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

Understood, buddy. Just know the offer's always there.

We had a really nice weekend. I'd call it a grouse hunting and small projects combo weekend.

We got the the cabin Saturday morning and we learned that the flies are in full deer camp mode. Yep, its that time of the year where you visit your cabin to find that it's been taken over by black flies, yuck. With a combo of removing screens and simply letting the flies out along with many fly strips and a dust buster we got it under control. Pam started removing storm windows for the first time in 5 years so she could clean between the storms and regular windows. I began clearing a spot on the edge of the "yard" with the tractor. Between all these separate little tasks we found time to shoot a few birds (Ruffed grouse).

Here's one Pam got on Saturday.



I had bagged 3 sharp tail grouse earlier and had them prepped for a wild rice/grouse meal. We added a pair of ruffed grouse to the meal on Saturday. This was some really good stuff. We thought for sure we'd get visitors that we could feed, but nobody came out.

(cell phone pic)



Sunday morning came and the little hunter was ready to go at sunrise. So we got dressed and headed out down the trail as planned. Joe wanted to carry the 410 shotgun. I had my doubts about that, I had a nice little youth bolt action .22 for him to carry but he wanted the shotgun. I had him shoulder it and point it. It was pretty long for him but he seemed to be able to hold it pretty well regardless.

We didn't quite make it out of the sight of the cabin and I spotted a bird, pointed it out to Joe, helped him get his little shotgun snapped shut, hammer back, and told him to shoot when ever he's ready. The bird was standing on the ground 20 yds ahead of us, I covered it with a 20 gauge and waited for Joe to shoot.

BANG! Joe shot and he hit the bird!

That was a big deal, Joe's very first game animal. Got his first grouse, at age 8.

He couldn't wait to show his mom





Joe and I continued our walk and managed to pick up one more bird. We returned to the cabin, had breakfast and then it was time to get back to work.

Pam painted the outside of the cabin door which was a burgundy/red color, she got brown paint to match the fascia. (looks way better now)



Us boys continued to work on the site we began clearing on Saturday. We figured it looked like a good spot for the sauna. Once we got the site cleared and fairly leveled we detached that 5 year old empty sauna frame from the cabin and moved it over to it's future location.



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Those that know the camp will see pretty clearly by this shot where the sauna is going.

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As I'm working on removing a joist from the cabin that belongs to the sauna frame, the boys found a grouse back in the tags behind the sauna site.

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While we were playing in the dirt, Pam was painting the kitchen in the cabin.

It's just the first coat but it helped lighten it up in there already.

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We planned for a deck out the front of the cabin, and sort of planned the layout for the sauna too.

We'll be busy with materials lists this week now, trying to figure out what we need for this deck and sauna project and seeing how much of it we can get done this fall yet.

I just love fall, fantastic weekend, can't wait till next weekend.

Actually we got 8 ruffed grouse total over the weekend, that isn't bad for the little effort we put into it.

Misc pics from the forest.

That is one happy kid.
And Dad.

an impressive weekend indeed, but I have to ask. In addtion to bagging his first grouse, did Joe also take that pickup for his first drive? Seems to be taking that right turn a might early...

We had 2 old trucks out there again, I was in the black truck with Joe, no he wan't driving. I pulled to the right so Pam could have a shot at those deer with her camera.

I thought maybe she had the big 300mm lens on but she had the 24-105 on.

These roads can be a very pretty and scenic drive but it's so dangerously dry that all the leaves, grass and bushes are coated with gray road dust.

Forecast shows some rain on Wed, snow on thurs and friday.

Any kind of moisture will be very good, we're nervous about fires out in the forest, very nervous.

There will certainly be no bonfires at camp and hopefully no other camps until things get a LOT wetter out there.

It could rain for 2 weeks straight and I'd be fine with it.

It's way too dry. Water table is down 5 feet now.

It's out of reach for our sand point even.

I have never seen it this dry up here. No water to be found in the swamps. I've been helping a neighbor fight wildfires up here this fall. We can usually draft water from the low spots in the swamp but it's just powder. We were out on Saturday night with 3-4 tanker planes, 2 choppers, & a couple spotter planes. All the water for our rigs had to be hauled from town.

Even when I'm out with the excavator and dozer it is dry. Dry & HARD. Good year to get some of those wet jobs done but I sure get nervous being close to the grass & brush.

I was sure Wheezy was driving again when I saw that pic! hahaha

Ryan,
To answer your question from way back, we have the Cabelas berber fleece camo for our boys and it is awesome. If you can wait til they go on sale, the price isnt bad and it works for everything.

Nice pics ND. I love the second one down, the one of the curve in the road. I can smell the leaves from here!

We worked on deer stands all weekend. I did sneak in a quick goose/duck hunt in before church on Sunday. This wasnt the normal place I go cuz my buddies wife was having a baby. How inconsiderate huh? Having a baby on a hunting weekend? the nerve! The place we went was good for some early wood duck shooting and I shot prolly the biggest, most impressive drake woodie I have ever seen. The geese were a no show.

It is incredibly dry here and I half expect to wake up one day to a foot of white stuff on the ground - not snow but popped corn. Farmers are racing to get the crop (what there is of it) in as fast as possible and we ae all hoping to avoid any disasterous fires. I'm amazed that this entire state isn't burned to crisp. My river that is usually running well enough to float flotillas of canoes, is right now, just a series of small, stagnant puddles.

Absolutely PRICELESS !!

Keep up the good Parenting.

Paul.

I'm not sure who has the biggest smile but I bet I know who is the proudest !

That picture makes me think Dave's been cloned... Just print it out and scribble a little beard on the smaller version and you will see what I mean.

That smile on your son's face is priceless. I can't wait until my 4 year-old is a little bigger.

Its a good thing little joe shaved that day. We may not know whos who! Congrats joe! We will come for the details one evening. Missed u out thr friday.

Rough sample of a new shirt/hoodie design.



Thoughts?

It's got the 3 main forest creatures. Flying bear, swamp squid and chickenbuck.

YESSSSSSSS!!!!!!

Love it count me in!

I am in for a hoodie.