Hunting Camp Week II

My boys and their grandpa during hunting season.

By Allan Olson

It seems that this hunting season has been one of missed opportunities, at best. I sent a couple shots flying at a running doe this past weekend, but I missed. So did Nikolai, who started shooting at the same deer after I did, since it was running in his direction. Marcus was in the stand with me and tried to get lined up for a shot at the fawn before it bolted, too, when momma suddenly took off, but the little deer did not cooperate and so no shots were fired by him.

We spent the better part of four days shivering in the cold conditions, waiting and hoping for a good opportunity at a deer, but it never happened. Coming into this season I was really not sure what to expect having Marcus with me in the deer stand; first of all, he’s a rather talkative sort and I wasn’t sure he could keep quiet in the stand. Also, there’s a lot of teasing and ribbing that goes on at deer camp, and one never knows how an individual might react. I don’t have experience with other deer camps, but at ours, it doesn’t matter what a hunter does – if they miss a shot, or if they hit a deer on the run, or at a long distance, or drop one with a perfectly well-placed shot, they are going to get some good-natured static of some sort, regardless. That’s what makes it fun.

Marcus was pre-warned about this phenomenon, just as I’m pretty sure I pre-warned Nikolai that things can get a little rough. I was actually surprised at how well he takes it and, more importantly, how well he dishes it out. The biggest problem I’ve had with him is not with dealing with the cold or helping out when asked, but rather it’s finding a stand that he can shoot from – it seems his legs are a little shorter than the rest of ours, and as a result he can’t get a good shot angle from most of the stands. This is something we never thought of when building the stands, and until now it hasn’t been an issue, so it’s just something we’ll need to consider in the future – a way to position the younger hunters in the stand and still give them a solid rest for shooting.

As for the hunt, we ended the first weekend 0-for-10 and the second weekend only slightly better, with a 2-for-10 record. Most of our hunters have not even had a shooting opportunity. In addition to just hunting with my boys, the highlight of the weekend was that my niece finally got her first deer on Saturday night. She has hunted for several years, and I think last year was the first time she even shot at a deer (no joy), but this year she was successful. The most amusing thing was watching her field dress the deer; that was quite entertaining. I’m just pleased that she is into hunting; she is the first female to join our hunting party, and was the first one to get a deer this season.Those are both bragging rights, in my opinion.

Late on Sunday morning, my dad dropped a three-pointer out of a stand that I often hunt in, but not typically at that time of the day. My uncle saw a bigger buck, but it headed for safer places before he could get a shot off.  

  As much as I’m don’t like standing around in the cold, I don’t have much choice but to head back out for one more weekend. We still had quite a few more tags to fill as of Tuesday morning. My younger brother and dad were still out hunting, but the rest of us had to head back to work and school. I expect the number of hunters returning for the final weekend will be very low as work or family obligations keep them from the field. Hopefully, the boys and I will finally have some success; otherwise our venison supply for the next 12 months is going to be very low.

Please remember to watch out for the buses that are carrying our most precious cargo. Also, snap a photo or two to preserve a lifetime of memories. Thanks for reading, and have a great week! Feel free to drop me a line at cltimes1@arvig.net or stop by the office for a visit.