Deer Camp has always been a special place for us at White Oak....
As a child, going to the deer camp in the fall was the greatest thing on Earth. For no telling how many years in a row, I had my birthday party during youth season weekend and got to bring along a couple buddies and their dads to hunt. I’ll never forget those weekends as a kid, and to tell the truth, deer camp in the fall is still probably my favorite place to be.
Deer camp can mean many different things to different people. To some, it’s a tent set up one week of the year to try their luck on public land. For others, it may be a camper or an old one room shack with a wood burning stove for cooking and keeping warm. Still for some it may be a rustic lodge that resembles something you would see in Aspen, Colorado. I have stayed in all of the above, and must admit, there is something special about each of them.
Deer camp when I was growing up was an old double wide trailer tucked back in the woods in Kemper County, MS. While, it had all of the amenities you could ask for, it felt sort of like an old shack in the woods to me. There were multiple bedrooms, but it seemed that everyone would always sleep on couches in the living room because of the wood burning fireplace that kept us warm. While the years that have past have found that old trailer abandoned and a new camp built, I still go down there from time to time and sit on the porch, just to remember all of those great memories that formed my deer camp experience.
While everyone’s deer camp is a little different, there are a few things that are required in my opinion. The first and most important is an outdoor fire pit. This is where recaps of the days hunts are shared, and maybe a few lies are told. There is nothing better than getting off of a cold side by side or 4 wheeler and claiming your spot by the fire while you wait on dinner.
Another must for deer camp is a deer cleaning area. This might be a rope hanging over a tree limb, or a full blown shed with a walk in cooler. One of my favorite things as a child was watching as everyone got back from the evening hunt and seeing if anyone backed up to the skinning shed. That always meant fresh backstrap for dinner!
Each and every deer camp has its own traditions and memories. Sitting beside a fire with a cold mixed drink after the afternoon hunt is one of my favorite things in the world. It’s a time when you can slow down and be reminded that the good ole days are now and there are still many memories and traditions to be made.
There is always time to start a deer camp of your own. If you are looking for a place to call your own and finally set up that camp you have always wanted, call us, we are ready to put you on the right track.