Missing Deer Camp 2009

The Michigan 2009 Firearm season officially opens today, as thousands of hunters will flood the “Great Lakes State” forests, fields and swamps. I, on the other hand, will be stuck in front of a computer, in liberal land California, where I can’t find a fricken Field & Stream magazine at the store, let alone a fellow hunter.

Needless to say, my soul is slowly dying. Haha.  So while my family and friends head up to deer camp this weekend and hit the woods this morning, I am left to reminisce and contemplate on what I am missing out on.

I remember as a young boy, maybe 6 years old, racing on to the school bus on a November afternoon ranting and raving to my friends about heading up to our cabin. Our family has been heading up to our camp up in Northern Michigan for 25 years. Deer camp, for us, is a one room cabin on 40 acres of hardwoods and cedar swamp, surrounded by another 16,000 acres of remote state land. There is no electricity, water or heat. Instead we rely on a wood burning stove, propane powered lamps/stove, and a water pump on the deck. There are few luxuries and thats the way we like it.

For me, there is no better place to be than deer camp and memories flood my mind as I think about it now. Here are a few of my favorite things about my deer camp…

• Chili dogs or chicken noodle soup never tasted so good. The food at deer camp is a thousand times better than anywhere else.
• The rush I get when I here a near by shot is unparalleled. Its always exciting when one of your crew gets a deer.
• Every time I hear footsteps on our deck, I rush out to hear the stories from the latest hunter coming in from the woods. Those stories are what I live for.
• Deer on the buck pole make me a happy man. As a child I would stare at them for hours and hope that someday I could put one up there. Now I have.
• Poker with the guys on a cold November night is about as good as it gets.
• One of my favorite memories as a child was driving through the backroads near our land and shining for deer the night before the season opener. It’s always fun to see the deer out there and it certainly gets you excited to get out hunting.
• Driving home from deer camp with a buck on the roof is another personal favorite of mine. I love seeing other people’s deer and sharing thumbs ups with fellow hunters as they drive by. On the other hand, I actually got flipped off by one girl while I was driving home last year with my buck, I loved that! Haha.

Needless to say, I am missing deer camp, but I won’t be missing out on everything. I am now sitting anxiously by the phone, waiting to see how the first morning was for my guys up at camp. Although I am not there in person, my thoughts and prayers are with them and if all goes well, I’ll still be hearing a great hunting story soon!

Have any favorite hunting camp memories? I’d love to hear them!

Related posts:

1. The Best Days to Deer Hunt in 2009
2. 32 Point Buck From Camp Riley, Minnesota
3. An Encore for Da Turdy Point Buck