Yeah, I miss those days. It was the old "Three Point Deer-and-Bear" camp, just a long golf shot from the Fin-Fur_and Feather Trading Post. Built in 1928 on ground leased from the state (which by the archaic law back then-and now, I think- meant that only state residents could be members). When I moved back to Maryland 20+ years ago I had to relinquish my membership, which took the bloom off the lily so I lost interest in going back. Time then to make new adventures and memories. But, the years I was a member will be etched in my mind as THE way to spend deer season.
I used to take my dad up as a guest. He was a small to average size guy, but he loved to eat. One morning he over-stuffed himself at breakfast- just couldn't not eat piles of bacon, eggs, pancakes, scrapple, biscuits, etc. Halfway up the mountain, hiking/sweating in the dark to his "spot", he had to stop and up-chuck everything he'd just eaten. Continuing on to the top, he discovered he left the magazine for his rifle (Savage 340) setting on the windowsill back at camp. Luckily he had a handful of cartridges so he could hunt single shot.
Surprised no one mentioned the PA deer camp tradition of cutting off the shirt tail of the newbie who got buck fever and missed.
One of the old guys who was a charter member back in '28 was a doctor, and was only around a couple years when I first started going back in '80. We all showed up with down sleeping bags, scoped bolt actions, and duffle bags full of gear so as to mount an Everest expedition. He showed up with one wool blanket, Model 94 and ammo, knife and his Woolrich hunting suit. That was it. He had forgotten more about deer hunting than any of the rest of us ever knew. He was also the guy who performed an emergency appendectomy on the camp dining table back right before he shipped out to New Guinea as a field hospital surgeon in WWII. Stories about him are for another time!
Last edited by gnoahhh; 05/06/14.
