Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Birth of a deer camp

Just found this thread last evening about 11pm. What a great read; I worked through the first 80 pages last evening and then had to put down my laptop to get some sleep. Dave, you are doing a wonderful thing for your family and your cousin�s son. I, too, grew up in northern Minnesota, on �da range�. I shot my first deer in 1966 when my dad set me by a big norway pine on opening day. I�ll never forget that morning � it was -22. I wore an old pair of white felt US Army �bunny boots�, as they were called, and toted a 30-40 Krag my dad had bought for me. About 9am a spike buck appeared, just like magic � one minute nothing and then there, not 20 yards, he stood frozen, like me, staring back. I raised the old Krag and pulled the trigger � nothing; the cold temps had frozen the oil on the bolt hammer and it did not fall. I worked the bolt, the spiker stood motionless, and I pulled the trigger again � my very first deer on the ground. When your son is my age, he will remember his first deer as though it was yesterday.

I thought I would mention a tradition our camp started in 1999. My dad was an avid hunter and brought my brothers and me up, as you are your family. He passed away in Sept 1999. At the camp we hung his blaze orange, leather, well-worn, bomber-style hat on a nice set of antlers on the wall. From that day forward, anytime someone in our camp takes a 10-pointer or better, the lucky hunter gets to take down the hat and wear it through the end of the next day. Since 1999, the hat has been worn three times � once by my sister�s husband�s brother, once by me, and this past fall, by my father�s grandson, who shot his first deer at 11 years old � a ten-pointer; he will never forget his first deer and the honor of wearing �the hat� for day.