We are heading out with the tent and gear on Friday morning. Staying until Monday. The wife and 3 dogs are going this time. It should be a good practice run for 10 days in early November. The weather this weekend is still in the 70s during the days, but it’s looking like 40s at night. I don’t think I’m bringing the wood stove on this trip.
Nothing like eliminating a morning drive and the ability to start hunting 50 yds from the tent.
We do an adjoining dome tent for sleeping and reserve the wall for dining and socializing. No need to stow bedding or deploy bedding in the AM/PM, respectively. Same same when using the travel trailer.
If one expects significant snow, I'd suggest tarping the roof. Snow will slide off a plastic tarp but cling to canvas. Especially significant if one is away from camp when the snow accumulates.
Our long weekend in the Adirondack back country went great! We were had the boat in the water by mid morning Friday. It was loaded down with all the gear plus my wife and I, then the three dogs. It was a very scenic and relaxing trip upstream. The leaves are just starting to turn. There still hasn’t been a frost yet.
My first choice campsite was open, as was every other site on the river. We arrived about an hour and a half after launching. This site also has a lean to, which is a very nice bonus. We had the boat unloaded in short order, and it was time to start setting up camp. It was only my second time setting this beast up, but it went well.
I left the rain fly for the tent sitting on the garage floor, along with the camp chairs. Luckily the tarp I had for a fly on the front porch was large enough to cover most of the tent. Other than those two items, we had all of the comforts of a back country camp.
We spent a lot of time on the river and did some hiking(scouting for November). The dogs went everywhere with us and were great. Jesse the beagle can’t be trusted to not follow her nose to the next county, so she was under leash control all the time. Ginger the Golden Retriever and Buster the Cockapoo were great and never wandered far.
One disappointment was the lack of downed wood to cut for firewood anywhere near the camp. I was hoping to cut a pile and stash it. Now I’m thinking about using lump coal. The stove I bought has a grate just for coal, so I think I’ll buy some and do some experimenting. I am familiar with this country, a 15 minute walk from the campsite gets you to the main trail that I hunt off during deer season. What’s different is that point 15 minutes from the camp is about 3 1/2 miles from the nearest road. That’s about as far as I get back in. So this will be opening up a lot of new territory for me. This trip has really got me pumped for November. One of the nicest things about the whole weekend was the peace and quiet, no cell phone reception!! No clients bugging me, the hospital wasn’t calling Helen non stop, total isolation from the world as it is today. That’s really nice. We ate well, slept well, and did what we wanted on our own schedule.
miguel: Looks like a fun adventure and happy the trial run went well. Can't wait to see photos pf the hunt time in Nov from camp ! Wishing a safe and successful hunt ! Nice photos ! HH
NICE! I used to hunt the Catskills on a regular basis and the Adirondacks a few times.
So, what is it in man that draws us to a remote deer camp? Or should I ask, what is lacking in folks that doesn't draw them to that kind of primitive peace and tranquility? I thank God I am not lacking that special something.
Faith and love of others knows no mileage nor bounds. That's simply the way it is. dogzapper
After the game is over, the king and the pawn go into the same box. Italian Proverb
I wouldn't worry about your camp friends of mine leave a wall tent up in the moose river plains and have never had a issue. They get a logger to bring wood right to the camp. less work more hunting. My camp is more comfortable I can walk across the street and hunt 43000 acres.