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First rule of "Deer Camp"...!
#7281480
09/09/18 01:11 PM
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Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 166
tsasunkawitka
OP
Woodsman
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OP
Woodsman
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 166 |
Are you kidding? The first rule of deer camp is we tell everyone we know whatever dumb thing you did in deer camp! Like when you lit the pot-bellied stove and didnt open the flue and smoked us all out of the cabin. Or when you had to walk to my stand to borrow a bullet cuz you forgot yours. Or the time when you opened your stand door from the ladder and a ring-tailed cat immediately attached itself to your face and you commenced to screaming and flailing about til you and the cat fell to the ground below (true story). Yep. Youd better believe that at least three generations of young hunters will hear that tail around the campfire. Im still laughing many years later. But isnt that part of the fun of deer camp? This will be my 50th season and its not the wall mounts that we gain from deer camp. Its the experiences and the memories. I do wax nostalgic about how things used to be because I wish everyone could experience a bit of the good old days. Its where every 12-year old wants to be like the older menlike their dad. And, where dad and the older men want to be 12 again. Deer camp is where boys become men and men are reminded how they became who they are. True deer camp for you younger folks was a tent, a pop-up camper, an old travel trailer, or a wood floor cabin with no running water or electricity. Maybe it still is. I hope so. Roughing it is not no wi-fi. There is much to learn from being cold, wet, uncomfortable, and inconvenienced. We learn to think critically from adversity. You learn to be prepared and efficient when youre forced to. There is something bigger and greater at work in deer camp. I learned to peel a tater in one continuous piece from one of the older men betting me he could do it better. Loser peeled twenty pounds. I never did win the bet, but I can peel a tater like nobodys business. And, I still have all my digits. I learned why its not good to swallow tobacco juice. I even learned to poke holes in a quarter at 100 yards. When I finally got it perfect, they mounted it on a dog tag chain for me and I wore it til I went to boot camp. I shoot pretty good now. If youve never used an outhouse, youve never been to deer camp. I can recall running out at night in my long handles, barefoot, freezing, and sitting in the privy playing with my flashlight. Dreaming about the mornings hunt to come. Shivering, teeth chattering, and thinking "it cant possibly get any better than this"! Deer camp is also where we learn not to close our eyes when we finally get a shot at our first deer. I had a year to relive that miserable experience over and over. It taught me humility, patience, and lots of anger management. I think I learned how to be a good human being. How to be a righteous man. Dont take the last piece of meat when someone is still out. Pick up after yourself. Dont slam the door when you head to the outhouse. Close the cattle gate behind you. Put a log on the fire before you head out. Many important lessons on interacting with others. Respect, courtesy, and common sense. My first thoughts about God came in the nights out under the stars, hearing the older men speak about the majesty of space and such. Belief came to me out there. Something so vast and amazing couldnt possibly just happen by accident. Even as a kid I saw that. I learned to overcome fear when my dad left me in my stand til well after dark one night. I didnt know at the time that there werent lions, tigers, and bears in the woods of Montgomery county, Texas. In fact, the men went well out of their way to reinforce that notion. I was terrified but remained resolute in my dads instructions to not leave my stand til he came. He finally did, and it instilled a bond of trust between us that lasted many years later. He always showed up when I needed him to most. Being teased, taunted, and generally messed with as a kid was part of a right of passage. You learned not to be so thin-skinned. To take it in the spirit it was given. Even to dish out a little. The whole process was a hide-toughening. A test of who I was and who I would become by men who had been through it with their dads. Good, solid, upright men. Hunters! 50 years later I am the man I became in those camps of old. My sons and grandsons are as I am. Pretty sure they want to be me, and I, them! The moral of this verbose rant is simplytake a kid to the woodsto deer camp. Because there is no greater place on this planet.
39 years booking hunts worldwide with over 3000 outfitters. If you want to kill it or catch it...I've got it!
Detail Company Adventures (713) 315-0480 Cell (best) (713) 524-7235 Office (800) 292-2213 Office rick@detailcompany.com SCI, HSC, DSC Member
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Re: First rule of "Deer Camp"...!
[Re: tsasunkawitka]
#7281485
09/09/18 01:14 PM
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 65,416
SnakeWrangler
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 65,416 |
I believe in science and I’m an insufferable [censored] Actually, BBC is pretty damn good "You Cannot Simultaneously Be Politically Correct And Intellectually Honest!"
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Re: First rule of "Deer Camp"...!
[Re: tsasunkawitka]
#7281499
09/09/18 01:23 PM
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Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 1,643
BubRay
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 1,643 |
Well said sir.
Take Care, Bub
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Re: First rule of "Deer Camp"...!
[Re: tsasunkawitka]
#7281538
09/09/18 02:15 PM
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,001
jhunter77
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,001 |
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Re: First rule of "Deer Camp"...!
[Re: tsasunkawitka]
#7281539
09/09/18 02:15 PM
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,001
jhunter77
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,001 |
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Re: First rule of "Deer Camp"...!
[Re: tsasunkawitka]
#7281549
09/09/18 02:21 PM
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Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 3,457
redhaze
Veteran Tracker
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Veteran Tracker
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 3,457 |
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Re: First rule of "Deer Camp"...!
[Re: tsasunkawitka]
#7281555
09/09/18 02:25 PM
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 862
BigLou
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 862 |
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Re: First rule of "Deer Camp"...!
[Re: tsasunkawitka]
#7281560
09/09/18 02:35 PM
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 25,138
Creekrunner
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 25,138 |
I try my best to pass on/duplicate as much of the above to the other, younger guys on the lease...when we're not in a seminar on trophy management. Thanks for posting.
...and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Gen. 1:28
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Re: First rule of "Deer Camp"...!
[Re: tsasunkawitka]
#7281561
09/09/18 02:36 PM
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 11,857
Simple Searcher
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 11,857 |
That is publishable. Well done.
"Man is still a hunter, still a simple searcher after meat..." Robert C. Ruark
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Re: First rule of "Deer Camp"...!
[Re: tsasunkawitka]
#7281580
09/09/18 02:51 PM
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Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 6,043
Wilhunt
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 6,043 |
Very well said, have to believe most have experienced the above.
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Re: First rule of "Deer Camp"...!
[Re: tsasunkawitka]
#7281732
09/09/18 05:16 PM
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 27,091
Nogalus Prairie
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 27,091 |
I learned long ago you can't reason someone out of something they don't reason themselves into.
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Re: First rule of "Deer Camp"...!
[Re: tsasunkawitka]
#7281764
09/09/18 05:54 PM
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Joined: May 2015
Posts: 4,136
Dalee7892
Extreme Tracker
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Extreme Tracker
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 4,136 |
Well said. Can relate to a lot of what was written. A person could not relate to any of that unless he lived it.
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Re: First rule of "Deer Camp"...!
[Re: tsasunkawitka]
#7281772
09/09/18 06:04 PM
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 482
ROCKMAN57
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 482 |
That was a wonderfull read and I could feel the things you spoke of,just with different faces and places I'm sure.Ditto what Searcher said.I would but the book.Happy trails.
Keep your powder dry,the wind in your face and watch your backtrail.
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Re: First rule of "Deer Camp"...!
[Re: tsasunkawitka]
#7281789
09/09/18 06:25 PM
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Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,981
pertnear
"Demolition Man"
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"Demolition Man"
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,981 |
tsasunkawitka, Wish you could create a deer camp training course to "de-millennialize" or "millennial-proof" some of our youth.
"Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” - George Orwell
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Re: First rule of "Deer Camp"...!
[Re: tsasunkawitka]
#7281798
09/09/18 06:34 PM
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Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 166
tsasunkawitka
OP
Woodsman
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OP
Woodsman
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 166 |
Pertnear,
If only there were such a place. I do appreciate all the kind support here. Was trying to convey some things I see are sadly missing. I have clients who will spend a hundred grand on renting a luxury lodge for a week. In my mind, the guy sitting around a campfire with friends eating dinty moore stew from the can is far wealthier!
"The finest thing I've ever smelled is coffee percolating and bacon frying over the fire on a cool, crisp, Texas morning"!
39 years booking hunts worldwide with over 3000 outfitters. If you want to kill it or catch it...I've got it!
Detail Company Adventures (713) 315-0480 Cell (best) (713) 524-7235 Office (800) 292-2213 Office rick@detailcompany.com SCI, HSC, DSC Member
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Re: First rule of "Deer Camp"...!
[Re: tsasunkawitka]
#7281830
09/09/18 07:23 PM
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Joined: May 2015
Posts: 4,136
Dalee7892
Extreme Tracker
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Extreme Tracker
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 4,136 |
Coming in from the hunt in the evening and everyone participating in preparing dinner. Peeling the taters, cooking the meat, setting the table, stoking the fire. Clean up then some drinks and bs till wee hours. Greatness.
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Re: First rule of "Deer Camp"...!
[Re: tsasunkawitka]
#7281842
09/09/18 07:45 PM
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Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 368
270Sendero
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 368 |
Sounds like you grew up in the same camp as me. I loved every minute of it
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Re: First rule of "Deer Camp"...!
[Re: tsasunkawitka]
#7281863
09/09/18 08:28 PM
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 22,208
Texas Dan
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 22,208 |
Its where every 12-year old wants to be like the older menlike their dad. And, where dad and the older men want to be 12 again. Deer camp is where boys become men and men are reminded how they became who they are.
Places that are male only have become few and far between. And to even speak of them is taboo in many circles.
I started hunting with my future FIL and my wifes uncles soon after I met her. I couldnt have imagined her or any other woman being in deer camp during all those years. It wasnt a matter of exclusion but simply a place and activity where men took an interest. Even today, there are only men in my hunting circle and our wives desire no part of it. Thats not to say that women shouldnt be hunting, but simply that many men have something in them that creates a desire to pack together. It can probably be traced back to our earliest ancestors. IMO, only time will tell the impact of the changing role of men in our society.
Last edited by Texas Dan; 09/10/18 02:05 AM.
"Some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons."
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Re: First rule of "Deer Camp"...!
[Re: tsasunkawitka]
#7282086
09/10/18 02:20 AM
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 6,109
Ranch Dawg
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 6,109 |
Very well put ! Sounds like the camp I grew up in. Wouldn't trade it for anything....
THE ROAD GOES ON FOREVER AND THE PARTY NEVER ENDS.
F##K YOU JOE BIDEN !!!!!
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Re: First rule of "Deer Camp"...!
[Re: tsasunkawitka]
#7282383
09/10/18 02:47 PM
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 482
ROCKMAN57
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 482 |
I remember a woman in our camp(in fact it was her camp) way back in the day when we were hunting in the Davy Crockett Natl forrest.It was my Ain't Joyce and she dipped and snorted snuff.When you heard that old Rem 1100 of her's sing you knew meat was on the ground.She was tougher than many a man and didn't mince words.Times have changed quite a bit since those days of sittin around the fire down in the woods at night.I miss that old woman with all my heart.Back in those old days she took more deer and caught more and bigger catfish than any man I knew cept maybe Uncle Shirley(her old man) Thinking bout them has brought tears to my eyes so I'm gonna sign off now. Good Hunting to all and to all good luck.
Keep your powder dry,the wind in your face and watch your backtrail.
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Re: First rule of "Deer Camp"...!
[Re: tsasunkawitka]
#7282437
09/10/18 03:22 PM
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Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 179
D'hanis
Woodsman
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Woodsman
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 179 |
That was awesome to read. Posts like that are my favorite part of this forum. I guess now I'll get back to daydreaming about opening day from the comfort of the office... *sigh*
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Re: First rule of "Deer Camp"...!
[Re: tsasunkawitka]
#7282488
09/10/18 04:07 PM
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Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 12
Wooman
Light Foot
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Light Foot
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 12 |
One of the best posts I have ever read!!
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Re: First rule of "Deer Camp"...!
[Re: BubRay]
#7282495
09/10/18 04:15 PM
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 6,135
landsurveyor
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 6,135 |
Well said sir.
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Re: First rule of "Deer Camp"...!
[Re: tsasunkawitka]
#7282509
09/10/18 04:33 PM
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Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 336
Brian C.
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 336 |
God Bless Texas!!! Godspeed our Military!
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Re: First rule of "Deer Camp"...!
[Re: D'hanis]
#7282510
09/10/18 04:34 PM
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Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 7,770
Mr. T.
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 7,770 |
That was awesome to read. Posts like that are my favorite part of this forum. I guess now I'll get back to daydreaming about opening day from the comfort of the office... *sigh* X2
Cabin rental in Pagosa Springs, Co. Sleeps 10, If interested please PM me.
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