I've spent the last 16 years filling a weblog with thoughts on this very topic.
It started out as a way to blow off steam from a high-pressure job. I spent the better part of 20 years looking for a spot. I liken Deer Camp to a joke; you either get it or you don't. There's no way someone can explain it to you and make it funny.
By the time I found one, I was already on Wife 2.0. I'd acquired 3 sons, my job had gotten even more hectic. By this time, I was determined not to let my kids turn into suburban mall rats. I wanted to give them an alternative to soccer, video games and getting stoned. With KYHillchick's help, we took an abandoned cabin on 200 acres and turned it into a home away from home.
The latest steps along the path came this past weekend. Originally it was going to be Moose and Angus coming down to help set a few deer stands and sight in their muzzleloaders for the upcoming Opener. Both decided to invite their new girlfriends down. Moose's new squeeze is an old high school friend. Angus brought one of the drummers from his pipe band-- a smart, quiet, willowy lass going to mortuary school. A good time was had by all. Moose brought sirloins big enough to feed hungry linebackers. I remarked to the women that the quantity of meat showed the boys had a definite interest in them-- real Desmond Morris-type stuff. Angus' chick had to drive back to Indiana to get up for church.
Moose's new squeeze spent a good deal of time alone with me in the woods, spotting me while I went aloft into the new stands to get them fully dressed out for season. She remarked that she'd never had a weekend like it before-- never so peaceful. She's a game woman. I like her. While the rest were out shooting on Saturday, we adjourned to the Thoughtful Spot, drank scotch and watched the moon rise. I think she gets the joke.
