Drinking at hunt camp
- Thread starter Amelio
- Start date
I enjoy a few too many beers as much as the next guy but if you can't separate those weekends from a hunt, might as well just commit to alcohol as an only hobby.
Nothing wrong with a couple beers over dinner and a fire to end the night but getting hammered and waking up either late or still drunk (or worse, both) and going out into the field with a rifle... I don't know. Private property and a signed waiver maybe, good to go
or just get drunk and stay at camp and tell the wife you were hunting, as long as you're not slinging a rifle, beer in hand.
Love beer, love guns. But I'm only willing to mix the two as far as CGN, a lawnchair, and a halfcase in the backyard on a nice day when the work is done. Even that sometimes ends up pretty dangerous lol
Nothing wrong with a couple beers over dinner and a fire to end the night but getting hammered and waking up either late or still drunk (or worse, both) and going out into the field with a rifle... I don't know. Private property and a signed waiver maybe, good to go
or just get drunk and stay at camp and tell the wife you were hunting, as long as you're not slinging a rifle, beer in hand.Love beer, love guns. But I'm only willing to mix the two as far as CGN, a lawnchair, and a halfcase in the backyard on a nice day when the work is done. Even that sometimes ends up pretty dangerous lol
Dorian Gray
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
^^^^^^^
Lots of this over the years.
But in the long run, I guess it depends on how you want to spend your time. I look at it as a vacation from my normal life and thankfully, most people that I hunt with don't take it so seriously as to take the fun out of things. If we actually get out and kill something, that's a bonus.
Beer up until noon, then hit the hard stuff at 12:01 , just like my driving, I do everything better when drinking, accuracy improves greatly once into the 40% stuff!!
Tee-hee, still 'aven't fownd yer Sqwartch yet.....................huh?..............................
Doc Rainbow
CGN Regular
- Location
- Beautiful B.C.
I worked Emergency shifts for years and I've seen a LOT of people making a LOT of bad choices when drinking or shortly after drinking. In New Zealand saw the after-effects of drinking where guys had a couple of beers then switched over to the right side of the road and had head on collisions. Personally I don't think I'll drink and hunt just because I get pretty tired out in the bush sometimes and I don't want to take any chances more than I already am.
We had "nobody goes to the sh*tter without a gun".
Couple acres of nice productive moose pasture right out front. Some rules are actually reasonable.
Light Beer? <spit> Ew! That crap is for people that like to hang around the toilet too much. Not even really much of a deal if they were only charging half as much for it, but they ain't.
If you feel the need to make and enforce a bunch of rules, like as not, you chose your hunting partners poorly. Or maybe they all feel that way about you.
Cheers
Trev
Pretty much how everyone I hunt with feels.
But over the years on CGN I've seen a very distinct difference between Eastern and Western hunters. I had never heard the term "hunt camp" or "hunt camp leader" or "hunt camp rules" etc before conversing with people here.
We just go hunting. It's not always in the same spot. It might involve a cabin, a wall tent, a single man tent, a tarp or even a bivvy sac. Whatever it may be, the term "hunt camp" has never been used.
We often hunt with the same folks, but we also hunt with different people. As in "hey I'm heading up there in 2 days, wanna come?" or "I have next week off, can I tag along?" (that's where you find out if you are a jerk or not)
Whoever we hunt with, wherever we camp, we all sorta feel the same way...just pull your own weight. Get firewood, help with the chores, cook or clean,don't bring Lite Beer, etc. Simple stuff...
Maybe if we went to the same cabin and hunted the same places every year at the same time we would come up with "rules" but knowing my friends we would distill it down to only one rule.
"DON'T BE AN A$$HOLE"
X 2. Never heard of or seen a ' Hunt Camp ' locally. Just not a thing, you just go hunting.
The odd person gets a tent.
Usually just get up early and go to the truck...get en route. Kinda hard to misbehave when you have to wake up early and be there before light.
Not judging, just saying. Myself, I usually just hunt with Family...don't really trust ' Buddies' around me with guns
The odd person gets a tent.
Usually just get up early and go to the truck...get en route. Kinda hard to misbehave when you have to wake up early and be there before light.
Not judging, just saying. Myself, I usually just hunt with Family...don't really trust ' Buddies' around me with guns
Well - This whole discussion leads to a bigger issue - that is having a general compatibility amongst the folks you hunt with. Drinking habits falls in this category, as does:
1) being wound too tight
2) not pulling your weight
3) excessive snoring
4) not following the plan (eg space cadet)
5) drinking someone elses booze
6) excessive body odor
7) being controlled by the wife while away (yes dear, no dear..)
8) being a motor mouth and/or know-it-all
The list goes on. In our camp, we have up to 7 guys living in a common room that is 20 X 30 ft in size. You find out very quickly about these issues. Guys have been punted as a result of not being able to keep it together.
1) being wound too tight
2) not pulling your weight
3) excessive snoring
4) not following the plan (eg space cadet)
5) drinking someone elses booze
6) excessive body odor
7) being controlled by the wife while away (yes dear, no dear..)
8) being a motor mouth and/or know-it-all
The list goes on. In our camp, we have up to 7 guys living in a common room that is 20 X 30 ft in size. You find out very quickly about these issues. Guys have been punted as a result of not being able to keep it together.
Pretty much how everyone I hunt with feels.
But over the years on CGN I've seen a very distinct difference between Eastern and Western hunters. I had never heard the term "hunt camp" or "hunt camp leader" or "hunt camp rules" etc before conversing with people here.
We just go hunting. It's not always in the same spot. It might involve a cabin, a wall tent, a single man tent, a tarp or even a bivvy sac. Whatever it may be, the term "hunt camp" has never been used.
We often hunt with the same folks, but we also hunt with different people. As in "hey I'm heading up there in 2 days, wanna come?" or "I have next week off, can I tag along?" (that's where you find out if you are a jerk or not)
Whoever we hunt with, wherever we camp, we all sorta feel the same way...just pull your own weight. Get firewood, help with the chores, cook or clean,don't bring Lite Beer, etc. Simple stuff...
Maybe if we went to the same cabin and hunted the same places every year at the same time we would come up with "rules" but knowing my friends we would distill it down to only one rule.
"DON'T BE AN A$$HOLE"
Ayup.
These sort of threads always seem to devolve down to a pecker contest of some sort, as do the 'ethics' threads, of "Mine is better than yours".
Personally, I don't have a problem with guys drinking. It comes down to how they behave. Idiots are still idiots, when they are sober. I like being in a different area than them. An idiot that is also a booze hound, is it's own set of problems, but one I am not prone to repeatedly, if even once, go into the woods with.
I don't hunt around guys I don't trust behind me with a loaded gun. Period.
I like to think that the folks I hunt with, have found a pretty good balance.
I've missed LOT of morning hunts. Not from being hung over, from sleeping in, relaxing, and generally not being concerned enough about supposedly missed opportunities, to turn my hunting trip into a grudge-f*** of hard work and short sleeps, from which I will need a week of vacation to recover from. I'd rather be at work.
And still I have enough in the freezer to eat.
Cheers
Trev
For our group, any drinking starts when the hunting is done for the day. Any drinking during the day followed by hunting or shooting would be trouble. Same goes for pitching in around camp. I am not your mother/wife/employee, don't do your share willingly and we are done. FWIW, any "drugs" would accelerate that process.
My hunting is supposed to be relaxing/fun and I will not waste hunting time dealing with these issues.
Fortunately I have a great hunting partner and we only consider blood relatives for possible additions to our group.
I have lost a couple of friendships because either they were not good hunting partners, or their friend who came on their recommendation was a disaster.
My hunting is supposed to be relaxing/fun and I will not waste hunting time dealing with these issues.
Fortunately I have a great hunting partner and we only consider blood relatives for possible additions to our group.
I have lost a couple of friendships because either they were not good hunting partners, or their friend who came on their recommendation was a disaster.
Pretty much how everyone I hunt with feels.
But over the years on CGN I've seen a very distinct difference between Eastern and Western hunters. I had never heard the term "hunt camp" or "hunt camp leader" or "hunt camp rules" etc before conversing with people here.
We just go hunting. It's not always in the same spot. It might involve a cabin, a wall tent, a single man tent, a tarp or even a bivvy sac. Whatever it may be, the term "hunt camp" has never been used.
We often hunt with the same folks, but we also hunt with different people. As in "hey I'm heading up there in 2 days, wanna come?" or "I have next week off, can I tag along?" (that's where you find out if you are a jerk or not)
Whoever we hunt with, wherever we camp, we all sorta feel the same way...just pull your own weight. Get firewood, help with the chores, cook or clean,don't bring Lite Beer, etc. Simple stuff...
Maybe if we went to the same cabin and hunted the same places every year at the same time we would come up with "rules" but knowing my friends we would distill it down to only one rule.
"DON'T BE AN A$$HOLE"
Too true. The concept of a "hunt camp" and "camp rules" are totally foreign to these parts (Kamloops) as well.
When I read about 15 guys all working together to harvest a few deer... I dunno. To put up with 14 other people for a once-a-year, week-long trip at the same place, with "RULES" and a "LEADER"... I don't think I would hunt, to be honest.
This. If I wanted that #### I'd stay at work. Unless their is money in it family is the only excuse for that crap, and they have about 48hrs of truth before I'm out. This discussion helps me understand the eastern Canadian gun owner's desire for "benevolent" dictatorship at every turn.
I think you guys are making too much out of "eastern hunt camp rules"...... You would understand more if you hunted the same style as we do, when executing deer drives it requires teamwork and strategy.... The only real "rule" at my camp is that if you aren't present during the hunt, you don't get a share of the meat if the hunt is a success..... As far as being camp "leader", well it's simple, someone has to decide which run we are doing and where everyone is going etc.... It's part of drive hunting and making the hunt productive and safe.... When we do sit watch for last light, everyone just goes to their stand and does their own thing.....
The rest is just common sense.... get sh1tfaced and walk around with a loaded gun, you are not welcome..... Don't pull your weight, you are not welcome..... Further to Gatehouse's point, prove yourself to be an a$$hole, you are not welcome..... it's really that simple.....
The rest is just common sense.... get sh1tfaced and walk around with a loaded gun, you are not welcome..... Don't pull your weight, you are not welcome..... Further to Gatehouse's point, prove yourself to be an a$$hole, you are not welcome..... it's really that simple.....
Hunting is too important to me to waste any precious hunting time in a hunt camp. Camps can be fun but I consider them more or less a social event, a fun (hopefully!) get-together with friends, where you might do a little bit of casual hunting. It's too easy for one or two "undesirables" to spoil the experience for everyone, whether it be due to excessive drinking or other types of behavior. A small number of like-minded friends make for a pleasant experience. The bigger the group, and the less the individuals know one another, the more likely there is going to be a problem of some sort.
I also get real tired, real fast of the typical group mentality: "We've got 6 tags. We MUST kill 6 animals, and anything legal will do!" I've been in arguments with acquaintances at camps who gave me hell for passing on a deer or moose. No excuses...kill it! Christ, I'm not out there with a gun because I'm starving to death, I don't want to treat hunting like a military invasion, and I don't relish the idea of ending my hunt because Joe Kill'emall just shot a doe and three fawns and the tags are used up.
For serious hunts, I'm alone and prefer it that way. A shot of good vodka to celebrate some special victory, otherwise very little alcohol involved. Before someone else says that they wouldn't want to hunt with me...don't sweat it, we won't be!
I also get real tired, real fast of the typical group mentality: "We've got 6 tags. We MUST kill 6 animals, and anything legal will do!" I've been in arguments with acquaintances at camps who gave me hell for passing on a deer or moose. No excuses...kill it! Christ, I'm not out there with a gun because I'm starving to death, I don't want to treat hunting like a military invasion, and I don't relish the idea of ending my hunt because Joe Kill'emall just shot a doe and three fawns and the tags are used up.
For serious hunts, I'm alone and prefer it that way. A shot of good vodka to celebrate some special victory, otherwise very little alcohol involved. Before someone else says that they wouldn't want to hunt with me...don't sweat it, we won't be!
I think it all depends on the company. I easily know 10 friends that could all coexist peacefully for a week in a 20x30 room. My only issue is only 3 of em hunt lol
Besides, everyone has camp rules whether they are expressed or not. The big difference here seems to be some people are very explicit about the rules, while others follow the "don't be an a$$hole" rule, and assume people will behave reasonably.
Personally, i like my beer, but it's always in moderation. If I am up early and we are not having lunch until later, sometimes i have a beer around 10 or 11 if i happen to be around the truck. Nothing quite like a cold one when the sun has finally peeked into the valley and the temps start climbing, especially in early October where it can get well above 10 and you end up in a t-shirt by noon...
At this point, you get some water, take off a layer or three, and grab a snack.
