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shaman Offline OP
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It was bound to happen. A deer camp must either grow or die. Much as I like keeping things the same, it just ain't going to happen. I have accepted a new guy at camp this year.

He is a high school friend of #2 son, Moose, and well-liked by #3, Angus as well. My guess is this a long-standing conspiracy to get him in, although it probably stems from reticence on their part to bring up the subject more than anything else. The fellow is a hard worker, with a wife and family. He has been hunting public land around SW Ohio for a decade with little luck. I gave up on those places decades ago for being too crowded. I can see in him the same frustration I had from those days.

This weekend, Moose and Angus organized the most massive campout we've had in over 10 years. Basically, all their friends that have been coming out for the past 5 years all at once, in total, 8 couples. Those guys really spend a lot of time and energy making things work for a crowd, and getting their folks energized about doing things for themselves. I was out there last night for a while, and had fun, even though everyone there was less than half my age.

After his arrival, yesterday morning, I was able to spend some time with the guy. He asks intelligent questions about deer hunting. He will be making a switch from bow to rifle, so he will need a bit of reeducation. He has already been hitting my weblog fairly heavy in recent months. My sons put him onto it after he started asking questions about scent reduction. I suddenly saw an Ohio IP address pounding away at my site, and knew I had a new convert.

In order to ease him into things, I've excluded him from Opening Weekend of Rifle Season. That way it will ease up on the crowding, and it will let our established guys get some of their tags filled. I watched a scenario unfold many years ago at a neighboring camp. They brought in a new guy who had never hunted before and he promptly went out and shot the biggest, oldest buck that anyone had ever seen. The fellow didn't even want the mount; he went home thinking how senseless it all was-- way too easy. What's all the fuss about? That kind dimmed the lights a little at that camp. After 15 years, they were still grousing about it. It kind of pricked me too. He shot him coming off the back end of my property. By bringing our new guy in mid-week we'll all have more time to devout to his quest.

He shoots a .308 WIN, which I'd say is a near-ideal choice for our conditions. I plan on offering him an un-exploited area to the west of camp that sees a lot of deer movement over the season. It is close to camp, so he won't get lost.

Frankly, I'm thrilled to have someone coming onboard with whom I can share it all with. SuperCore was a complete newbie when he showed up with no woods experience since Airborne School. He's celebrating his 10th anniversary at camp this year. Not even a quad-bypass has kept him from showing up.

I'm just interested in y'all's experience with THE NEW GUY AT CAMP .


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hey shaman,

That is an excellent thing for you to do.

I have been that "new guy" in a camp or a lease several times. It can be hard being the new guy coming into a established tight-knit group with history, and trying to learn the culture and fit in.

And great idea to ease him in after the opener, and on a new area that has deer but where he isn't taking someone else's favorite spot.

Tim

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I find it a bit strange you won’t have him there on opening weekend. He’s either part of the crew or not.

It’s kinda like telling the kids they can come sit at the table for dinner after you’ve eaten the best pieces of steak before they’re allowed to eat.


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Originally Posted by tzone
I find it a bit strange you won’t have him there on opening weekend. He’s either part of the crew or not.

It’s kinda like telling the kids they can come sit at the table for dinner after you’ve eaten the best pieces of steak before they’re allowed to eat.

Spot on.

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Some of our best bucks fell to a brand new member. Who cares? I think new members hunt in places that the regulars pass up because the regulars are all knowing. The best camps are the ones that welcome new members with the same "rights" given to all.

Is there dues involved?

Last edited by Sakoluvr; 09/06/20.

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I usually don't say much but if I paid my dues and worked just like everyone else I would expect to get to hunt the same as everyone else. Opening day is when all the true friends come together and try to do their best to make their brother successful You said your going to offer him a spot close to camp are you going to ensure that no one else hunt that area until he has had ample opportunity to hunt it. I have been in several clubs over the last 30 years and the only fair way to do things is everyone except for the old men are treated the exact same. Several of the clubs you had to pay a addition fee the first year of a minimal amount. So if he comes in 3 days later and kills the biggest deer killed in 10 years is it going to keep the others from grumbling because they had a head start and he still sealed the deal (I think not). But hey this is your show That's why I got out of clubs and slowly started buying or leasing my own.

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I'm not sure I understand the new guy not allowed to hunt the first day thing. If he kills the biggest buck on the planet - who cares? It's obvious the buck had been there in previous years and eluded all the established members, or maybe wandered in from outside the lease.

The other thing about newbie luck is that they dont know the established hunter patterns and hunt wherever they want. I've seen more than a couple times these 'unorthodox' tactics end up putting the newbie onto older bucks that have figured out the hunter patterns. What happens if he shoots Big Hank in year 2 - is that acceptable? If your goal is to bring in a good guy, I think you are sending the wrong message.


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Old members getting bent over the new guys success? Sounds like a bunch of women that need a knitting circle not a deer camp.
The guys I hunt with would be happy and congratulatory at the new guys success.


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Originally Posted by NVhntr
Old members getting bent over the new guys success? Sounds like a bunch of women that need a knitting circle not a deer camp.
The guys I hunt with would be happy and congratulatory at the new guys success.

Bing-O.

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Originally Posted by skeen
Originally Posted by tzone
I find it a bit strange you won’t have him there on opening weekend. He’s either part of the crew or not.

It’s kinda like telling the kids they can come sit at the table for dinner after you’ve eaten the best pieces of steak before they’re allowed to eat.

Spot on.


Doesn't sound like he's a member if he's excluded from opening weekend. I'd refuse that membership.

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I also would have him there on opening day if I had a vote. It would give all of the members a chance to get acquainted, especially smoother if he is there on another day when none of you're family is there.

It sounds like he will be an enthusiastic and energetic fit.

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Hope you provide him a glossary for the names of every tree, rock, holler and makeshift stand that you have. laugh


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New guys in camp can be great or bad. And its always a great feeling when you land a good guy who follows through.

Last edited by Dre; 09/06/20.

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A lease needs new blood

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Everyone has the same rules.

That’s the only way for it to work.

Members that don’t fit in, get worked out.

Meat for the freezer is easy, i look for the fellowship.

I don’t trophy hunt, but I’ll dang sure help you drag your buck out. Help skin it too.


Dave

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Charmin,


STFU and enjoy camp with the new guy.



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Originally Posted by tzone
I find it a bit strange you won’t have him there on opening weekend. He’s either part of the crew or not.

It’s kinda like telling the kids they can come sit at the table for dinner after you’ve eaten the best pieces of steak before they’re allowed to eat.

Shaman, I've got to agree with TZone's sentiment here. The newbie is either in or out-not in between. I know you guys have taken LOTS of deer from your camp. Would it really be a travesty if he got one opening weekend? It may well be, that this is what he's gonna need to spur his interest in the hunt. I'm all for expecting the same comittment out of him that you'd expect out of any other member-stull like chores around camp, taking his turn washing the dishes, takiing out the garbage, helping drag a deer in, etc. That all comes with the territory. We all know getting a deer becomes tougher after opening day. Your camp, your rules, but if it was me, I'd let him in for the opener. Good luck this fall sir. I hope your gang all fills their tags, including the newbie. Of course you've made arrangements to take him on the fabled pre-deer season snipe hunt, I hope..........


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Another story on new members.

We let a new guy hunt with us one season.

Shoulda know, first work day - little Suzy has dance recital or something. Cool beans. Enjoy time with her.

Next work weekend, gotta help his brother plant deer plots at the family farm....

Starting to cause some friction....


Opening morning he’s there before daylight, “i going to that new stand on the ridge..”

The fug you are, you didn’t help trail blaze with machetes amd sweat your balls off back in October to get that stand up.....

I never hunted it, setup bad for a lefty shot. Buddies kil,Ed couple good deer out of there.



I’d be tickled pick in a new guy killed a big deer opening day. Or a kid. Or even a guest.

I wanna see bones on the ground.

Just do your part to get there....

And don’t mooch beer outta my cooler. 😂


Dave

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shaman Offline OP
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Interesting reactions. I really had not thought about some of these angles. Let me explain in a bit more detail.

Originally Posted by stealthgoat
hey shaman,

That is an excellent thing for you to do.

I have been that "new guy" in a camp or a lease several times. It can be hard being the new guy coming into a established tight-knit group with history, and trying to learn the culture and fit in.

And great idea to ease him in after the opener, and on a new area that has deer but where he isn't taking someone else's favorite spot.

Tim



I think Tim has the right understanding, but let me go a bit deeper.

1) We have a rather small camp filled with some very large people. NewGuy is similarly sized. I'm sure if we set up for it, we could house 20 guys, but that would take considerable work. At this point, NewGuy will be sharing the attic with SuperCore. If we wait until after The Opener, Angus will undoubtedly be back to work, and it frees a bunk.

2) The Opener is a bit of a ritual. It's a practical ritual in that anything spiritual that comes of it is an afterthought. There is a 1-hour mad dash to get everyone in and settled with the final act being everyone adjourning to the Thoughtful Spot to catch their breath, wipe down the sweat, and drink a stiff scotch. We go from everything stashed in the vehicles to a fully action-ready camp. A new guy, unfamiliar with the drill would throw things into a cocked hat. He would also feel like he was caught in a whirlwind.

3) The Opener itself can be daunting. With 3 shot strings per minute for 4-hours straight, the noise alone can be unnerving to a newbie. It really starts hitting the fan about mid-morning for us, when calls start coming in for "Deer Down." I would rather see him be the only tag filled that day so we can give him full support, and not feel like the odd man out.

4) This fellow is the Buckless Youper. He has heart, he has experience, but his luck has been bad. I think this is his first gun hunt and he's walking into a target-rich environment. It's not like we're going to kill all the deer before he gets there. It is not like he's getting the leavings. I'm sure that if he walks out with a deer, he'll be happy. He'll have an un-hunted area that should be holding a sizeable number of deer chased off the adjoining properties by the Orange Army.

5) We have one member that will probably not be hunting too many more seasons. He's recently had a bunch of heartbreak as well. This is the situation where the old dog is seeing the new pup arrive. I don't want to make this Opener all about the new guy arriving.

6) This isn't a dues-paying camp. It's not like he's not getting his money's worth, and if he shows up mid-week, he's got time to settle in before the second Saturday which is almost as frenetic as The Opener. I'm planning to be down the whole two weeks this year, so I'm sure it might be just him and me for a few days. My guess is that NewGuy will be the cat in the corncrib. Normally, I deliberately space my tags throughout the season. I'll try to fill my tags as quickly as possible this year and then give him 1 on 1 support.

7) I gave y'all the story about the newbie getting the camp record, to show how things can go wrong. In our case, I'm sure this guy would be over the moon if he got The Big One, and none of us would be jealous. We've all had our big moments, and it is time to share them. On the other hand, a lot of other stuff can go wrong. If it does, I'd rather it happen mid-week when it can be handled better.


My expectation is that NewGuy is going to be with us for many seasons to come. My guess is that by next year, he'll be in the bucket brigade slinging gear in the door on Friday night and joining us at the Thoughtful Spot hoisting his dram to the moonlit woods and saluting those that are about to die.


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Shaman, I truly enjoy your writings!

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