As 2012 is coming to a close,
and 2013 begins, I spent some time reflecting on this past year of hunting and
fishing adventures when I came to the realization that regardless of how successful
my adventures are, more importantly, they are another link in the chain of the
tradition of hunting and fishing.
While I am a novice deer
hunter, only having hunted 6 seasons, I eagerly anticipate the Pennsylvania
deer season each year. 5 years ago
I discussed my new hobby with a friend and he shared his memories from deer
camp at his farm in Bedford, Pennsylvania. We quickly realized our properties were only 20 minutes
apart and he suggested that we start deer camp again at his farmhouse that
year. Never having attended a deer
camp before, I jumped at the chance to get together with other hunters to share
tips, techniques, and insights into the elusive PA whitetail deer. What actually came out of that first
deer camp was a deepened relationship with the friends who participated, and a
great appreciation of the tradition of hunting.
copyright 2011 William Imler |
The first year at deer camp
was great. While we were in an old
farmhouse that had evolved over the years from a log cabin, we still had no
indoor plumbing thereby creating the need to haul water from a springhouse and
use a very drafty outhouse in the cold November nights. The focal point of the farmhouse is the
huge stone fireplace approximately 5 feet wide by 4 feet high in front of which
we would sit in handmade chairs resting our feet on a 7 foot long butchers
table that was turned into a bench.
Across the mantel are several sets of antlers from deer taken many years
before, and in the fireplace is a rack with the first names of my friends
family etched into the uprights at the front. Cooking was done on a turn of the century wood fired cook
stove and cast iron pans. There
was always work to be done, but everyone was enthusiastic to lend a hand to get
it all completed.
As we gathered around the
fireplace that week, we were regaled with stories of the men who hunted there
last. Randy shooting a deer while he
was using the outhouse, Dr. Griffiths telling another member of the group that
he might have been able to save that deer if only he wouldn’t of pulled out all of
it’s guts, and others too numerous or too incriminating to share. As it turned
out, most of the people I was hunting with that first year were the sons of the
men in the stories I was hearing. It
was then when I first began to realize the tradition of deer camp wasn’t about
having people to share the chores with, but rather having people to share the
adventure with. Now after 5 years
of hunting and sharing life with these guys, we have created our own stories to
add to the mix shared around the fire; some of success, some of failures, and
other events that aren’t spoken of, but by experiencing them together, we have
become closer friends, and better people.
What will the future hold?
I don’t know. But what I do
know is there is a new generation of younsters that are only a few years away
from being able to go into the woods with their dads to hunt for their first
deer. Will there be room for those
who were there from the beginning?
Will the tradition continue with them when they become adults? I hope so on both accounts. Being able to witness 3 generations
hunting from the same farmhouse, on the same property, sharing some of the
same stories from before would be the, “ And they hunted happily ever
after. The End” to this tale.
Be safe on your adventures.
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