Partners Magazine

Deer camp. Those are two words that can lite a fire in many Michigan hunters of a certain age. What age you may ask? Good question. I have given that quite a bit of thought over the last several years.

My dad, who is now 80, is still drawn by the allure of deer camp. The sad fact is, physically he can’t navigate getting to and from deer camp on his own any longer. A stroke robbed him of that gift several years ago, but the spark and the memories still smolder.  The question is, are the traditions of deer hunting being passed down? Is deer camp still a thing? Well, the answer is a resounding yes…and no.

I have the extreme honor of having the job as host of Michigan Out of Doors TV. That little camera has given me a pass into many deer camps around our great state over my 26 years of working for the show. I have been to many a cabin, tent, house, camper, home and hotel all doing their part to host a deer camp. At every camp, it seems like there’s a couple of different age classes of hunters, starting with the old guard. 

By that I mean, folks in their 60s, 70s, and 80s. They tell the best stories, and if you’re lucky enough to go back year after year, the stories usually get better and better over time. These guys still like to hunt, but aren’t too concerned about filling a tag. They’re still the first ones up, but not usually the first ones out the door. 

Then there’s the guys in there 30s, 40s, and 50s. Some are still pretty hard core, hunt hard, and are very into all that goes into the hunt. They run a ton of trail cams,  have full scent control, and can name all the bucks on their property. However, many in this age range have started to transition to a bit more of a casual hunter. They only sit until 10 or so, don’t scout much, don’t know what grain bullet they shoot, and they are more into what the dinner plan is then who is sitting in what blind.

Then we have the up-and-coming hunters, the young ones. It’s these that I am worried about, and I have two of them in my own house. For some of them, they have gotten bit by the hunting bug and can’t wait to hit the woods! They love the allure of the outdoors. They love hunting deer, ducks, big bass, or whatever else they can chase! These young hunters will hopefully take our sport into the future. There are also many, like my two boys, who each shot a few deer and really like it but haven’t fallen in love with it yet. They will always support it, will go from time to time, but haven’t yet made it a priority in their lives. 

Deer camp is the place that all of these folks can and should come together. The teenager, the hardcore 30 year old, the casual hunting 45 year old, and the 70 year old story teller. If our sport is to grow, and thrive, I believe that keeping deer camps part of the hunting landscape is crucial. The memories, the stories, and the deer on the pole are all an important part of making the tradition of deer hunting continue. The world would be a better place if we all went to deer camp.