Hunt Camp Woes

[Runningfool]

As for you people who don't get the hunt camp mentality, its a group of guys who go north for a week every fall and enjoy the bush. If it was about the meat we would stay home. Its about friendship and having fun together and getting away from it all. Some of the best deer hunting in ontario is in my back yard. But I go north every fall and mostly don't even see a deer. Still one of my favourite times of the year.

Exactly. Hard to adequately explain to those who haven’t been a part of it. The right group of guys out in a beautiful part of our country without the nonsense of the outside world for a week or so? Deer is the excuse, not the reason .

 

[yorgi]

Exactly. Hard to adequately explain to those who haven’t been a part of it. The right group of guys out in a beautiful part of our country without the nonsense of the outside world for a week or so? Deer is the excuse, not the reason .

^^^ THIS ^^^ Similar circumstances for me in WMU57, very few deer but a great group of guys to spend a week with and HOPE on seeing one. If you're lucky enough to hunt deer in a WMU numbered 80 or above, you're damn lucky, tons and tons of deer, the rest not so much....

 

[waltman]

Exactly. Hard to adequately explain to those who haven’t been a part of it. The right group of guys out in a beautiful part of our country without the nonsense of the outside world for a week or so? Deer is the excuse, not the reason .

This, it is always the favourite time of year for a lot of guys and the moose or deer was just some icing on the cake. I always called it Christmas time for grown men as it was like waiting for Santa to come when you were about 5 years old. As for the OP, I would open it up as a year round cottage for members to enjoy with a few "work weekends" so anyone can come and get the odd jobs done. If the hunting is poor then I think you either have to accept that and just enjoy the place and the week off or sell and move on to something else if you can't.

 

[DVXDUDE]

Ya we are open to having new members that want to use it out of hunting seasons as long as they help with upkeep. We have two work weekends a year to clear trails and fix bridges, stands. I really should make more use of it as I've only been going to work weekends the last few years.
All members deer hunt at home and mostly use the camp to moose hunt. There was always a good deer population since we got it so we started rifling hunting up there as we can only shotgun hunt at home. I have failed to mention how bad winters have been the last few years. I shovelled at least 5ft deep off the roof last winter. The roof beams cracked we are lucky it didnt collapse.

Since they stopped feeding deer at Port Loring I'm not sure what deer do in the winter. But all the WMUs around it are hurting and protecting coyotes/wolfs as taken its tole.

(Bit off topic)
I follow Voyager National Park from Minnesota on Instagram and they post some amazing findings about wolves there

They have a female alpha timber wolf collared and they figure she killed 27 deer fawns last year alone by herself. With the 8 adult deer she helped kill with two other wolves. This wolf has no canine teeth they figure being kicked in the mouth by a moose. The US spends way more on there wildlife than Canada does.

 

[Midnight Rider]

I don't really see the downside of using the camp as a cottage in the off season as 700 acres is a lot of property to only use during hunting season . Folks could do a lot of camping , hiking , snowshoeing and exploring on 700 acres , and create a lot of good memories for their families . If the camp is being maintained anyway , and taxes being paid ; might as well use it year around .

 

[Eenie]

Since they stopped feeding deer at Port Loring I'm not sure what deer do in the winter. But all the WMUs around it are hurting and protecting coyotes/wolfs as taken its tole.

I thought Port Loring had a natural deer yard. I knew a guy with a camp near there and timing was everything. It was no deer or tons of deer as they migrated through to their winter yard.

htt ps://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwirsPrAp_rmAhUu11kKHWXrAGsQFjAAegQIBhAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.steerto.com%2F%3Fp%3D820&usg=AOvVaw3JjDUHx8_YXm9yVMZxu_IC

 

[DTM5]

Having a camp has ups and downs.....This reminds me about is the camp down the road from us. We have a small property we hunt with 4 people. Now, according to the 'down the road' guys the hunting sucks and the deer are gone. They've been hunting the same way, in the same places for decades. We are relative newbies (been at it 5 years) and we all filled our tags this year while the 'down the road' crew didn't see a thing. According to them there's no deer in the bush. But they run through it every day making a ton of noise....whatever was there day 1 is long gone by day 2. I thi

Now, if you keep running dogs through the same bush, day after day, and you have a bunch old old timers who don't shower and don't put in the time. Well, I'm not surprised if you don't see any deer. My suggestion: Try something new. Make certain sections of the property for still hunting, stand hunting, rattling, etc. Mix it up. With that much acreage you can do a few different things.

And of course a couple well located game cameras in the off season, over a salt lick or bag of apples will also tell you if its a deer population problem or a hunter problem.

Also, perhaps your camp should appoint a 'manager' or hunt boss to set strategy, take things in a new direction, etc. Management by committee rarely works. The old 'too many chiefs' thing.

And, we bear hunt where we deer hunt. No issues with it. I had a wolf pack run by me the day before I shot my buck this year. Pretty awesome to see. Diversify your hunt and have fun.

 

[Butcherbill]

As for you people who don't get the hunt camp mentality, its a group of guys who go north for a week every fall and enjoy the bush. If it was about the meat we would stay home. Its about friendship and having fun together and getting away from it all. Some of the best deer hunting in ontario is in my back yard. But I go north every fall and mostly don't even see a deer. Still one of my favourite times of the year.

Different strokes for different folks but hanging out at “hunt camp” doesn’t sound like hunting as much as it sounds like the yearly vacation, don’t get me wrong I love going on vacation but from sept to the end of nov I’m out for the meat first and foremost. The fact that I get to spent those months out in the bush is a bonus, the thought of hunting with a big group of people is pretty unappealing to be honest. One other person, no problem. Even three is a stretch unless it’s an elk or moose hunt.

 

[Fisherguy55]

I enjoy going north to to my cousins family camp in 60, even just as a guest (roughly 10-16 guys or so) and don't mind paying a few hundred bucks to do so. Usually go for 3-4 days, haven't seen a deer on the hoof in three years there nor killed one but I never have a bad time. Crammed a couple other camps in for a music night with guitars and such going and its usually the most alcohol I'll drink all year. The deer hunting in southern ON is a lot busier you could say, filled 12 of 14 tags in the December clean up hunt this year. Taste better too IMO

OP if you're looking to get more adventure out of your 3K per year going to maintenance you could do a couple fly in moose trips for that with a 12+ hr drive in September. Not looking to bum you out but thats just the truth. $1200 pp for 6 gets us float rides in and out, only cabin on the lake with boats/gas/hot water and a tag. Little bit more for a bull but obviously with your group of residents you apply to the unit up there and until this year the guaranteed group size was 8. Its a pretty easy turn-key trip but we had some unusually warm weather this year and still managed a cow.

Here's one of the guys with his 2018 bull

 

[Runningfool]

Different strokes for different folks but hanging out at “hunt camp” doesn’t sound like hunting as much as it sounds like the yearly vacation, don’t get me wrong I love going on vacation but from sept to the end of nov I’m out for the meat first and foremost. The fact that I get to spent those months out in the bush is a bonus, the thought of hunting with a big group of people is pretty unappealing to be honest. One other person, no problem. Even three is a stretch unless it’s an elk or moose hunt.

Maybe you’ve got the wrong picture of what it is like. I’m sure some hunt camps are like you describe. Here is what my deer season looks like:

October 1 - December 31 I hunt in the bush around home with my bow (save for the week I spend up north at “hunt camp” and the week of shotgun season where I hunt with my shotgun). There are a lot of deer in southwestern Ontario so odds are pretty good I’m going to get some meat....and when it’s been feeding on southwestern Ontario corn and soybeans it’s usually pretty tasty meat!

The week I spend up north at hunt camp isn’t with a big group. 4 or 5 of the best guys you could hope to meet. Every morning we all head out in different directions and do our own thing...usually we make our way back around lunch time to have a bite to eat, share stories of our morning, and then head back out. By about an hour after legal light ends we are all back at camp, hang up our gear, grab a drink, share our afternoon adventures, and have a nice dinner. After the dishes are done we head out and hang around the fire, sipping a drink or two and talk about what we plan to do and where we plan to go tomorrow. It sounds simple but it is glorious!

Since I hunt the other 11 weeks of the season solo, a week with some good friends in vastly different geography is a thing I look forward to despite the scarcity of deer. It is hunting and it is a vacation...hunting doesn’t always mean you come home with meat just like a vacation doesn’t always mean you lay around and do nothing. For me it’s like stepping back in time for a week and I’d do it regardless of the odds.

 

[peterf]

We have a small camp in 49 as well. Just 3 of us and we get up a few times a year to hunt grouse and once in a while moose. It's been around 20 years since we had a tag but we see a lot of moose every time we go. This year we saw 6 different bulls and several cows. We also haven't seen a deer in years.
I don't get the lottery system that Ontario has. It's almost like they want to shut down moose hunting in the province.

 

[blasted_saber]

I hear ya. My camp is in 49

I will offer a couple points

Deer are not historically found in this part of central ON. They showed up in roughly the early 1900s as the intensive agriculture in southern Ontario pushed them north. Then intensive logging provided new growth forests that sustained them in less then perfect conditions (IE winter). Those logging practices have now mostly stopped.

Our harvest as been low the last couple years for deer, but we have seen deer (didnt present shots or didnt have doe tags for them). The weather has also been awful, so that plays a part too.

My grandfather, who lived in what is now our camp as a child, remembers the days there wasnt a moose to be found in the area (1940, 50s). The "new" deer pushed them out. The tag changes brought on after that period really helped bring the moose back. We see lots of moose in our camp (the current tag situation is not great, I'll admit).

We also had three absolutely brutal winters in a row. That coupled with less then perfect habitat is going to have an effect on deer. Conversely Im sure you remember 2014 Or 15 where there were so many deer there were additional tags. They are incredibly dependent on winter conditions.

This year is shaping up great though. Winter has been as easy as I can ever remember to this point. I did a count and to this point last winter we had already had 15 days of colder then -20, and probably close to a meter of snow on the ground which started in November. This winter we have had only 3 nights of -20 and I have barely 6" of snow on the ground (currently +7 and pouring rain)

Things will get better then this. This is the absolute low point for deer.

My camp is family owned and we do other things then just hunt there. We'll always have it, regardless of how much hunting gets done. Currently we run big groups with friends and acquaintances, however I can see 30 years down the road it just being a small family group hunting.

 

[FishHog]

Maybe you’ve got the wrong picture of what it is like. I’m sure some hunt camps are like you describe. Here is what my deer season looks like:

October 1 - December 31 I hunt in the bush around home with my bow (save for the week I spend up north at “hunt camp” and the week of shotgun season where I hunt with my shotgun). There are a lot of deer in southwestern Ontario so odds are pretty good I’m going to get some meat....and when it’s been feeding on southwestern Ontario corn and soybeans it’s usually pretty tasty meat!

The week I spend up north at hunt camp isn’t with a big group. 4 or 5 of the best guys you could hope to meet. Every morning we all head out in different directions and do our own thing...usually we make our way back around lunch time to have a bite to eat, share stories of our morning, and then head back out. By about an hour after legal light ends we are all back at camp, hang up our gear, grab a drink, share our afternoon adventures, and have a nice dinner. After the dishes are done we head out and hang around the fire, sipping a drink or two and talk about what we plan to do and where we plan to go tomorrow. It sounds simple but it is glorious!

Since I hunt the other 11 weeks of the season solo, a week with some good friends in vastly different geography is a thing I look forward to despite the scarcity of deer. It is hunting and it is a vacation...hunting doesn’t always mean you come home with meat just like a vacation doesn’t always mean you lay around and do nothing. For me it’s like stepping back in time for a week and I’d do it regardless of the odds.

Very similar for me. Its a culture the mid west (Ontario, Michigan, and surrounding areas) have enjoyed for decades. I'm not trying to convince anyone they need to do it, but I promise you won't not enjoy yourself. I love my alone time in the woods as much as anyone, but its a time of year where boys get to be boys and get away from life. Some of those guys I grew up with and its the only time I see them anymore.

Don't knock it until you try it. I realize people out west don't get it as it never caught on there, but there is a reason why its a long standing tradition around here

 

[Robert777]

We hunt in WMU 60. Last year was piss poor for deer. Lots and lots of bear and wolf sign. No deer sign. We usually have 10-12 guys.
We use dogs. I see more road kill deer then hunted deer. The other camps in our area did not open last year. But in our area we have a BIG problem of poaching. 6 moose were poached in October. God knows about the deer.
I think there are lots of people hunting out of season and no tag.

 

[DOUGLAS D]

Just a suggestion because I know zero about hunting deer with dogs but have you given any thought to the dogs being your problem?
Seven hundred acres sounds like a lot but I'm pretty sure a 6 pack of Beagles could push a lot of deer to greener pastures in short order.
Hunting in western Canada and seeing a pack of dogs running deer usually ends poorly for the dogs not the deer.

 

[frabill]

TLDR only goofs shoot calf moose. No better than the unregulated hunters. Why did you guys have such poor discretion?

Edit now that I actually read the thread.


Wow, am I ever glad I live in AB, the greatest province in Canada.

I could never do the hunt camp thing, sounds more camping than hunting. "Its not about the meat" yet you're complaining for lack of animals. Running dogs to hunt deer? Jesus, that is stupid too. Theres never gonna be any deer if that's the case.


"In AB you draw a circle about 60 or 80 mi diameter around every reserve center. There is NOTHING alive within that circle. Go outside that circle until you stop seeing quad tracks. Go another 5 miles and that's where you begin to look for sign and a place to camp. That really is the amount of hunting pressure there is in AB."

This is the most accurate statement I've read about hunting in AB.

 

[DVXDUDE]

Well that's nice, You've obviously never hunted central or northern Ontario with that statement. This is big woods where its 100% thick bush/swamp/lakes and roughly 12km to the next road to the north of us. We dont hunt it all nor do the two small beagles we have. There is a snow mobile trail through one section we can access so it makes it easy to see tracks and to spread out.

I'm not sure it's worth explaining to you western guys that seem to know it all.

 

[Bland]

To the OP: need some new blood. Boomers are moving on and some new young people are required. Have seen this happen with curling rinks etc.

 

[Butcherbill]

I'm not sure it's worth explaining to you western guys that seem to know it all.

Oh I get it, I’m born and raised in Ontario. Lived in Parry Sound for years as a kid, Ontario hunting camps sound just like fishing camps up that way. My old man and a few buddies used to go fishing up the French river to a camp/cabin, it was more drinking till they fell down than fishing lol. We lived in Collingwood for awhile as well and when dad wanted to actually fish he did so close to home, when he wanted to go “fishing” he went to the French.

 

[Trimmer 905]

Our camp is at the outside NW corner of Algonquin Park in WMU 50. We still see Deer beeboppin' around now and then. One or two get knocked down every once in a while. We see Moose almost every year,but,tag availability is pretty much a thing of the past. Fishing the back lakes is still pretty good. Our camp takes some major work just to get into it. The older members (late 70's and early 80's) are getting to the point where it's a bit of a struggle for them,so,It looks like we need to recruit the grand kids which is really good because they're really chomping at the bit to get going (early 20's and done school). The future of the camp is looking good,but,the dynamic has changed from Moose hunting to fishing and hunting Black Bear and Upland game birds (lots of them). I know I have a few more good years left to pound the bush with the boys,but,time marches on. I'm fairly optimistic the old camp will be around for a long time,yet.