My Camp for Bow Hunting Deer & Elk

Greetings fellow Archers

I talked a little bit on my last post about the hunting camp. I mentioned how I have grown to appreciate comfort while in camp. The days of bringing along a few essentials, small tent, some canned, dried and (prepackaged at home food) are long gone. I no longer look around for or cut my own stumps for sitting and eating on. I don't have to rely on getting small game or fishing in a near by river or lake in order to eat. These things I have done and they make for good memories but not my choice these days. Our current day deer and elk hunting camps are a whole different story.

We now take a large 2 room tent. I have a Mr Buddy heater that I keep in the bed room part of the tent. I have a 5 gallon propane tank with a 4 foot hose connected to the heater so I can keep the tank outside or in the dining area of the tent. The temperature in the mountains fluctuates tremendously between day and night. It can be 90 degrees in the afternoon and in the morning there is a layer of ice on the water jugs. The very next day the wind is blowing the rain sideways and I wonder when in my life I got so brain damaged as to do this with my own free will. I confess that I do really enjoy the hunting in nasty weather. The deep woods are an entirely different experience during the rains. The rain seems to push our scent to the ground and sounds don't carry. If you hear an elk bugle or a deer grunt, they are close.

Along with the heater, I now use a double thickness air mattress so that I can sit on the edge comfortably. I always bring along a jump start battery box with accessory plug in ports for recharging my cell phone, using a air pump, operating a dvd player or emergency starting a vehicle. I also have a sleeping bag that converts from warm weather to cold weather. Basically it is 2 bags in one that zips together several different ways. The heater is mainly for when I get up in the morning. It is soooo nice to crawl out of the sleeping bag into a warm tent.

I have my sleeping area in the back room of the tent. The main door I use leads to what I call the kitchen area. I have a light weight folding table with 2 chairs. Next to that, I have a small two layer stove stand with a 1 burner butane stove for morning coffee on top and supplies on the bottom shelf. I bring along a very good am radio with the weather bands so we can monitor any severe storm warnings. I have a bag I purchased to hold my radio and it has a large compartment where I store extra batteries. I do not venture into the wilderness without my GPS and extra batteries. There is a very good reason for that. I also have a lensatic compass in my pocket at all times.

We usually set up a table somewhere between tents or in a covered area in camp for cooking. We either cook over an open fire with a portable grate or on a 2 burner gas stove. We always eat very well nowadays. We usually celebrate after getting a deer or elk by cutting out a piece of back-strap and cooking it over a open fire with the help of tinfoil,butter,garlic,Johnnies seasoning and fresh picked Chanterelle mushrooms. Mm, I can taste it now.

I really like some of the wall tents and do prefer a large wall tent when elk hunting. The only problem with that,for me personally, is that it takes an extra trailer or rig to carry it and all the poles and wood stove etc. It also takes about a day to set it up correctly, which means attaching all the side cords to stakes. Just last year I witnessed a wall tent that was not staked down properly during a short wind storm. I think the bow hunter might still be out there somewhere looking for parts. I felt sorry for those guys. There were clothes scattered in the trees, utensils all over, just a major mess. If your going to set up camp for a few days or a couple weeks, it pays to do it right. I figure, you may as well enjoy the camp while you have it. That precious time seems to fly by faster every year. Until next time, J G.