This topic interests me very much. Traditions, memories, friendships, and experiences can be very difficult concepts for non-hunters as they believe that hunting is only about killing. Nothing can be further than the truth. I got my first hunting licence when I was 15 years old and didn't have a mentor, but my friends and I learned from each others successes and mistakes. A year or two later, some friends and I spent a week at one of Ontario's traditional deer camps - what many refer to the 99-year lease deals. The camp had been in existence since the 1930's, and there was only 1 member left in the group. The camp was very rudimentary: 2 bunk beds, a wood/coal cooking stove, a sink that drained outside on the ground, and a table with a few chairs. Lighting was provided by lanterns and candles. There was a free-flowing spring behind the cabin that provide all the water you could drink and we shared the duty of hauling water in buckets. Although the owner had shot a few deer in his life, his knowledge about deer and deer hunting was largely based on his personal experiences and myths that still seem to linger today. I hunted with my first rifle - an 1898 8mm mauser. This was during the 1970's, and anyone who can remember those days will tell you there were few deer about. Although I didn't shoot a deer, I tracked and jumped a group of does while tracking them in the snow which elevated my status in camp that night!
I've never posted an image on this site before but I will try to post an image of the cabin.
Not long afterwards, I went away to college which prevented me from going back. Eventually, I moved to northern Ontario to work and got back into hunting. Some fellows that I met at work were pretty successful moose hunters and I was able to work myself into their group. Accommodations weren't very sophisticated and consisted of shacks constructed out of plywood, tarps, and plastic with old carpet on the ground. Usually, we would go out a week before the season and spend an afternoon building it. For a few years, we attached the camp to a travel trailer at one end, but eventually left the trailer home. These were very comfortable and the comradery was first class. The camps were warm, dry with plentiful food and drink. Yes we did imbibe, sometimes to excess, but always after dark when the guns were locked up. Loaded guns and hunters don't mix! Some of my best hunting memories are of those adventures. Moose were plentiful in the 1980's, and we took our share. Although the following photo is not one of from the 1980's, it is a similar style camp for two hunters that I used recently for a few years.
When I moved to northern Ontario, I eventually hooked up with some other fellows and we formed a group of deer hunters. Each November we travelled to Rainy River and chased whitetails around. We stayed in a variety of places including a camper and in an old bachelor's living room flaked out on mattresses. Eventually, the old fellow moved in to a retirement home so we ended up getting permission to use an old farmhouse. Boy, that place had character! It was old, the floors were sagging, windows were busted, skunks lived in the cellar but we made it comfortable. Good times, and lots of deer, made up for any of it's short-comings. Here is a picture of the old farm house.
Our group ended up buying 160 acres for dirt cheap and we came to realize that the old farmhouse was a fire trap. So, we had most of the property logged and used some of the large spruce trees and cedar for lumber which we used to build a brand new camp next to the old farm house - which was later demolished. It is a very comfortable camp and is nicer than some houses that I've lived in. Although it has electricity, there is no running water. and we have to get it from a tap outside. We also built a sauna which keeps us clean after a day out in the field. Although we still play cards every night, satellite TV brings in the hockey games. I no longer drink, the other guys do but never to excess as we are too old for hangovers! I could probably fill a couple of pages and share stories, but I'll leave it at that for now. One thing that I've learned is that it really doesn't matter what you use for a hunting camp, it's what happens inside and outside of it that makes them special places to go back to. Here is a picture of our camp today.
edit: oh oh, my pictures didn't transfer from google drive. Can anyone give me a few pointers? Thanks.
