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

Give that aresehole neighbor of yours my phone number, I've got a few choice ones for him....

Grunt,Grunt Snort Wheeze... Dave it is Orange time for me once again with the kiddo tomorrow again, Hope you all are enjoying the season and filling the meat pole! We're giving it another try this weekend too... Snort Wheeze, Grunt, Grunt, Bleeeeeat, Boooom....

alright guys, i finally crawled my tired old arse out of the woods tonight.

I guess I just don't even know where to start... i'll start by saying first off that we got 2 deer over the weekend, nothing special either really. Except I suppose the buck that the boy shot this morning. it's special cause it's the first buck out there. decent sized body, one of those real long deer, only seen one other with that long body, once north of duluth hunting with my dad, he shot one of those basketball player deer.

the buck was a young-un, a would be 6 pointer with a broken G2... hmm, think I'm sayin that right, I anit used a B&C score card for while...... yeah, would be G2...

so, anyways, a 5 pointer.

I just don't have the energy tonight to cover the events of the last 4 days... it was good though.

the 2007 deer season (rifle) is behind us as of sundown tonight, and I'm thinking that for us, the new deer camp was a huge success.

I am just to tired to get into it all, but wow, what a wonderful season. filled with new strengthened bonds, strengthened friendship & strengthened family... fun & laughter, good food, good times.

We got snow tonight, my wife & I sat a bit this evening, she sat, I walked. I put on the wool & walked... just so slowly. the snow coming down hard, white soft blanket on the ground... silent walking... very nice. beautiful out in the woods tonight. we didn't ge any tonight, the wind was also pretty strong.

We closed up the cabin, very sad leaving. I looked at Pam & said "it works"

The cabin, it works. it does what we wanted it to do, it is becoming what we want it to be. it works pretty darn good.

Oh I had more trouble with the neighbors, phhhfftthhtt! boy I tell ya, what a bunch.... I don't have the energy to get into that tonight though.

I'll fill in some of the blanks tomorrow after a good night's sleep. best of luck to all of you that are entering into your seasons, thanks all you guys who have been keeping up with the post & sharing ideas, sharing experiences, stories, pictures. You guys are all great.

birth of a deer camp... not sure exactly when it became an official deer camp. but it happened sometime over the past 3 weekends, kind of in stages. It is a deer camp now though, it's a good one too. it has it's founders, it's original group, it has established it's first memoroes... it's a deer camp now.

G'night guys, more tomorrow.

dave

Dave,

Glad you a had a Good weekend! I did too the daughter and I are done in after hunting hard. She never saw a deer while on stand as they haven't been moving too much, I did hunt in the middle of the day by myself and passed on two different bucks. One was a definate shooter but brush blocked my shot so I held, I'll be found in the woods for 4 Full days of bow hunting over the TBird weekend though.

My cousin that shot the nice deer brought his eight year old boy in and he took his first deer a doe with a .223 rem. My daughter helped us collect that deer and process the meat while playing with cousins. We have strengthened relationships for both adults and kids I believe too and we still have doe season for firearms in a couple of weeks. I didn't know it till today but I could also be Muzzleloading this coming weekend on my unused rifle tags. Next year I'll be buying a cap and ball or pyrodex and pellet to add to the arsenal of deer harvest equipment.

Look forward to reading more of your weekend and I'm sorry you had trouble with the nieghbors maybe next season you can remedy te problem before the season opens. I will send you some pics on your email and you'll be able to see father teaching son deer processing, and my kid joining in the fun of deer season. She can't wait for doe season and to be honest neither can I..

Here are a few pictures.
gunrack & bobcat



taking the chill out of the cabin with a full load in the stove.

first buck for the new deercamp, last day of rifle season, the boy couldn't let this guys walk. I wouldn't have either.

Glad to hear it was a success man! You done did do good der den.

It was a good time for sure.

But I still don't know what to think of the neighbor sittuation.

They took the portable stand down last week, the one that the guy put up while I was in my stand, less than 50 yds from me.. took 2 hours to set it up, then sets it up facing my property, facing me in my stand, facing my back as my back is facing there property in that stand.

Well, yeah they took that portable down, only to build a permanent stand in that tree, also facing my back as I sit in my stand. The new stand looks very dangerous, like something out of a "darwin awards" joke.

As I went out for evening post in my stand one night I notice there is a hunter in the new permanent stand. I approach quietly & slowly because i was planning on climbing into my own stand.

I watched him for a while from the ground. he didn't know I was there, I watched him staring south intently, he became a bit excited at one point thinking he had heard something & slowly reached for his rifle...

I suppose they have hunted my property long before I owned it because the previous land owner was never out there, there was never a cabin or decent access to the property until I bought it.

Well i walked towards my stand & he finally spotted me & waved sheepishly.. I approached his stand which was easy for me to do while staying on my property because I'm sure the roots for the tree he is in stretch out onto my property.

i asked the guy again but from up close this time "when you guys sit here facing this way, what direction are you hoping to shoot?"

he gave the rehearsed reply "...um, north & east." as he pointed north west & north. So I asked him "ok, so you are shooting directly behind yourself?" "um, no.... to my left..."

dave: "so, you're left handed?"

goofball: "um... no."

dave: "do you know which way north is?"

goofball: "ummm..." (points east this time)


dave: "see, when you sit there like you are, it makes me think you are hunting south & west, because that's the way you are facing"

goofball: "well, which way are you shooting?"

dave: "well, i'm facing the same wy as you but I'm on my property, I'm hunting that clearing over there in front of you that i cut on my property and I'm hunting to the south here on my property, they way you were looking when I walked up... which is the easiest direction for a right handed shooter to shoot the way you are sitting.. "

goofball: "well, I'm just kind of looking north here into the brush..."

i just shook my head turned around & cralwed up into my stand, he got down at like 10 after 4, an hour before it gets dark.

The next morning nobody is in the stand, instead a guy is sitting in a polaris ranger parked at the bottom of the stand watching me.


WTF?

God I hope these guys don't black powder hunt.

There is just about nothing more annoying than having to "claim" your own property, and I know of what I speak. When we first bought our 16 acres out here in 1991, apparantly the person before us was a pushover or something. I'll spare you the details but it took years, and having the sheriff out a couple times, to establish that there was a new boss in town- me- and that my land was NOT some sort of recreational area for people to use and abuse and hunt on and cross at will.... some truly bizarre stuff happened.

It takes time.

Just realize that time IS on your side, and if you do something to "punish" them, they'll get you back by breaking windows in your cabin, or something worse. Just be cool, and outwait them.

-jeff

Dave, Great pics. Saw my first cat(bobcat or lynx) whatever we have up here, this year.

I hunt state and private land. We had a new land owner come in a couple of years ago. Bought some of the land we hunted. Posted it the week before season, after we put up stands. Was pissed that we hunted on his property line (we didnt know, the stands where on a ancent skidder trail). Turned ugly for a year until I talked to him face to face.

Sounds crazy, and you shouldnt have to do it, but you may need to find their camp and go visit. Bring beer. They most likly hunted your land before and feel they have had rights to the hunting in the past.

Again, you shouldnt have to do it but... By talking to them, letting them know that you are here to stay, that you have kids in the woods, and that you are a decent guy, You may be able to keep the fuedin out of the woods. It will make your time and your palace in the popples both more enjoyable for you.

It also gives you a chance to size up the other folks in the woods with guns.

I was able to tell the new land owner where some hot spots had been for us , on his land, and got permission to trail/retrieve deer from his property. Offered and have helped trail wounded game with them. I quit using stands that where on his line.

Taking the high road on this one might make the rest of your years at the camp more enjoyable. Or, at least you will know who you are shooting at!!

Well I've talked with the land owner to the north, I know the guy. Nice guy. I think anyways... I'm not sure what's going on. I guess I'm assuming they are still trying to do as they have done for who knows how many years.

I would never do anything to there stands or try to do anything to mess up the hunt for them or anything like that.

I will talk to the guy again now that rifle season is over & try to figure out what is going on. It's really probably one of 2 things, either they are trying to hunt my land when I'm not around (which is tough cause I'm always there) or they are worried that I am trying to hunt there land... Not sure.

There is a shallow ridge, A finger of high ground that extends from the north end of my property to the south east. This is a bridge or funnel of sorts for the deer crossing from north to south or vice versa. I like to watch this because it gets a lot of deer traffic, it's on my land. I could set up to the south of this facing north east & I could watch it that way but I'd be shooting in the direction of the neighbors land & I didn't feel comfortable doing it that way so I set up on the north of this high finger of dry ground & I watch south & west onto my own property with nothing in the background but my own property. Straight behind me is the neighbors land & maybe they felt I was sitting too close to the line. but, I'm clearly facing away from there land and they are clearly set up on the line & facing my land... it's just a little frustrating, trying to figure out what sort of message they are trying to send to me & wondering why they don't just talk to me.

Dave-

They're just p*ssing on their turf. You can rest assured your homework has paid off and that you're hunting an area where they've had success. Be the bigger man here, and take a bottle of blackberry brandy or something over to them and show them what a good guy you are (I know that'll be a stretch ) and that you're merely hunting your land, not looking to infringe upon them. That doesn't work, well, lemme know, I'll come over with a Sam's Club size can of whoop @ss or perhaps a cue ball in a sock and take care of biz so you don't have to be the bad guy.

scott

Oh hell, that's exactly what I'd do but I think the land owner is a bit..... "churchy" or propper.... or.... "holier than thou" if you know what I mean.

I don't think the normal default sort of remedy (beer or booze) offering would go over so well.... kinda puts a new twist on it eh?

tricky stuff.

Yeah, that's right, they've got god on there side or somethin.... so.... I should just roll over & play dead.. let em run me over with there goodness & such....

are you guys starting to get the full flavor of the sittuation?

yeah, it's never easy is it?

Well, then at least I won't swear at him...

Bring 'em a jug 'o wine! Tell him you would like to kneel and partake in the Lords supper with them and then ask them what in the F*** are you guys trying to pull!!?? Just kiddin. This situation sucks.
Is your north property line clearly marked with posted/no trespassing signs? If not it may just be enough to deter them from shooting onto your land if its visibly illegal to do so. The other thing I was thinking, with the prevailing NW winds, it might not be a bad idea to set up on the south east end of that finger also. I know you don't want to shoot towards the neighbors land but at least you would be have an option to hunt the wind then. Maybe if your in the SE finger stand, they will back off your NW stand and leave you alone or maybe you will catch them trespassing because they think your not there at which point the game warden can tell them what the rules are. I don't know...I'm just rambling...maybe you should just go talk to them and find out whats up. I can see why it is frustrating. You put in all this time and effort and have to deal with this BS.

ALL PRAISE THE MIGHTY BAR!!!

This was the eigth buck I saw. I passed on a small buck at 2 PM Sunday (last rifle hunting day; and my birthday), still vowing to wait for a bigger guy. At 3 PM, he trotted past me at 100 yards and I put two 150 grain Hornady Interlocks through his chest, which put him down 15 yards after the first bullet hit him. 10 points, 18-inch inside spread, 230 pounds. Not a giant, but a respectable specimen. That .270 BAR is the bomb; the best deer-killin machine around; no question! I may just sell all my bolts.



Now its on to the muzzleloader doe killin'.

Good luck to the rest of ya!

Nice!!!

One of those short-trak BAR's has always interested me...

-jeff

Jeff,
That's an older BAR; all steel. I have a new 30-06 BAR also, but it has some plastic on it. Its a Safari (or something like that-the more expensive one). I've never fired a short-track. I shot about 60-70 deer and antelope with the .270 and have always felt like I could kill anything and however many of whatever that I could see at the time. Its accurate; I shot a mule deer doe in the heart at over 600 yards with one shot- a few years back.
Anyway, I can't say enough good about it.

Good day.

Dpole,

Had to cut my guitar-player hair to do real estate. That and shaving every day... oy... good thing it pays well!

I love my BLR. The BAR looks neat. I've never handled a short-action one.

I wonder if I could keep up with your rate of fire with my BLR? Seems like coming down from the recoil takes how long it takes, and I can get a shell racked in that time frame. Anyway, cool rifle, and congrats!

Is it glossy?

-jeff

Yes, its glossy.
The quote about growing yer hair is from the movie "The Last Hard Men". Charlton Heston said it. I just thought it to be interesting, since his character was one of the last hard men, a cowboy.

Times sure change.

I wouldn't do it to an OLD BAR or BLR, but I just de-glossed the stock on my newer BLR with 0000 steel wool on the suggestion of some Campfire folks... I like it!

-jeff