2014 Deer Camp diary

This is the first of a two-part series about 2014 Deer Camp.

Dry was the word of the year in my deer hunting territory. The scuttlebutt around the area was very few deer were present. The excitement about a successful season was low. Yet we headed for Deer Camp at The Hut as if there was a buck along each county road.

Our stated goal is shooting a deer, of course, but Deer Camp isn't only about notching a tag. There is the camaraderie, the food, the stories and the daily adventures during the week. A legal deer is one with 3-points on one of his antlers.

The Hut Crew consists of Lani Schorzman, Jerry Lester, Thomas Steffens, Chuck Buck, Ted Nugent, Rudy Lopez and me. Attending camp this year are Lani, Rudy and me.

My wife, Garnet, and I brought supplies to The Hut last Thursday and made another trip on Friday. These supplies consist of food, small propane bottles, larger propane bottles, water in two, 7-gallon containers, two cases of bottled water and five, 1-gallon water containers.

Also the supply of plastic silverware, paper towels, paper plates and bowls were checked and the items were restocked as necessary. We brought up canned soup, vegetables, spaghetti sauce, salsa, tea bags and coffee singles. Fruit, such as apples, bananas, crasins and raisins are available.

In the coolers are deer and elk backstrap steaks, walleye fillets, deer summer sausage, deer pepper sticks, eggs, hash browns, bacon, sliced turkey breast for lunch meat and fresh sausage. There are the appropriate amount of condiments to accompany our cooking, such as mustard, mayonnaise, Worcestershire Sauce, several different bottles of hot sauce, salt, pepper, garlic powder, Mrs. Dash, dried basil and gobs more.

Kitchen utensils consist of four cast iron skillets, along with three other skillets, three aluminum camping pots, two regular pans, one large coffee-style pot for boiling water, various plastic mixing bowls, plus spatulas, mixing spoons, self-sealing bags and hard plastic containers for leftovers.

A Coleman Guide Series, three-burner camp stove sits on top of table make for camp cooking. Many of our supplies are stored in a Cabela's grub box, which sits on top of a Cabela's camp kitchen.

Rudy arrived early Saturday morning and began hunting the area. He came close to notching his tag right away.

"I was standing by the fence when this legal buck comes within a few yards of me and standing on land we cannot hunt," he said. "I remained still, but finally he walked back, deeper into the field away from me."

Such are the experiences which will forever remain etched in the mind of a hunter.

I arrived in the early afternoon, stored my equipment, and was ready to hunt. However the wind was blowing in the 25-mph range, so Rudy and I stayed at The Hut and visited during the afternoon. We could have hunted, but the wind would have made for a miserable hike.

Rudy's famous fish taco was on the menu for the evening meal. Lani joined us as Rudy prepared the slaw, using thinly sliced cabbage, canned pineapple, canned mango, mayonnaise and chili pepper. His uses Bolner's Fiesta Brand Extra Fancy Fajita Seasoning for an additional spice.

He then cut the walleye to size and started cooking them in olive oil. Tortillas were heated in another cast iron skillet and the meal was served with a bottle of wine. We had two tacos each before the fish was gone. The leftover slaw, about two-thirds of the original amount, was stored in anticipation of another fish-taco night on Friday.

Sunday Rudy and I hunted hard, covering several miles of our hunting area. Lani and I made a fast hike to the area we know as the Corner, while Rudy made a solo hike in another area. At the end of the day, we only jumped a few does and yearlings. Still it is interesting and enjoyable to see the critters up close.

The evening meal was elk backstrap chops with Lani working as chef. He first prepared potatoes for frying by cutting them into quarters lengthwise and then cutting into thin slices. A red and white onion was sliced and added to the potatoes.

Lani started cooking the chops when the spuds and onions were about finished. The meat was seasoned with garlic salt, pepper and garlic powder. As the meal was about to be served, Rudy pointed out the leftover slaw wouldn't last until Friday, so it served as our vegetable.

The cops were delicious, the spuds and onions were great and the slaw better than the night before. Meals at deer camp, such as this one, will be recounted by hunters for decades.

Monday morning Rudy and I made another sweep of most of our hunt area, finding only a few does. Rudy headed home in the afternoon for three days of work. Lani was working on projects for the farm, so I was at The Hut alone Monday evening.

I pulled frozen hash browns from the cooler and started cooking a batch in a cast iron skillet. When these were about ready, two dimples were made in the potatoes and an egg added to each. Not as fancy as the two nights before, but delicious just the same, especially when salsa and hot sauce were added.

Next week: The rest of the season at 2014 Deer Camp.