Today, many of us enjoy practically the same luxuries at our deer camp that we have at home. Hot and cold running water, electricity, and even satellite television are commonplace in deer camps. Still, I'm sure many of us can remember our first deer camp as being much more primitive.

My first deer camp in Mississippi was nothing more than an old abandoned farm house with a fireplace and outhouse. And when you went there for the weekend, no one could expect to hear from you until you got back home.

Today with all the telecommunication services that we have available to us, I can literally work from my deer lease and stay in touch with my work peers as if I was in the office.

Tent...then we upgraded to a $100 camper that would whistle you to sleep in the wind. It was awesome!!!

My first Texas lease included a trailer. And you only called the top bunk once, before you realized that hot air from the heater rises.

1974, Two Room rock cabin in Harper, Tx. Dirt Floor one wood heater. No plumbing, outhouse out back. 1976 my dad got a camper trailer and we were livin the high life.

That dang cabin was cold cold or scortching hot. For a 5 year old boy though, it was paradise.

our first one was a construction office trailer that we renovated and turned into a camp. 4 bunk beds, had lights that we rigged up with a car battery. we had water from a collection system but we had an outhouse.

Pretty spartan.


now the ranch house is nicer than where I live at

Have always leased within 10-15m of the house.

And the ceiling is dang close to your head...and rolling over was not an option. Shoulders would get pinned between the mattress and the ceiling

Been doing this since 1968. Most of the time we had an old farm house or travel trailer.

It must have really been a low ceiling if it pinned you.

I have either driven from home, lived on the ranch or stayed in an old farm/ranch house. Some of old houses were pretty aged.

An old stucco building with a tin roof. Wood stove for heat. I use a travel trailer now at my lease and still use tents when I go to Wyoming.

tent, then graduated to a morgan tin building, then empanded off of that with plywood for a big living area. log heater no running water we ran lights off a battery now have a generator

Dad and i would take mom's mini van.. take the back seats out and through some blankets down... if i was lucky enough, he'd let the heater run for a few min, but didnt want to waste too much gas.
( i was probabaly 6-7 yo)

Where I grew up in Kansas, we didn't have deer camps. We hunted in our back yards. Some have even killed deer from a hottub!

So, my first deer camp was my bedroom.

This will be my first year on a deer lease. Good thing is my Papa's place is 5 miles from the front gate/camp and 10 miles from my hunting area.

I also have a cousin and uncle about the same

35 years ago, made a PVC pipe frame in the back of a Ford Ranger Pu. Covered it with a blue plastic tarp. That was camp. First weekend it snowed/sleeted and high was 25. Coleman cook stove and an ice chest. That was about it. We survived but don't think I want to do it again.

Our NM camp is still just a camp. Truck everything you need in with you. Sleep in tents in -20 degree bags and cook on the camp fire or Coleman stove. Put your drinking water in the bag with you so it doesn't freeze over night. A metal folding chair with a hole in the center serves as the jon. Wouldn't trade it for the world, can't wait for November.

Pickup w/ small camper shell,froze are arse off, then dad { good carpenter }built a one room shack w/ used 2x 6 and 2x4 and plywood, put some roofing on it. Had dirt floor that we put some old carpet on, Had a pot belly stove and propane cook stove on a counter. Couldn't cuss a cat with out getting hair in your mouth, pretty small but we loved it. Now my idea of roughing it is the Best Western.

Grew up in SE Oklahoma where rifle season was only 9 days. We would go set everything up on Friday (day before opening) and it consisted of my uncles 12x20 canvas pole tent with a woodburning stove and two other small 4 person tents. I was 15-16 before they got a small camper but the kids always stayed in the tents. I sure miss those days, getting to hunt with all my cousins and uncles, stepdad and grandpa.

What? No heated box stands?

I'm too old (and soft) for such conditions.

Tent with 35 mph winds. When sleeping the top of the tent kept slapping me.

Bed of pickup, to tent, then camper now cabin that has all the necessities, live the great life....

In '68 I hunted 5 miles north of Llano, had a 20 x 20 tin cabin. Mid 70's hunted Sonora and Ozona out of my '73 ford truck and topper for years. Now I have a 30' trailor and a '97 dodge diesel and life is good. Oh I still have that '73 ford.

1st.Tent. If the weather is not terrible a Tent still. Sometimes friends close by, sometimes Butterfield motel. Like the Tent when I can.

My most primitive camp was on a lease at Loyal Valley in Mason Co. I had a cozy fire pit in the ground, lined with rocks. There was nice flat, bare spot to the side of the pit, just right for a pup tent.