Time at deer camp enlightening, successful, entertaining

This is a multipart series about the 2018 deer camp.

The temperature inside The Hut was 48 degrees. The time was 6 a.m. The largest burner on the Coleman Guide Series propane stove was ignited and water in the large container began to warm.

This coffee-pot style container was designed to make percolator coffee, but The Hut Crew has taken out the guts and only use this to heat water. Coffee is made by using a coffee bag, much the same as a tea bag.

The Crew doesn’t eat breakfast at this time, but they may down a banana or put an apple in their pocket. Then they are out the door in search of a buck.

The hunt area outside The Hut is roughly a section in size, one square mile. A hunter can make walking this entire section an all-day hunt.

Instead, each individual usually takes an area, perhaps the northeastern corner, and hunts for two or three hours. This includes walking, stopping to glass an area or sitting on a hillside to ambush a passing deer.

Sometimes we venture outside our home hunting space to BLM or state land. This is mainly an exploring mission to find out where the deer are located during a particular year.

Rudy Lopez and I arrived Friday evening, the night before the opening of the modern-firearm deer season. Rudy made some white-bean chili the evening before he arrived, so we wouldn’t need to cook after traveling. It was delicious.

The next morning Rudy was dropped off half way through the section. The wind was hitting the 20-to-30 mph mark making it a cool walk. He realized it would be difficult to hit a deer, even at 100-yards, but he wanted to get out and hunt. He returned three hours later ready to warm up.

The wind kept me in camp and working on the computer. We assembled a sandwich for lunch and then hit the bunks for a nap. The wind was blowing too hard to hunt.

We ventured out for a drive in the later afternoon, as the wind was slowing. Saw a few does and one 2-by-2 buck, which is not legal during this season. A legal buck must have at least three points on one side.

Using a GPS, we were able to detect private property, BLM and State land. We explored a bit, taking roads we haven’t seen before. A few rooster and hen pheasants, along with low flying geese, were spotted.

Next week: More about 2018 deer camp.