Deer camp and old timer stories
Wisconsin
Contributors to this thread:
Getting to be that time of year again.. Camp 86% got together for rifle season planning and bsing. Probably heard some of the same hunting/when I was young stories multiple times but I listen to them even closer as I age. Man have things changed. One of the original members brings up photo albums from years gone. Looking at old Polaroid photos and 35mm pics. Plaid was huge, everything looked like it weighed 80lbs, 2 wheel drive wagons driving in 2' of snow, killing bears during deer season, all those lever rifles, long bows before we called them long bows, arrows looking like they're longer then a fishing rod, and bottles upon bottles of homemade foods and spirits on the table.
I really need a 444 Marlin. Bucks like a mule but wow was it fun to shoot. Don't think I'm tall enough to shoot some of those old long bows. The older members still have em though!
I have a 444 marlin lever. Haven't shot it in years. Did a number on a bear once.
First deer camp I ever went to. I was 12. September, 1957. My dad and I were invited to a bowhunters camp on opening weekend. Camp was off Speedway Road near Meadow Valley near the Necedah Wildlife Federal Refuge. We'd never been there before. Dad was told, "drive NE on Speedway, look for the red lantern in a tree, then turn down that firelane. We lived in Kenosha. At 10:00 PM we're driving 200 miles from home on Speedway Rd. looking for a red lantern. Dark and remote area back then (may still be). Somehow we found the lantern and turned down the firelane where I proceeded to have my first ever weekend bowhunting. Had a ten yard shot at a six, missed! That shot got me hooked! I remember it like it was yesterday! That was the beginning.....
I know where speedway road is. Many times. Grouse hunted there. Yes probably still the same except now you can only camp in designated camping areas. Necedah. The original bow hunting place to be. Didn't bear archery manufacture a recurve called Necedah? Somebody did. I remember as a kid they opened in it up to rifle deer hunting. 66? 67? Before that was archery only. I recall behind every tree was a red coated hunter. No blaze then. Wow the shooting! Old times
Trickle, it was Shakespeare that made the Necedah and short one called the Super Necedah. Good shooting bows still. Speedway road is a thing of the past as far as deer as concerned hardly any left with the excess predators that roam the area.Used to hunt it some back in the late 80's early 90's. It's a bleak picture there now for deer.
Thanks Steve yup it was Shakespeare. I know Fred bear did hunt Necedah one year. I'll see if I can find the photo they made a print from
Just arrived at U.P. deer camp. Houghton county. Im not related to anyone in camp but was invited 10 years ago because I love to hunt. Im the baby in camp at 40. Couldnt love a place more. The "young guy" has to do all the work but I wouldnt trade this 2 weeks for anything. The patriarch of the camp is 89. Great guy. Just got up and told me only drunks drink alone and load the woodstove. Good luck to everyone and keep making deer camp memories.
Have fun! Love those camps. You bowhunting until the rifle opens up on the 15th?
Scouting some new CFL I have always wanted to hunt. Tracked a 9 point I shot through there 2 years ago and it was loaded with sign. Bow is in the truck.
Scouting some new CFL I have always wanted to hunt. Tracked a 9 point I shot through there 2 years ago and it was loaded with sign. Bow is in the truck.
As a young boy. I use to listen to all of my grandfathers deer stories. Now i look back and think of the passion he had for the woods and why i am the way I am today.
My first year i was able to come up for the gun season. I was just 9 years old but man did I feel proud to be part of all the guys in camp. 16 men crammed into 2 campers. The guys that slept up top were sweating and the ones down below were freezing. I miss those days. The night before opener. They thought it would be funny to pull a prank on my great grandfather by setting the clocks ahead after he had fallen asleep. We all laid there giggling in anticipation. The alarm goes off and he sits up and hits the alarm. Hes sitting there in silence and he says, bullshit...! Bullshit!! My grandpa says, whats the matter dad? He says bullshit! No way it's time to get up yet. I dont have to shit yet. Everyone just erupted in laughter. Those were the days. Everyone tagged a buck that weekend too. There were 15 bucks hanging.
I take alot of crap for my "gimmicks". Tree saddle, grunt tube, rattling horns, scent control etc. All you need is to sit still, be quiet and put out some corn. Its worth it to be with guys who just love hunting and sharing that experience with others. No matter your style. Its all about hunting and sharing the experience and excitement. What a great sport.
Our camp was started after WWII North of Winter in the Cheq. Remember as a kid listening in awe to my dad and his buddy's talk of it. Always excited to see what they got and here the stories when they got back. First year in camp for me was a dream come true. Now, I am one of the old guys in camp. The camp went from a army tent in the forest, to campers, to motor homes to now a cabin on the forest border. Still hunt the same 5 sq mile area my dad and buddy's hunted and move with the deer sign. But still a camp. Not sure how much longer, hopefully the kids there will keep it going.
Never had a camp. Just my father and two uncles. Drove to the same public land spot. We could never afford a 4wd so it was always an adventure trying to get back there with a car. Sometimes we couldn't make it. I remember many different characters we met that came and went on the public land. Also the locals who had shacks nearby who would stop down and b.s. I'm the only one left out of the whole shooting match. Everyone is gone....It's a completely different place now. It's all been logged off, there's people everywhere, and the magic of the place is no more. Time marches on....
He's long gone now, but my old Uncle Les always told the story of growing up in Baudette Minnesota how he took 3 shots at around 300 yards at a big buck running full tilt. Finally dropped him on the third shot but he couldn't believe it took that many. Well, imagine his amazement when he walked up to the buck and it had one entry hole and three exit holes!!! LMAO!!
This is the same uncle that claimed you could drop him in the middle of the biggest swamp in the middle of the Yukon and within three days he'd be back to civilization because he was born with a "built-in compass". My other Uncle always jabbed him over the claim and offered to take him up on the challenge, but he never went for it! BS aside deer camp ain't the same without those guys:(
We had a deer camp up around Minong. I was one of the younger bucks, but will always cherish the times I spent with the old timers, especially the time the old patriarch told me the story when he was a kid he witnessed Jim Jordan bring his buck into Danbury. All are gone now, but I'll always cherish those memories.
I will be at camp on Friday. We stay in a cabin located on the same property of my Grandparents old home. It's small but it does the trick. We are actually talking about putting in a toilet as the outhouse is started to fall apart. I'm almost 40 but I feel like a teenager again when I step into that place. Uncles, cousins, brothers, my dad, a nephew and my two daughters will be there most of the weekend. I think there will be 13 of us in total and we all used to sit the same 110 acres! We didn't meet up last year due to COVID so I'm really looking forward to getting together with the crew although the actual hunting doesn't get me as excited with a rifle in my hand. I usually sit in the stand praying for the younger bucks not to step foot in front of the older guys. HAHAHA. It usually doesn't work!!!
I have spent upwards of 45 years deer hunting with my brothers and dad. He passed many years ago but my brothers and I, to this day have spent each and every opening weekend together. We are now joined by a friend or two, my daughters and son-in-law. One of the daughters to this day refuses to use a firearm and is always in her stand with bow.
There is something very special about the gun deer camps, WI, MI, MN, etc. When your part of one that has been for ? years, it is history to me. Love being part of one and hearing and seeing photos and videos of others.
All of the old guys have passed in the deer camp I started hunting with my Dad back in the early '60s. I am the only one left. I actually quit hunting at the camp after my Dad quit hunting and one of his buddies there died. A couple of newcomers came in and all they wanted to do was hit the bars. They gave me grief for wanting to hunt hard so I left the camp.
I have a lot of fond memories from the good days and miss that camp life but have gone on my own since then with good hunting experiences. Sort of lost interest in gun season; more of a bowhunter. But also, the social aspect is gone. Things like stopping at the registration stations, visiting some deer camps calling some friends and family to see how their hunt is going. I don't know if I will be out for the gun season this year but I wll be out with a bow in December.
I miss camp for sure. With today's modern day, and smartphones, I have a "camp" of sorts. We all hunt by ourselves, and we sleep in our own beds in our homes. We no longer travel to go up north, but still, the story telling is still there. We all live in different places, even different states, but we stay in touch. That camp was once the 9 day gun camp, but now it's a different version that allows us to share our singular hunts in a cooperative of like-minded friends. Stoking the fire is done by sharing what you see, perhaps what you killed, and I must admit, nowhere near the same thing. I'd imagine each year there are less and less of them. We used to hunt for meat, and anything with antlers was a trophy. Today the world is full of people who find great pleasure in shaming one another.
I hunted the same spot every year north of Athelstane for many years. Started in my grandfather's deer camp. It easily held 16 people. Unfortunately grandpa died a couple of weeks after I was borne. Was very interesting to hear all the stories in deer camp, wish I could have heard them from grandpa. I ducked out of school for a week every year that I hunted in that camp. When I was in school and college I was always 'sick' during deer season. Last year of college I had a job interview scheduled in Wausau and I was still hunting in camp near Athelstane. Had not had a shower for 9 days. I got on the CB radio when I got to Wausau asking if I could borrow someone's shower. A nice deer hunter welcomed me in to get cleaned up. I could have got the Wausau job but accepted a job in Rochester working for IBM.
One of the funny things that most of the old stories ended with was "If we only knew what we were doing back then, that would have been another giant hanging on the wall."
One of the things that always amazes me is that those groups had so many people that would take the whole week off, every year. In this day and age, it's so hard to get even a long weekend commitment out of anyone.
Our bowcamp is pretty awesome still. We hunt public land and have found a spot where we can set up an old army tent. It has enough room for roughly 10 to sleep on makeshift bunkbeds we have. We bring a generator to have some lights and cook food, and so we can catch football games on TV at night. Hole in the ground near the tent for a makeshift toilet. Old wood stove for heat. Really roughing it type of stuff.
I love being in the woods and on stand, but it wouldn't be the same without the bowcamp camaraderie.
Also have spent about 47 yrs at the camp up at Dunbar with my dad, brothers, cousins and uncles , Dad passed away over 20yrs ago We still honor him with a pic on sweatshirt ( Our Guide from above) Will be in camp with my 4 brothers , my son and daughter Wouldn’t miss it for the world Means that much to me If just wanted to kill a deer I’d stay home where I bow-hunt. But there is so much more to it ,
Better pic of our sweat shirts
Quite the memory and way to honor the patriarch of the hunting camp. He must have been quite the person. Glad to hear your camp is still up & running; keep it going for as long as possible. Deer camps such as yours are a connection to the way things were and should be cherished. Good on you mate!
Quite the memory and way to honor the patriarch of the hunting camp. He must have been quite the person. Glad to hear your camp is still up & running; keep it going for as long as possible. Deer camps such as yours are a connection to the way things were and should be cherished. Good on you mate!
All these great stories of deer camps from yesteryear..... how about posting up some pictures if you have them?
heading to our camp in southern Bayfield that has been going since the 50's. We will have a dozen guys and will be hunting all day Saturday to Saturday on public land. The best part is I won't be in a tree for any of it. On the ground, still hunting all week, good luck to all of you!
WausauDug, what public are you hunting? I can't imagine still hunting on the ground in the public I usually hunt. Too many reckless people throwing bullets around. I think you may be crazy!!!
BigEight, that's the joy of hunting the big Northwoods. Lots of room to get away from people. Honestly, not much bullet throwing up there anymore. Some openers I have only heard a few shots.
I guess I was thinking the medium woods. For some reason I thought he hunted in Clark County with the county forest over 100,000 acres and connected to Eau Claire County which I'm sure is about the same size. That is a place that has large tracts but a lot more difficult to get away from the crowds (not impossible) because of all the roads and trails. I hunted it exclusively for many years and anybody still hunting in that area has bigger onions than me!
LOL, I've been there Big, we used to go there in the 70's the last weekend and even then there was shooting like I have never heard before, and that was during party tag day's.
I will also be in southern Bayfield. Still hunting the banks of the Ounce River. Same plan as the previous 25 years. Starting to see more and more deer as each season passes. Good luck to all.
I will also be in southern Bayfield. Still hunting the banks of the Ounce River. Same plan as the previous 25 years. Starting to see more and more deer as each season passes. Good luck to all.
Went from tent camping off benson lake rd near Goodman, to the Necedah refuge near Sprauge/Mather in the 80s, one year was so cold we froze water inside the tent. Always shot deer though. Good times
Alwaysright's Link
All you guys be safe out there over the next 9 days. I gave up the gun stuff years ago so I'll have to live the gun season through all of you. Be safe first and foremost and enjoy your time together with friends and family!!
Have a safe and memorable hunt.
Great stories, I remember hunting near Jungle Lake, WI in 1963 with my Dad, uncle which is my Dad's best friend and their 2nd cousin. My Dad had a Rem pump in 32 Rem and killed a yearling the 1st day. We had an army tent with a wood heater. It was an adventure that launched me to bow hunt NW Territories, Yukon Territory, AK, ALB, other provinces and multiple western states all more than once, I feel so lucky I could cry.
Here’s a pic of camp when my grandpas ‘ group started
Forgot to say Florence Co
Good stuff Ridge Runner. That's a great picture and memory. The cabin I stayed at, had some lump coal that we'd occasionally burn. I stayed up there with my friend's grandpa, and he explained that he collected that coal as a poor kid, along the railroad tracks before and after while walking to and from school. To think we were warming our bodies from coal scavanged from the RR. I just cherished those stories of hard times that I was lucky enough to be privy to. Not even "gramp's" own kids and grandkids (who I was friends with), got to hear some of the stories I heard. I was the only one, besides the patriarch, that stayed all 9 days. I'll be honest most of the rest of them weren't worthy of staying even two days. Lazy, is what Grandpa called most of them, and he wasn't lying. We would fell several trees, cut, split, burn brush, and they all had other obligations at home, but mostly to get out of work. I just loved the concept of hard work and the reward from our efforts. We'd have potatoes, onions and carrots served with a venison shoulder in the Nesco for Thanksgiving, and nothing went to waste lol. I'd be utilized to work hard, and earn a hearty meal. I miss his Norwegian accent and his pipe tobacco. He was a great man.....all 110 pounds of him. Good luck to all of you enjoying that musty smell of "the cabin". I'm a bit jealous.
Love the picture Smokey.
Ridge runner i can look through photos of the past any day. Especially deer kill photos
One from my old deer camp. 1972 I believe.
Thanks for that picture smokey. That's a great shot! I was just 5 when that was taken.
Another weekend with family and friends. This never gets old!
Our camp was up by Minong. Our heat came from an old Coleman oil burner. Warm down stairs but frigid up in the attic where the young bucks had to sleep. No roof insulation so woke up to frosty nail and trusses every morning. Everyone was given chores, mine was to cut venison off the hind quarters for supper every night, hey it beat cooking and doing dishes.
Smokey that is a great picture. Sorels and red wool or plaid. I still have my plaid wool jacket from then. Worked 1/2 the summer to buy it. Never had a "camp" to hunt from when I started hunting in the early 70's. I hunted the area where my dad grew up on the farm. We would sit for an hour or so in the morning then on your feet the rest of the day. We would stop in at a camp or two if we got cold or tired They was always someone at camp my dad knew and there was always coffee on the stove, snacks or a sandwich. Private property did not exist in that area in those days. Everyone was welcome to pass on through following a big track. My how things have changed.
xtroutx - Those were the days when private property didn't exist. We would always stop to ask permission if we could bow hunt and was told you never have to ask.
Hoot, Life was so simple then.
Take a look at the giant typical buck taken thread. That is why alot of things are different now and everything involved with it including money.
Long time bowsite member here (I just looked at my registration pin email...it was from 2007...and I remember being on this site for years before you had to register....)..anyway, I lurk mostly and don't post much, but this thread really hit close for me...................My deer camp is dying I believe, both literally and figuratively (in that the older first gen is totally gone, and now the second gen is starting to go...and that many of the current issues that have been described in the threads above are driving apart the remaining members)........................The story: The hunting group was made up of my grandfather and his step brothers (he was adopted into the family) and they hunted together back in the 30's and 40's and 50's for food obviously. As their children came of age (my father's generation) a more formal camp started with that generation. Now this turned out to be a pretty large group...8 original brothers and their kids starting to hunt now (around 20'ish)...that second gen built a cabin for many of that group to stay in for the 9 day gun season (mid 1970's), and the older gen would meet them everyday to hunt. The guys in the second gen liked to party (I've heard those stories) but for the most part they still hunted hard...but the method of hunting was make deer drives for most of the day (see the post above about there was no such thing as private property back then...this was exactly that...anyone was really free to roam anywhere at anytime pretty much)...while all of this is going on, one of the brothers was more well off than the others and started buying up many 40's for the group...and other group members when they could also bought a 40 here or there (this will come back later, but you can likely see where it is going...). This method of hunting was pretty much unchanged during the 70's and 80's...while in the 80's the kids of the 2nd gen started to come to the deer camp, and the group started to get even larger (the group was limited to family members...and even then we are now pushing a group size of like 30'ish). Also during this time many other changes are starting to happen, the one brother that had bought up all the 40's passes away, bowhunting and treestand sitting are starting to become more popular, other surrounding properties are becoming harder and harder to get access to for deer drives, deer hunting magazines and videos showing big buck kills are getting more and more popular....at this point the camp could have likely folded, but another more affluent member of the group, bought most of the 40's of the original member that passed, a few others were scooped up by other members, and at this time some of the more involved members and the remaining original brothers decided to actually pool some money and purchase two of the 40's and incorporate the group, and moved ownership of that 80 acres into the a newly formed nonprofit corporation. A 'membership' structure was created, with the ability to buy in (for a small fee) and get a share of 'stock' and then pay yearly dues to have access to a newly built cook shack and bunkhouse and the 80 acres owned by the corporation (membership was limited to decedents of the original 8 brothers, as well as spouses). The 'rules' were still pretty much the same though...for the most part you could go anywhere you wanted when you wanted on the rest of the properties... Now we are into the 90's....deer drives still happen, but they are fewer , and now there are more guys bowhunting and sitting in 'their' stands...many are also now starting to bait deer. You can see what is starting to happen...guys are getting 'their' spots, and now some tension is starting to creep in on who can go where...this goes on for the next 20 years, all the while all of the other external deer hunting forces are still at play (private property access, the push for bigger and bigger deer, baiting deer, hunting all day from heating shooting blinds, etc). Well today, the third generation is starting to take (or has taken) ownership of all of the 40's, and the 'unwritten' rule now is that you hunt on 'your' 40 (if you have one) or the shared corporation 80, or on some of surrounding public (which gets pounded by the way) . Not all members purchased the 40's when they were available....My father never purchased one. One branch of the family has the majority of the land. The shared corporation 80 has many stands on it, and it gets hunted really hard. Lots of the guys bait the deer, and run their 2 gallons out every day in their side by sides. Half of the group wants to manage for big bucks, the others don't want to. You can imagine the tensions. Now throw the Covid pandemic in, as well as all the political issues that go with it (the group is split politically too..) and the last two years have been a complete crap-show, as only about 1/2 of the hunting members actually came to camp (they were still around, just hunting on their properties) Now my heavy heart starts...My son (now 25) didn't come up this year for the first time in 13 years...he's sick of everything he obviously sees going on, he doesn't want to be constrained to where he can go, so he hunted public with a buddy this year and actually did really well...he wanted me to hunt with them, but I felt 'obligated' to go to the deer camp (my father was going to be there, plus I was responsible for the Saturday night meal). Add in the fact that I hold a leadership position in the deer camp corporation (yes, we have a Board of Directors and officers...I felt like I got talked into this because no one else wanted it...) and of course I do have an emotional attachment to the camp, I feel like I'm completely torn...I actually get along with everyone at the camp and enjoy their company...but I've come to hate gun hunting up there and would have loved to spend that time hunting with my son. What 2022 holds I don't know, but I do believe our 9 day gun camp is dying... or changing into something that doesn't remotely resemble what it has been. There are obviously many more details and examples I couldn't cover in this post but it feels therapeutic to at least to post this...these things I will wrestle with over the next year.
As a relatively younger person, it's wild reading how people were not so millitant with their POSTED signs every five feet back in the day. Over the last few years, I've asked four different properties if I could recover a deer if I hunted on the public a few hundered yards away.
I only got one yes. That gentleman also gave me some hunting tips for the area. Good guy.
Gusto, That is the dictionary definition of what's happened to deer hunting everywhere. I'm of the notion all this unfolded because of "trophy hunting" and the ensuing competition between hunters.
Retro , We basically created the Monster that's consuming us .
1960 , Taylor County, last day of Gun season , Dad puts me on stand at the best spot we have for a drive . 1 mile of nasty swamp & the Deer bottle neck to the shooter . Almost a guaranteed shot . But I fell asleep .
As he walks toward me I wake up . "See any Deer " he asked . I said , " Nope " . As we walk to the car we cross about 10 pair of fresh tracks about 40 yards from me . I look at him , he smiles & pats me on the back & said ," let's have a big breakfast & warm up. "
1993 we are hunting my farm & I want him to get 1 last nice buck , his health is failing . I have a big 8 point that walks out of the grain field every morning about 7 , walks behind the barn & into the tag Alders to bed . I set up a stand in the barn , I break a 12 x 12 window out & install a shooting rest plus a chair for a 75 yard shot with his Marlin that I installed a 1 1x2 x 5 scope on .
I'm in a tree about 150 yards away watching the field .At 7:25 the big Buck walks out & slowly feeds his way to the bedding area . NO SHOT . I'm mildly aggravated. At 9 :00 I walk to the barn . No Dad .I walk in the house & there he is watching a football game . I'm pIssed but Mom gives me " THE LOOK ". He said " no Deer walked by & it was cold so I came in to warmup " . I put my hand on his shoulder , smiled & asked him , " how do you want your eggs ? He smiled & nodded. He passed away 4 months later .
Might be a little off topic but think it has to do with the camp stories , Kind of a tradition in my family of nephews being pallbearers for uncles who die ,My uncle Donnie past away recently, After military honors in the back of church my brothers ,I and other cousins honored him by wearing blaze orange hats as we placed his casket in the hearse ,He loved deer camp along with his love of airplanes and music ,It went over pretty well with everyone especially with with my cousin Dan who is pictured on far right
Ridge Runner, my condolences and a nice way to honor him.
Thanks Mike , He lived a good full life of 91 yrs Did his first solo flight at age 16 then bought the same plane at age 18 because his dad wouldn’t let him by a motorcycle , Shot his last buck at age 86 in Montana
Loved to play music especially the accordion Pic of him in some tavern in Florence Co as a youngster when they hunted hard and partyed even harder at night
These are the parts of Deer hunting that are so important, Yet many don't have a clue .
Very nice .
Yes Ruger I agree As much as I love bowhunting I fear my grandkids may never experience the thrill and traditions of deer camp up north Those are some of my favorite memories and it just seems like every year with lack of deer in some of the north woods many important traditions are dying
I have a deer camp up in Oneida county right on the line with Lincoln county. I think my dad bought this land about 1950. Living in Cedarburg my dad and great uncle built a shack to go on it. The walls, ceiling and floor were all built in 8 x 8 ft section and the shack measured 8 x 24. They assembled it in Cedarburg by bolting it together - it fit, their plan worked. They disassembled it, loaded it on a flat bed truck and my older brothers hauled it upnorth. They set it up and it still stands today. It didn't take long and they added another section to it 12 x 24. That they did on site. The deer hunting shack was done. 20 x 24 ft. No electricity, no running water, gas stove, gas lights and wood heat. It remains today as it did then but I'm the only one left hunting it. I did have a hunting buddy until a few years ago when he retired up there at 78. He came back into the shack one opening gun morning and said he quit hunting and so he did.
Opening day of gun season was a highlight of the year in my book and I always looked forward to it. I didn't get into bow hunting until high school. Now I'd rather be bow hunting than gun hunting.
I started deer hunting up there when I was about 8. Lots of guys, family and friends were in the shack for gun season. We did a lot of drives up there. Back then the drivers used to hoot and holler. I remember for Christmas when I was 12 I got a .32 winchester special lever action deer rifle. I was happier than a pig in a puddle. My first season with it I got my first deer. I still use that rifle and shot my last gun deer with it and my grandson shot his first buck with it up at the shack.
When I got out of the Marines and moved back to Wisconsin I spent a lot of time at the shack. I did most all my bow and gun hunting up there. I even made an improvement on the shack's interior. I took out an inside wall. The largest group of bow hunters I have had up there at one time was 4 + 1 non bow hunter. Three deer were taken. I've had friends come up from Florida, Georgia, Missouri, and California and they all left with deer.
Now, the shack seldom get's used. I may go up 4 or 5 weekends during the off season and three times during the hunting season. Now I do most of my hunting in cow country.
When my dad died he left it to me. When I die I expect it will get sold and someone new will start hunting it. The shack I expect will be replaced with something better.
Tom - I can tell your story about your hunting shack is very meaningful and near & dear to your heart. I can read between the lines and see the joy/fine memories/satisfaction it has given over the years. Those of us reading the story can relate to your deer camp and the traditions it offered. Seems to me it was the sort of place that produced events you wish could go on forever. Fun. Family. Friends. Deer hunting with bow & rifle. It is a part of you and I can tell you speak with joy and satisfaction about those past times. I can also sense a sad note about how it has all changed. I know this is what is happening or has happened to thousands of deer camps in Wisconsin. Some have made the change completely now and are pretty much abandoned while others are in the process of doing so. These are the traditions of deer camps that are dying in Wisconsin. That's kinda where I am with my camp. I'm a bit behind you and on the slope; I see it going downhill but seem powerless to do anything about it. I am, as I am sure you are, happy about all the fun and rollicking good times we used to have. I miss 'em. But in the end guys like us now have the memories and lots of photos that allow a connection with those times. It is not the same I know, but I would not give up my experiences at camp for anything. I, as you do yours, value them. They live on now in a different sort, but still meaningful, way. (Oh, BTW, Semper Fi, 1965 -1971)
(One thing I would like to add here, that in a way, surprises me. I say it surprises me because it was a deer camp and it was envisioned, planned, and built and used for the purpose of taking deer. But as I look back, the deer we took are not now my main focus. Yes, we took a lot of deer (and I really mean a bunch!),...gun and bow,...and more than once, quite often actually, some really nice bucks! But as I look back my attention is drawn more to the people and the fun we had than to the deer we took. Yes, it was good to get the deer but the friends and relatives we shared those time with were the real reward of deer camp. Those are the memories I cherish the most, the times spent with the others in camp,...They were all good hunters, good friends, and the sort of camp companions that it seems are seldom found today. Yes, taking deer over the years was great, but it is the people that really mattered and still do.)
I have been fortunate to have had 4 camps, with now 2 remaining. What is not remaining, are those who want to hunt.......................... First camp we had, was the downstairs area, of an old resort on Lake Owen in Bayfield county. We hunted mostly up off the Delta /Drummond area, but new the area really well. We were all in our 20s, with only one guy married, there was 8 of us.........................
To say we hunted hard was an understatement. Our strategy was to sit, in our tree stands, Sat Sun and Monday. Tuesday was sleep in am, except those who did not have a buck. Those guys would go to stands, we decided would be the best, and get in at 5am. then around 9am, the rest of us, would spread out, and still hunt, to those stands.
Usually it was about 1pm when we would get to them. Sometimes we would see the other pusher, sometimes not, big country, and you simply followed your compass and number angle, we took........ we had bucks looking back at the pusher, only to be shot, by the guy in the stand. Slow easy and quiet, it worked well............... We all shot bucks. I never shot anything real big, but some of the guys shot deer well into the 160 to 170 class on the edge of the Bibon.
We had one rule if you joined our camp. We all had the week off, even would leave on the Monday after, but others did not have that much time. So for those who came in, we would get them to our best stands. If they got their buck, our rule was that you scouted the rest of your available days, to learn the area for next year.
from 76 to 94 that camp went like a fine watch. no arguements and lots of fun..... It was a fine time Like others I have countless stories I could tell. Lost hunters, and getting in on the search, seeing a 500 lb bear shot , hearing a lone wolf, yes a wolf, before the introduction, finding old shacks in the Bibon, and on and on.........
One year, we all left blaze orange hoodies in our stands and secured them on branches. That spring, we hired a pilot out of Iron River Wis, for 27.00 and hour, and he flew us over our area. We took our own pictures, to make our own maps, and see where we sat from the air........ We were all hard core...........
Not just deer camps either…. Venturing into the National Forest where our group hunted for many years 70s and still able to see remnants of ground blinds, It almost takes my breath away as all the memories flash back to great times, I’m not going to lie, this always brings tears to my eyes, it’s a happy sad feeling. I can still hear there voices and picture what it was like.
Deer Camp 2021
Deer Camp 2021
The attached photo is my Camp in Bayfield County. I solo it because I’m the last of my former group and family that still hunts. I usually set up several days before the season and stay through most of the season until the final Saturday or Sunday. It’s very quiet and peaceful. My son who is an active duty Air Force Pilot says, that I “live my best life up there.”
Wink501 where do you usually camp at?
MJF,,,,, one day I was cutting country, and found a ground blind. Never carried a camera back then. We had no phones to distract us, just our compass and wits... I find this blind, the guy had hauled in snow fence, the old kind. Must have been some job, it was a true mile, from any place to park..... He made a half circle with it, around some trees, and stuck branches in it, for concealment. He dug out 2 feet in the ground, and made a cedar bench. He had a small fire pit in it, and had a coffee can filled with charcoal,,,, another can, held emergency stuff, and some candy bars......
I ate my lunch their and left him a note, which I put in his can, saying he did a good job, and took good care of his spot, and wished him well,,,,,,, Different days and hunter mentality back then 1981
My first deer camp was when I was 16 was around the Glidden area. We tented it. It snowed like hell the first night and the temp dropped to around zero. We froze our butts off. We ended up with one buck and a bear. I still treasure this hunt as one of my all time favorites. I remember all the red plaid then, even though I'm severely color blind. LOL
Its not a coincidence that when someone recalls memories of their fondest times hunting, it's about a special place and special people. Nobody mentions the net scores of the deer they shot or how many shoulder mounts each guy had. Before the circus showed up..... What a great time to be a deer hunter!
MJF, I usually camp at the Perch Lake National Forest Campground off the Delta Drummond Rd.
I thought that might be Perch Lake. I remember helping to track a deer, all the way from Nymphia lake to the back side to Perch Lake. In the late 70's there was a gang of 10, that had all their big elk tents set up there, with hay bales and wood stoves, etc. Always a good place to drive in, share a beer, and talk deer stuff........ George Phillips was the game warden back then, put his own mother in jail, if he could, but he was a good guy, and we all respected him
Good old George Phillips, my father caught him going through the back of our old station wagon one time while trout fishing, my father didn’t know it was a warden and grabbed him by the shoulder swung him around, George announced himself real fast lol.
Ah yes... the ol deer camps are slowly fading away. Why on the earth would any kid enjoy the old cabin? It smelled of farts, stale booze and body odor. Why would they want to hear every year, the lore of the "Booger bottom buck" that everyone saw for years that had antlers a foot wider that its butt on each side? We have cameras instead which make it "real". Why would a kid be in awe of holding a lever action, model 94 with iron sights that was passed down from grandpa when he can have a scoped rifle and all the gadgets. Why would a kid or anyone wanna freeze their butts off wearing cotton and wool?? We have heated suits now. Why would a kid wanna walk with a guy who grew up walking in the woods and learning with each step when I can have a laptop with videos and hunting shows of "real" hunters?? We have ATV's and E bikes instead of walking.
A bowsite scholar tells us to embrace technology, we shall see...
1994 we had to move. guys were getting married, jobs were taking guys out of state west, etc. The county store, in Drummond, started to sell bait. For the first time, areas we had to ourselves, by "humping", were now being occupied by ATV and radios among the operators.,,,,, So called guides and baiting were on the scene. The Feds were not cutting like they use to, and now dealing with the wolf introduction BS... We were gone
So we move down to Clark County and find 10 acres, among the county forest. Neighbor has alot of land, leases us 160 acres, of what he considers junk, swamp. 3000.00 a year, on a handshake for 10 years..... We had 10 guys now, so it was cheap.
Everyone but me is in the trades. We find a guy in Pittsville, that has a log cabin kit, with pieces missing. We pay for the transport, the cabin kit is free. 3 weekends later its up and running.... another camp is born..........................
Wolves and low deer numbers played a major role in the abandonment of the modern day northwoods hunting camp. Of course there are several other factors.
from 94 to 2010, we had a grand time.. Clark Gallup camp was not too far away... Plenty of grouse and woodcock, lots of deer, a grand time.... By 2010, our lease agreement was done, he wanted now 7000, but the wolves were running pretty good, it was time to move on...... We all went to other paths, most to SW Wis, and me, I wanted to get off the grid, and bought in the UP,,,,,, Another camp, and again no arguements.....
I know a few young guys in their early 30s, who are buying and getting good deals on old Wis deer camps,,,, things will turn around,,,, When you really hunt, low deer numbers is not always a bad thing,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Our SW Camp, is 74 acres, that came with a Amish school house. Only mistake we made was hiring Amish to do a steel roof, they botched that job,,,,, guys from the north came down and fixed it,,,,,,,, Different now, only a few guys come, and my UP place, is quiet, but once in awhile, a guy or two, stops by,,,,,,,,,,
All deer camps no matter how they are set up, are places to relax, enjoy, and love life,,,,,,
North country Deer camps are a special thing for sure. Only us that were/are part of them know the excitement and lore they bring. Lots of great memories in ours. Been a camp of differing locations but the same hunting areas since the 40's and even before with great grandpa's. Black Lake in the Cheq. Forest has truly been my special place to be in WI. The woods, the crew past and present, the story's of old hunts and the daily reports when you come back to camp. Our camp is getting older but fortunately we have a couple kids who are really into hunting so there is hope.
Deer camp weapons were interesting. In our 60's Deer camp they were the following . Marlin 30-30 , Winchester m 94 in 30-30 , 2 M 1 carbines in .30 caliber , Germain Mauser in 8mm , Model 1903 in 30-06 , Winchester Model 70 in 30-06 , Browning Buck special in 12 GA., Rem. M81 in 35 Remington , Ruger Carbine in .44 magnum , with a 2 1/2 power weaver ( the only gun with a scope ) . Mine was a British tanker carbine in .303 Caliber with custom peep sites .
This was near Hurley/ Ironwood where you could walk for 10 miles & not see a road . 9 adults , 4 kids . 1 Doe was killed for meat & 5 bucks were taken . This was considered a great success.
1. Fork , 2- 6 pointers , 1 8 point , & a old knarley 11 point. Everyone laughed at my Hi School buddy with the smallish Ruger . But he shot the 11 pointer , but it did take 4 - 240 grain bullets to drop it
80 year old Gramps got the best buck award for shooting a 6 point at 200 yards with his 70 year old Winchester with open sites .
All 4 of us kids got to drink our 1st shot on Black berry Brandy the last nite in camp . Good stuff .
Yes Ruger, lots of different rifles in camps. Dad had the first Rem Woodmaster, one guy had a octagon barrel Savage lever 303 savage, I used a 32 Win. special automatic 1905, brother had a 30-40 krag, a 700 bolt, and another savage lever 308. A few 30-30's mixed in from others. Cool to see.
I still have my grandfather's Model 14 Remington pump in the caliber of 32 Remington. If I win the lottery, I might buy a box of shells for it....
We had some extreme guys, but we were single and all making alot of money.... 3 of our guys, spent 2000.00 alot of money in the late 80's. all bought Steyer Manlichers, in 270, box magazines....... They are still in use today, so money well spent..... I never liked the 270, so I used a Ruger Manlicher, with rotary mag, in 308........ Military experience made me trust the 308....... still use the gun today, with a 5 power scope
Retro , I have some .32 rems stashed . I'll see what I have. Great Deer cartridge.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/big-woods-bucks-deer-hunting-education-entertainment/id1407015487?i=1000548165385
Here’s some good stories of days gone by
It seems with all the reminiscing and longing for the deer camp days of old it wouldn't take too much to put together a group of bowsiters to re-create a deer camp hunt to preserve that which we all miss.