at camp consist of sitting around the table shaking dice and having drinks.
Good thing our camp didn't require the person that shoots the biggest deer to bring a bottle of booze the next year because I often shot the biggest deer and I wasn't old enough to buy the booze for the many years I got the big buck before I was 21. Camp was usually about 16 people so one bottle wouldn't last long.
We didn't have any cool traditions unless you call the complaints about me being the only one that could shoot a deer a tradition. My secret, spend the day on stand instead of sitting in camp all day playing cribbage.
our camp has been going since the 50's anywhere from 10-16 guys in Bayfield cnty. We'll have 13 this year I think almost all for the whole week. On your first buck you, or your Dad buys a bottle and it goes around till its gone. Everyone brings a meal and a pie for each night. The last Saturday night we have a "vote" which is really a court martial of the biggest screw up of the week and they get the Pansy award. We then end the night w/ the annual "throwing of the yam" at a tree in front of the cabin which appeases the deer gods. Good luck to all of you and have fun
Well, as culturally unacceptable as drinking and driving are these days (and rightfully so), I guess the only real tradition we ever had back in the day was to get rip roaring drunk and drive old logging roads shining deer the Friday night before opener. We'd tie on a good one and that was done for the balance of the season so we could focus on chasing big bucks. In hindsight I'd like to have the money I wasted, and the time I spent recovering, back! Now that we're old I guess the only thing that we still do that we used to do is play lots of cribbage.
Yep, Friday before opener was camp setup. During camp setup, the beer was discovered and a celebratory opening of the first can of beer for deer camp. That lasted till we could not see the cards anymore during the all night Smear games. Get a couple hours of sleep, go out in the woods and suffer all day hoping a deer would not show till the misery was gone. Then, do it again. Now, the kids in camp think we are boring, but I do hunt all day now and feel well doing it.
I know Shane likes pictures.
I know Shane likes pictures.
Runs through my properties.
Runs through my properties.
My Parents teaching my Family where the next meal is coming from in about 1989.
My Parents teaching my Family where the next meal is coming from in about 1989.
My Camp is in very Northern Waupaca County, we will have 10-14 people each year. It was primarily only males in my Camp until my daughters became of hunting age 20 years ago.. We are now over run with them. (LOL) This year we will have 8 guys and 5 gals. The youngest will be my 6 month old Granddaughter which will be my wife's responsibility during the hunt. If we do have a tradition, it is telling funny stories about the deceased that used to be part of our camp, we cherish the memories that they left behind for us. I started this camp 1974 as a 19 year old. We remain at camp all opening weekend without venturing out to the establishments. 2nd weekend we may go to a couple of the local places to see what is leading in the Buck pools. Sheepshead, too much food and drink. Most of our group sits the whole day, no box blinds or condo units for us. Lone Wolf, Summits and Rivers Edge.
My wife's family always gets together at their cabin at the end of the day to swap stories and food, my brother and I hunt separate from the group so today (being the first year I retired) I'm working on a huge pot of chili for the weekend... I also stocked up on the TP
Trapper, I know they lowered the age retriction, but isn't 6 month pushing it? :)
xtroutx, If you think 6 months is too young to start them, check out my 2, 3.5 and 5 year olds doing the butchering in the previous picture. I say involve them at an early age. Note, the 2 year old was using a plastic knife just like she used a plastic gun or bb gun in her early years. LOL
Great hearing about others camps traditions.
Thanks everyone for sharing. I am headed to the gas station, and then up north I go!
Our 27 year tradition, no alcohol and hunters must stay in stand all day the first two days so as to reduce woods disturbance.
When I was in the big camps, this is what we did,,,,, everyone sat all day on sat, sunday and Monday,,,,, than forever who did not have a buck, or wanted to, would get back into stands of choice..... those of us, who filled their tag, would sleep in on Tuesday...
We would than spread out, and slow walk the woods, towards those on the stands,,, maybe several hours, before we got to them, but we pushed some nice bucks, that fell doing that.......
Our second tradition, was if you joined our camp, and were new, you would get the best stand we had,,,,, always pulling for the new guy to get a buck.... BUT, once he scored, we expected him, to be out all day in the woods, to scout the area, both to learn it, and pick some new spots, for the time he was allowed to be off,,,,,, we were hard core young guys......
Two big camps Bayfield 76 - 94 Clark Co 94 - 2010 never had an argument, it was great
"No alcohol and hunters must stay in stand all day for the first two days" that sounds like a boot camp more than deer camp. I've officially found the one deer camp that sounds worse than staying home to work.
I hunt with my children and before we walk out together, we read Psalm 8 and thank the Creator in prayer for allowing us the privilege of enjoying His creation.
Anyone else hang a bucks sack in a tree after a harvest for good luck? Camps been doing that one for years
