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

OUTSTANDING!! . Love to hear more...please?

Trout fishing has always been a favored summer past time up at our camp. We have two trout streams within walking distance of the camp. Both hold native brookies and some stocked rainbows and browns in the creek on Mountian Run Road. (I'm sure Dale K knows where Mountain Run Road is.) There are many posting in the books of the guys taking 35-50 trout in a weekend. These are small native fish-a 10 incher would have been a good sized one. Gutted, beheaded and fried in a skillet with melted butter, there's scarcely a better fish dinner to be had.

Great thread, me and another buddie have told of the long lines at the pay phone the night after opening day, when I was young, the guys in camp now in there 30s never have heard of that!

I could write a whole book about the guns that saw useage at our camp. Over all the years, the venerable Remington pumps never found their way onto our gun rack. Semi-autos were illegal, so most of the stuff was bolt actions or lever guns. Initially, military surplus Springfields, Mausers, and even an Arisaka spent time in our camp. Early on, our members started switching over to Remington and Winchester bolts, of course some Marlin and Winchester levers, and for a couple members, the love affair with the Savage 99 started. I can't find many pictures from back then, but in the two I'm familiar with, it appears that every gun wearing a scope has a Weaver K-4 on it. My dad's 99 is in the possession of my brother. I am the owner of Bob Gamble's 99. Both wear Weavers. Bud Streit hunted with a 721 chambered for .270. Dad always used to give him a hard time about hunting with a "little bulllet." Dad and Bud were the two most successful hunters in our group. I believe Dad killed one more deer than Bud did, but Bud had some impressive long range kills, especially considering he was using a K-4 for a scope.

Hunting was very good right out the door of the cabin, but many of our guys went up on top of Boone Mountain to hunt. 4 wheel drive vehicles were a luxury not afforded by our guys back then, so you were limited by the road and trail conditions as to how far you could drive in. The top of our mountain is criss crossed with gas lines, and lots of long range opportunities. Bud shot deer up there in excess of 300 yards on quite a few opportunities. Dad used to like a spot called the Big Timber, which is in property now owned by Treasure Lake, a timeshare community. It had been the sight of a turn of the century logging camp with a narrow gauge railway to haul out the wood. I've been back in there once, and I can't imagine dragging a deer out of there. It would have been an all day job just to get back to the trail head. Others spots that "locals" (Dale K) might recognize are Spike's Rock, the Devil's Playground-a boulder strewn slide patch from the Ice Ages, and the Bish Flats-an old homestead up on top of Boone Mountain by the old Fire Tower sight. There's several rock walls, the building sights from a small settlement there, and a small cemetery. There's a big blueberry patch up there we go pick in. 'Walked right up on a snoozing black bear in there one time. It had apparently gorged itself on blueberries and laid down for a little siesta. We quietly backed out and left the berries to him. 'Never went up there to pick again without a 12 ga. and a full magazine of 00 buck.

From the first camp I mentioned:

One of the guys was responsible for doing the grocery shopping and bring up most of the essential food for a week. The final drive to camp up one part of the mountain is steep and with a lot of curves as it made its way to the flats on top. Nothing but air, rocks and trees on the downhill side along with isolation.

It snowed bad the night before and it was wise to hug the hillside of the rocky mountain road. Most pick-ups didn't have a cap back in those days so a tarp or something similar was used to keep things inside.

Anyway a few trucks of guys left at the same time and were following each other. Except some went their separate ways on the way up. Perhaps Grises or one of the joints up North to have a beer. The guy with the food made his run straight to camp. Problem was on one of the steep parts-on the climb up the dirt road mountain to camp-he started to slip backward. Made it to the hill side, but the truck ran up it and flipped onto its side and out went all the food on a downhill road ride. I didn't see it, but the story is the stuff that would roll went a looooong way.

Later here come the followers and they are eventually met with food on the road. Hmmmmm. Then more food, more hmmmm, then Ralphs truck turned on its side with Ralph sitting by a little fire keeping warm.

They got him right side up, got the food back as best they could, headed to camp and went Deer hunting for a week.

Addition: forgot, haven't been up to that camp in awhile, but ran into one of the members the other day. He said Ralph is now in his early 90s, but still makes it up to camp for the opener.

Same camp:

One of the guests decided to bring live chickens to camp to eat. Rhode Island Reds they were. Why? I don't know, just bat chit crazy stuff.

Anyway the run downhill to camp is kinda steep also and he goes into the ditch about a 3/4 from camp due to the snow. No problem, walk to camp and the boys will get you out. Probably not till Sunday AM. Gear is no problem in that Deer doesn't start till Monday, but he decides to take the Chickens and starts walking down trying to carry two crates. Finally after falling numerous times he says the hell with it and turns them loose.

You ever reach your stand before daylight in the middle of the Cameron co big woods and hear Chickens crowing all over the mountain side?

I can tell you this for sure; a .30-06 and even a .270W is more than enough for a Rhode Island Red.

Since I spent 22 years with a Scout troop in DuBois and Scout Camp is on Mt Run Road, I can drive that sucker with my eyes closed. Even the Devils Elbow.

Can't say I've heard of most of the areas you mention, but maybe we can hunt some of them this year if you make it in and I have enough vacation time.

Dale

Dale-I do most of my hunting right out the back door of the camp on Finley Hollow. We usually late 'till mid week to go up on top of Boone, as the opening day traffic thins out a bit up there. Spike's Rock is off the main gasline up there, and a good spot. The Bish Flats are on the far side of the trail across the top of the hill by the old Fire Tower. I've got some good areas down by the Boy Scout Camp too. The Devil's Playground area is on the road that crosses Rattlesnake Hollow on the back side of Boone,heading over to the Brockway Reservoirs. Dad and the guys knew the whole mountain very well. The Stitt boys from the camp next door used to hunt up on the main gas line. The last time I was up there, they were putting in new wells all over the place. Lots of new trails to explore. I'm guessing it's pretty busy up there on Monday morning.

Another entry:

Dec. 22, 1968.

Bert, Corley Fox, Grubb here for last day doe season. Fox and Grubb killed does Sat. a.m. left Sun. 11 a.m.

Grubb

At the time, doe tags were easy to get. Antlerless season was done after 2 weeks of buck season. Deer season in Pa. always started the Monday after Thanksgiving, and ran for two weeks,with no hunting on Sunday. Antlerless came in the following Monday and ran for 2-3 days, occasionally longer. Pa. changed it's rules regarding doe tags and they eventually became much harder for non residents to get. Only one of our guys actually lived in Pa. All the others including my father were from Ohio. Doe tags were to become a highly coveted prize.

Wow this is great stuff.

One time another Unc (George) and his camp:

I'm about 18 and Unc says let's drive down to the bar and get something to eat. Ok with me naturally and off we go. Walk in and sit down at the bar and order. A guy off to our left is dressed in his Woolrich pants and is smashed and eventually goes into a little bathroom.

A little while later Unc gets up and goes into the leeetle bathroom and comes out laughing so hard he is almost crying. I ask what's up and he says that guy is in there really trying hard to take a crap.

Ok????? What's so funny???? Between tears Unc says, he still has his pants up.

Camp meat story.

One of the camp members was notorious for never knowing where he was in the woods. One afternoon he was out when he comes across a small doe which he puts down. It had started snowing hard so he dresses out the deer and heads back to camp. He see's a light in the window at camp and gets nervous because no one should be in camp that early. he finds a large hollowed out stump and stuffs the deer into it, then heads into camp.

He goes into the cabin and finds the rest of the crew had come in early because of the heavy snow. After telling them about the deer they head out to retrieve it. By then the snow has covered his tracks and the woods is full of large hollow stumps. They never did find the deer.

There's an old homestead up on top of our mountain called the Bish Fields, Bishfield Place, or the Bish Flats depending on who you talk to. Dad was back in there hunting one time and found a big bear trap. He put it up on top of a stump with plans on hauling it out on the hike out of the woods. He never found it again. It may still be back there somewhere.

Our guys were legendary for the classic snipe hunt. I can't even tell you how many "newbies" found themselves back on the end of some logging road, bent over holding a burlap sack and blowing a whistle waiting for the snipe to be driven to them. And before you ask, no I never fell victim to this prank. I'd heard about it before my dad tried to convince me I HAD to do it. I went along, but double timed it back to the truck and was standing there waiting on the guys when they showed up,convinced that I would be several hours late walking back to camp.

There are more, and same of them I can't tell, but another: How they used to get to camp.

The oldtimers would wait for the train in Homewood and it would take them and their gear up to Sinnamahoning and drop them off. Years previously that had cut a path up over the mountain for a couple miles to the flats. Then a couple more across the top, then a mile or so down into camp. Every year the path needed cleared of downed trees and chain saws had yet to be invented. The State owned the land and could care less.

A farmer would meet them in Sinnamahoning with a wagon team of mules and they would load up their gear and make the ride into camp. Two weeks later he would ride into camp, they would load up again for the trip back to Sinnamahoning and wait along the tracks for the train to come and take them home.

A trip to camp during small game or for fishing was a repeat.

Back in the 20's the original founders of our camp, my buddy's grandfather, uncle and their friends came in on a railroad handcar using an old logging spur and tent camped. Eventually the state put some of the forest land up for sale and they bought the 80 acres that comprises the camp.

Today we're sitting in the Flambeau State Forest.

Boy guys, this sounds familiar! Dad used to talk about a camp his dad was a part of up along Lake Erie somwhere over towards New York. They'd take the train in as close as they could get and then pay a teamster to take them the rest of the way in by horse and wagon. Dad couldn't tell me a whole lot about the camp, just that deer were very scarce, and if they found a track, they'd camp out on it overnight if necessary to catch up with it next day. The weapons were double barrel shotguns and black powder guns.

A couple of months ago, there was an article in the Pa. Game News about hunters traveling from the Pittsburgh area to the Medix Run area circa 1920. They caught a train from Pittsburgh to DuBois on Saturday then took the Hunters Special train from DuBois, through Sabula and Penfield and on toward Medix on Sunday. The train stopped just about anywhere to let guys and their gear off. The authors crew got off at Medix and hiked up and over the mountain top to their camp near the headwaters of some of the streams on the Clearfield side of the mountain. Some farmer had hauled their food in from that side.

I wondered why they didn't come in from that side too, then I realized that to get from Pittsburgh to Clearfield by train would mean traveling way east then coming back north and west. Pgh. to DuBois and Medix was a much shorter route and time.

Dale

Told this one here before, but now is a good time to repeat it.

The above mentioned camp was and is isolated. Not sure how it all came about, but after they built it a fellow lived in it year round. Pretty much existed on Deer, small game, fish and his vegetable garden. The winters can get hard up in that country.

He died a long time before I every went there, but the only name I've ever heard him called by was "Squirrel." The camp members pretty much took care of his clothing needs.

Anyway, Squirrel always had a Dog and if by chance he needed anything in Sinnamahoning he would walk into the little town-an honest 8-10miles-and his Dog would go with him.

Once Squirrel got sicker than just the common sick and knew he needed help. So he tied a note to the Dogs collar and told him to go to town. The Dog did as he was told and showed up at either the gas station, post office or little general store. The gas station and general store were probably one in the same. Someone noticed the note and they came and got Squirrel and got him to medical care. When he recovered, he went back to camp.

There's no such thing as "ugly" country in Pennsylvania, but that Sinnemahoning area is really beautiful. I've hunted out of a camp up there for ML season and turkey. All I remember is we came up out of Sinnemahoning along some stream till we topped out on a mountain where one little group of camps set. We hunted the top of the hill and it was beautiful country. Man, it must have been remote before they punched some of the road through there.