Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting A New Guy at Camp

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.

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.

You don't know how pleased I am I don't have to go thru this hunting camp B.S. I hunt where I want, when I want, and what I want, With us every critter killed is a trophy to the person that killed it, and we are happy for them. this whole hunting camp thing sounds petty as hell. Rio7

Much the same here. Of course sometimes there may be a new guy. In the camp, car, motel or field..How it will workout is usually a given...There can be issues, handle them and move on...

I know a guy who came to hunt and killed a nice one the first day. Everybody was helpful and happy for him! I hope all is well with you Harry.

Not really sure I would want to go hunt where there’s 3 shots a minute flying for 4 hours on opening day. Does everything within a 2 mile radius have dozens of bullet holes in it?

I brought a guy to camp once. He stayed drunk the entire trip and made an ass of himself regularly. I haven’t invited anyone since.

Have you discussed with the new member to see what he thinks? If not, maybe layout both options and let him decide. He might be aligned with you already and then you don’t have an issue.

Shaman - you've obviously put a lot of thought and a lot of heart into your plans for deer camp.

Deciding to spend more time with the new kid and show him the ropes is a far better idea than letting him be lost in the crowd and left to figure things out by himself.

He'll feel more at ease and less like he's going to screw something up in front of a group of strangers.

Have a nice little celebration with him and the rest of your crew when he gets his deer - but you've probably already thought of that.

Then get him into a work crew next year getting the camp ready so he feels he has some investment in the whole process and gets some more time to get to know the regulars.

I predict he'll be a happy, lifelong member of your group.

Well done!

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




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.

Turning Deer camp into the equivalent of a Presidential inauguration seems a little over the top..."Ok, you will sit here, and here is your choreographed camp protocol..However, it first must be confirmed and officially authorized by the consensus of the 24 Hour Campfire...So the final format has yet to be confirmed...All will be worked out by the evening prior to the opener. This additional individual will require us to work around unfamiliar circumstances. In addition we are short on beds, so he will sleep on the couch, unless one of you wants to give up your bunk."

Either he fits in and is invited back or doesn't. Something that in most cases can be easily determined ahead of the event. In addition some fit in immediately, while others take time on both sides to do the same. Around here the individual who brings another in is the one who gets the raz if it doesn't work out...Then again things work the other way also ....

this whole hunting camp thing sounds petty as hell. Rio7