For hundreds and perhaps thousands of years, native tribes across America would converge upon the vast herds of buffalo that lived in the plains of what we call Montana, The Dakotas and throughout the midwest.  These tribes would set aside any differences each tribe may have felt toward the other because they knew they needed each others help to capture and kill enough buffalo for each tribe to survive through the winter.

They would gather on the banks of the rivers and at the foot of the hills each fall at the same time and would enjoy their large encampments and share stories of the past years events with each and plan out the hunt for the next day.  Each man in the group had their assignment and each would do their best to make sure buffalo was acquired.

They spent upwards of a full month killing and butchering buffalo and would continue to do so until each tribe had enough to sustain all of the people in their tribe through the winter.  Some men would ride around the buffalo hurd and gather them up in large numbers and then drive them fast and hard toward and over the cliff of a large plateau.  Others would wait in ambush as riders would slowly drive the hurd toward a narrowing in the terrain and then the hiding men would unleash hundreds of arrows into the herd as it walked past their hideouts.  And still others would ride into the herd with bows and arrows or spears and take the large beasts down.

These traditions continue today.  And tomorrow me and my tribe will gather in the hills of the Rocky Mountains for our annual ritual of hunting the beasts of the forest.  And we too will ride and surround and ambush.  We too will tell the tales of the years past events and relive the memories of past hunting adventures.

Our goal is not to harvest enough of the beasts so as to sustain our families through the winter.  Our goal is to continue this tradition of hunting and gathering and enjoying the out of doors and having fun.  Far be it for anyone to put pen and ink to the cost of a pound of wild beast flesh.  And least of all share that number with the spouse of one of the hunters.

As for tomorrow.  I shall see each of you at the “hunting grounds”!  Drive safely.

Bears Butt

Sept. 2011

The “Deputy” came through with some very fine drinking stuff for the kill jug this year (2011) and I have it in my possession.  Of course the label conceals its real identity as is usual for our large camp.  I’ll guarantee the seal has not been broken and assorted types of drink poured in to replace the liquid from the distiller.  It is what it came to me as, with only the label changed to protect the innocent.   I thank you Deputy!  He said he could not find it locally and had to import it.  Of course it was imported using legal means, a fine upstanding Deputy would not do it any other way.

This muzz hunt is shaping up nicely to be one of our most famous.  We have a new kill jug, a new “Magpie Express”, a new and improved “Rack”…and I’m sure a lot of hidden and waiting surprises in the wings.  Will the camp see the famous “Twinkie Man”?  Time will tell!

This hoss is really looking forward to the hunt, the camp, the fun.  If my plans come together I will venture into the Crawford range with the famous amung us, “The Chosen ONE”!  If my plans come together I will ride in the “Blue Goose”, my first time ever riding in the Magpie Express, with Magpie at the helm.  If my plans comes together I will win the coveted “Big Buck Contest”!

One thing we all can be reassured should not happen and that is our good old retriever Dry Dog will not be swimming out to retrieve any bucks from Jo B this season.

Memories will be brought up and more will be made on this trip.  One goal we all should be putting in our own plans is to be safe.  And we know how to do that and still have more fun than any other camp on the mountain.  I hope the old codger that yelled at me last year finds another spot to hunt.  He has an attitude!

Bears Butt

Sept. 2011

Are you a muzzleloader kind of person?  You know, the kind that shoots a muzzleloader.  Maybe even shoots muzzleloaders all the time and never (or seldom) shoots anything else.  It really amazes me when I hear the old timers saying “I know I put powder down the barrel before I loaded the ball”.  “I never forget the powder”!

And then there are the new comers to the game.  They admit they have not been shooting muzzleloaders for very long, but they insist they put powder down the barrel before they loaded the bullet.  Always have, always will.

At any rate I just read a forum where the guy is asking for advise on why his rifle did not go BOOM when he popped the cap on his muzzy gun.  He did admit he was cautious and kept his muzzle pointed down range for an extended period of time after the cap popped, as he waited for the hang fire BOOM, that never happened.  Then he went down range and found his bullet about 15 feet in front of his gun.

Maybe his powder was wet or moistened by the gun oil he cleaned his gun with before he went to the range to shoot.  I do not know, but for sure he did not follow common sense tradition of making sure his muzzleloader was ready for powder and ball by clearing the passage with an un-powdered cap or a slight amount of powder and cap to dry the barrel.

We all have to learn sometimes.  Let it not be the lesson learned on the hunt.  There stands a 400 class bull elk only 15 yards away.  Broadside and not a clue you are anywhere in the country.  POP!  Off goes the cap and the bull runs off.  Suddenly you doubt yourself that you even put powder down the barrel when you ran the ball down the barrel back at camp.  Yep!  It does happen to even the old timers.

Bears Butt

Sept. 2011

Gun sights, what good are they?  Last year in preparation for the big Limited Entry Crawford hunt for deer, I shot a bunch of times to finally have my rifle sighted in to an acceptable grouping for that hunt.  When the time came to shoot at my animal I missed the first one I shot at.  Went high over it’s back.  Not usual for me.

Next came a shot from my rifle that my son took to try and put his animal down for good.  He shot the same place his first bullet hit and did nothing to put the animal down.  My rifle shot somewhere other than where my son was aiming.  Not good.

Lastly, came the shot that put my animal down, but not for the count.  I was aiming at the deers left front  shoulder at about 100 yards and hit the animal high and right taking out its back about 3/4 of the way down the spine towards the rear of the beast.  The buck was down but not dead like I think they should always be when you shoot them.

So, with this years hunt just a week or so away, back to the range I went this morning.  I thought maybe I will shoot 4 or 5 shots and make sure it is shooting where it should.  WRONG!!!!

At the 100 yard distance I first loaded up with three back to back patched round balls ahead of 60 grains of powder.  The difference being my patches were lubed with machining grease.  The kind they use to hone metal parts like metal valves and such.  Some folks call it “lapping” and for me it was an excersize in clearing my riflings of burrs and such that might be in the barrel from its manufacturing.

Then I cleaned the rifle, but probably not as well as should have been done.  Sort of an old mountain mans way of cleaning before putting in a “real” load to shoot.  I used about 10 patches, the first with Hoppes #9 and the rest just dry.  It seemed to clean things up pretty good.

Then in went 105 grains of FFg powder and down on top of that a 425 grain pure lead Hornady, Great Plains, hollow point, hollow base bullet…my favorite hunting bullet.  Careful aim and boom!  Did not hit the target, nor the cardboard holding the target.  Where did that bullet go?  Two more times I shot the same load and finally one of them “accidentally” hit to the right of the bullseye.  But what about the other two?  Where did they go?

They closed the range for us to go down and check things out and upon examination, my two bullets hit side by side at least 18 inches above and to the left of the cardboard.  They took sizable chunks of wood out of the target supporting frame.  HMMMMM.  This is not good.  It was shooting fairly well last year, why is it so high now?  I did not tamper with the sights.  I just cleaned the gun and put it away.  Did my “lapping” change things that much?

So, with the Weasel by my side, we discussed what we should do.  Lower the grains of powder to 90 and let’s see what it does.  Maybe 105 is too much.  So I cleaned it up with Hoppes again, cleared the barrel and loaded it up with 90 grains.  Boom!  Boom!  Boom!  Three more times I shot.  Down range we go and no new holes in the paper!  What is going on?

Back to the bench and another cleaning of the rifle takes place.  Barrel is cleared and another load of 90 grains of powder is poured in.  The Weasel stands aside and watches WAY OUT BEYOND THE TARGET to see if he can tell where the bullet is hitting.  About 200 yards out, that is, 100 yards beyond where my target is, stands a large mound of dirt.  The kind put there to intentionally stop a projectile from bouncing out of the range and into a propellent manufacturing plant.  Boom!  The Weasel announces my bullet it the top of the mound of dirt at the 200 yard mark!  WHAT?  In order for that bullet to get out there I must be shooting 24 inches high.  It must have been a fluke.  Let’s try it again.

Another load is put in and another shot made.  Sure enough, almost in the same spot a blast of dirt explodes on the impact.  Ok Mr. Weasel, what do you suggest?  Well, PA, like you I like to make my adjustments in “drastic measures” and so I suggest lowering your sights one full turn and lowering the powder measure to 80 grains.  HMMMM I think.  And then I say, I will lower my sights all the way to the bottom and then use 80 grains of powder.  And this is what I did.

Cleaning of the gun took place once more.  Barrel cleared.  Sights lowered to the lowest setting and 80 grains of powder poured in.  Another shiny 425 grain chunk of lead slammed down on top of the powder and careful aim taken.  BOOM!  “Low” calls out the Weasel!  “Under the target, I saw dirt fly about 50 yards beyond the target”!  This is good I think!  Let’s try that one again just to make sure.  Powder, bullet, slam it down, cap,  BOOM!  “Hit the same place as the last one”!  Calls out the Weasel.  This is very good.  I will raise my sight one full turn.  “Good Call”.  Says the Weasel.  And I did raise my sight one full turn.  Swabbed the barrel with dry patches this time and then reloaded.  Again with 80 grains.  BOOM!  “I think you hit the target that time because I saw dirt fly up right at the base of the berm”.  Says the Weasel.  I have confidence now and I reload again using 80 grains.  BOOM!  BOOM!  Two more shots.  Now let’s clean the barrel, wait for the range to be closed and let’s go take a look.

The range is closed and we walk down to find THREE holes IN the paper, low on the bulls eye!  I am stoked!  YES!  BULLETS ARE HITTING THE PAPER!!!  What would you do Weasel?  I’d put in 90 grains of powder and try it again.  Well, I say since I only have 4 bullets and 4 caps left and probably enough powder to shoot them out.  I should raise my sights 1/2 turn and increase my powder to 90 grains and shoot 3 more shots.  Whatever happens happens cuz it’s time to go.  OK, says the Weasel.

Back at the bench, the sight is turned in the up direction 1/2 turn.  The powder measure adjusted to 90 grains.  Powder is poured and dumped down the barrel and one of the last 4 bullets slammed down on top of the powder.  BOOM!  BOOM!  BOOM!  And one last bullet sits lonely in the container.  Also, one last cap sits in the tin.  Well, let’s clean this mess up and put it away.  The range won’t be closed for awhile and when it does we will go down and get the target.  It is what it is.

After a few minutes the range is closed and we go down to get the target.  I feel good about the 90 grains of powder.  Just enough punch to make you know it is a powerful load, but not so over bearing as to cause the shooter to flinch.  But it isn’t any good unless it hits what it is aimed at.  RIGHT?  I admited to the Weasel that my last shot taken I pulled it so to expect a flyer, but it still should have hit close to the bull.

As we approach the target there are two nicely placed holes just above the bull and slightly to the left and a new hole to the right of the bull about 5 inches.  YES!  I am now a confident little shooter once again.  Out of stock, yes, but confident!  Any buck that shows itself on the hunt is in trouble.

Will Bears Butt take home the Big Buck Prize this year?  Time will tell.  Will Bears Butt hold out for a BIG buck…yes…any legal buck is a BIG buck to the Butt.  Thanks Weasel for attending to your dads missing and crying.  And for being such a good spotter of dirt flying up and around the target.  Life is good once again, just like it is supposed to be all the time.  I can hardly wait for the hunt to begin.  Beers and Cheers!

Oh Ya!  Gun sights, what good are they?  They ain’t No Good if they aren’t aiming at the same place the bullet is going to go.

Bears Butt

Sept. 2011

Yesterday afternoon we had our annual muzzleload deer hunt planning meeting.  That is a sure sign Fall is here and the hunting season is about to begin.  As will all our planning meetings comes the “who is going when”, “who is sleeping in who’s camper or trailer”, “what meals do we want to prepare”  etc. etc.  Last night was no different.  I got to thinking afterward why don’t we just draft up the usual and save it from year to year?  Then there would only have to be minor changes made and we would be done.  Actually we wouldn’t even have to have a meeting, we could do that via email.

NAH!  That would take a very important aspect out of the years hunt!  We have to have a meeting and discuss all of these important things.  Besides we need an excuse to drink a few beers and tell stories about past hunts and of course the heckling begins for this seasons hunt just like it did yesterday.

A few years back I purchased a “squawking magpie” to use as a predator calling devise.  It raises quite a noise and then it shuts off for a few seconds and then begins again.  It is obnoxious to say the least and once you have heard all of the calls it makes, you have generally had enough of it.  But for predators it is supposed to work really well, calling in especially coyotes because they think the magpie has found a fresh kill and in they come to investigate.  Well, I have not used it for that purpose yet.  Instead, I have taken it to the hunting camp and use it as a “Wake up everybody!  It’s time to go hunting”! alarm.  I will get up by my alarm clock and then quietly slip out into the middle of camp and place the little squawker out and turn it on.  There is plenty of time for me to slip back into my trailer before the noise begins.  On about round two of the noises, you begin to see other trailer lights coming on…it works really good!  When I feel it is time for it to be brought into “safety”, I will go out and pick it up and walk around camp making sure every trailer and tent gets an up close and personal listen to it.

Well, yesterdays meeting is calling for an historic event to take place at this years hunt.  Our friend Magpie is going to camp in my trailer, with Dry Dog, Weasel and myself.  Magpie has NEVER stayed in my trailer and it will be a pleasure indeed to have him as a guest.  But, someone commented about the wake up calling bird and Magpie himself said (with demonstration I might add) that when you see Bears Butt walking around camp in the morning like this…….with a plastic magpie tail sticking out of his backside, you know where that bird got put!

Well, I cannot have such as that and I will do something about it.

Another historic event will take place this year as well…Bears Butt is going to ride in the Magpie Express, his newest hunting rig he calls “The Blue Goose”.  This will be the first time EVER that Bears Butt has ridden with Magpie on a hunting expedition and I look very much forward to that day.  Bring lots of tootsie rolls and jerky!

We are expecting a very large gathering at our camp and our good friends Gunner and Gattlin are preparing a wonderful Jambalaya meal for us all on Tuesday evening!  Bring it on guys!  Can I help cut up the trifecta?  Just a reminder guys…Magpie hates shrimp…but says make it any way you want he will still eat it.

Additionally, a man I have only met once to my recall, Mario, is going to have prepared for us a large batch of pork and hominy.  A meal he calls Pozole.  There is never any left after we are done eating.

Thanks Mario, Gunner and Gattlin!  We love your meals!

I, for one, am really looking forward to the camp and the hunt.  If anyone bags a deer that will be a bonus.  This begins and ends my year and I’m excited!

Bears Butt

Sept. 2011

Anyone who has hunted knows that spears and arrows have been used for a very long time in gaining man something to eat.  Sometimes we will even find an arrow head from a Native Americans attempt at getting some food and perhaps he missed the shot or maybe it did connect and later the animal died and left the arrow laying in the dirt.  Whatever the case, let’s look closely at the arrow head and its design.

Flint rock was the main rock used by the Native Americans in making their arrow heads.  A light weight rock that can be made very sharp on the edges.  They would “nap” these rocks to the proper shape for the animal they would use the arrow against.  Heavier arrow heads for bigger game.  Skinny arrow heads for birds and smallish fish  and tiny arrow heads for, well let’s just say, small game.

The arrow heads were sharpened on two edges and then firmly tied to an arrow shaft made of wood.  Of course feathers were tied on the opposite end of the stick in order to add stability to the arrow and make it “turn” as it flew forward.  The turning added a degree of accuracy to the arrow.  Many an animal fell to these arrows.

Now let’s get away from the arrow for a minute.  Who reading this has ice fished?  Let’s see a raise of hands.  Ok, so it looks like most of you have ice fished.  How many of you used an ice auger to make a hole in the ice?  Another raise of hands please.  AH HA!  Only a few of the ladies have, but most of the guys.  I guess the ladies had guys drill their holes for them.  Ok, enough of that.

Have you ever looked at the design of the auger blade?  It is only sharpened on one side, while the other side of the blade is flat.  Why is that?  Have you ever looked at the blade on an Ulu knife?  It too is only beveled on one side and flat on the other side.  How many of you have steak knives of other knives in the house that are only sharpened on one side?  By sharpened I mean the blade is beveled on one side of the blade and the other side is flat.

Why manufactures only bevel one side of a steak knife is beyond me, but they do it.  Ulu knives being beveled on one side also is a baffle to me.  I see no purpose in these two instruments only being sharpened (beveled) on one side.  Why?  Just take a minute, find one of your steak knives or your ulu and grab up a block of cheese.  Now, using this knife carefully try to slice off a thin piece of cheese.  Press straight down and try to let the knife do all the cutting work.  What happens?  If your bevel is on the left side of your block of cheese, the knife will begin thick at the beginning of the cut and will be quite a bit thinner at the bottom of the cut and the blade will cut “away” from the beveled side of the blade.  Weird huh?

As for an ice auger this is a good thing.  The auger blade cuts away from the bevel and so it is digging into the ice with each roatation.  I can see where an ice auger would not cut ice if it was beveled on both sides.  Whoever came up with this idea for the auger blade is a genious!  I thank them dearly, because I love to ice fish.

Now lets apply this beveled on one side idea to an arrow head.  There is an article written by Dr. Ed Ashby at this site:

http://www.alaskabowhunting.com/PR/Single_Bevel_Broadheads.pdf

That explains the good and bad points of a single bevel broadhead and using them against game animals.  Most of his points are good, in that one main factor of using such broad heads is upon impact with a game animal, there is less “drag” on the arrow and thus deeper penetration.  And probably the bigger factor of using a single bevel broadhead is its bone breaking capability.  Why break bones?  It weakens the animals abilities to flee and thus gives the hunter a better chance of getting that animal down and ready for eating.

By having your two edged arrow head beveled on one side of each of the cutting edges of the arrow head, the arrow contacts meat and/or bone and it tends to rotate through.  This rotation not only makes for a very large wound channel, but it breaks bones while penetrating.  I say any advantage you can get while hunting with a bow is a good thing and this rotation through the animal is more likely to cut a major artery or inflict some serious internal injury causing the animal to succumb quicker.  A much better thing for the animal.

I think if it were me going after big game with a bow and arrow, I would want some of these types of arrow heads in my arsenal.

Please read that article by Dr. Ashby if you are at all interested in archery and hunting.  You won’t be dissapointed.

Bears Butt

Aug. 2011

Wapiti Dung called the other day and said he saw that the beaver was rebuilding it’s dam down on the farm.  HMMMMM.  So yesterday Beaver Man Brek and I made a visit with 14 traps of various sizes and shapes.  We came home with none of the 14 traps in our hands.  If Mr. beaver tries to get from the bay to Doc Beards or visa versa, he will have one very hard time getting through the maze of iron and wire!

Bears Butt

Aug. 2011

It’s almost September, 2011 and the fall hunting is about to begin!  Look out doves on September 1st!  Also, beginning on Sept. 1 is the rabbit hunt and grouse hunt.  Can it get any better than that?  On Sept. 3 for those with a special permit, they can head out to capture up a Sandhill Crane.

The 10th lends itself to a once in a lifetime Rocky Mountain Goat hunt.  The Willard Peak mountains is packed with them badboys and the DWR for the state made sure plenty of tags have been given out to thin the hurd.

On the 17th the youth hunters of the state can chase after bull elk.  And some folks with special tags can get after the Desert big horn sheep and moose.  Limited entry antelope, elk and this year marks the first ever Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep hunt to be held in Utah!

The date of Sept. 24th has not been nailed down yet, but my bet is the DWR will open that date up for Sage grouse, Sharptail, Hungarian Partridge and Chukar hunting.

AND last but not least, the 28th of the month will mean the Willow Creekers will be out and about on the muzzleloader deer hunt!  If you are one of the lucky ones, there are some other limited entry muzzleloader antelope, elk and deer hunts going on as well.

October will see the duck hunt begin as well as the Pork Gun hunters hitting the mountains for the general elk hunt and deer hunts.

We are going to experience some MAJOR changes to this schedule next year at this time.  Will the changes make for better hunting?  Only time will tell.

Bears Butt

Aug. 2011

If you are interested in seeing some of the hog bucks being taken so far in the archery hunt here in Utah, check out the Utah Wildlife Net.  Some of those guys have really bagged some BIG bucks, while others are in hot pursuit of some hogs.

http://utahwildlife.net/forum/index.php

And, just a few months ago we were being told there were no big bucks left in Utah.  I sure beg to differ!

Bears Butt

Aug. 2011

I was involved in a good discussion yesterday and the topic was about the size of our hunting camp and how big it has gotten.  How some have decided to not go hunting because of it.  How it used to be a really fun time when it was a much, much smaller sized camp, and everyone of us would ride together in one vehicle etc.  All of the points brought up were good ones and every one had their opinions of today’s camp size verses long ago’s camp size.

These are my thoughts on the subject.

Back in the days when I was allowed to tag along and attend the annual hunting event that happened the closest Saturday to October 20^th each year, it was always “our family” who was camped.  Of course Dad was always there, and when I was first allowed to go, at the age of 10, Mom would be there and I suppose she was the “baby sitter” for me, and later for my younger brother when he turned 10.  I was allowed to go and camp, but not go out in the field with the guys with the guns.  That did not happen until I was 12 and old enough to know things about being quiet and keeping up with the adults and helping in a big way with camp chores, setting camp up and helping to break camp when the hunt was over.

Those were some great times!  Dad, Mom, all my brothers (at least those who were not in the military at the time), brother in law, Roy.  Yes, those were the “Good Old Days”!  We had a great time.  Laughed, told jokes, played some cards and those old enough even had a few beers and maybe even a whiskey or two.  Fun was had by all.  AND occasionally they would even bag a deer or two.  Back then they could shoot bucks or does and dad always said a doe was better tasting than a stinking old buck.  But he sure would shoot at the buck if both of the sexes were running past.

Suddenly I found myself 12 years old!  Wow, how fast time goes by.  My brother Jack has found himself girlfriend and they have married!  So has my oldest brother!  They can’t go hunting without their spouses…and so, the camp grew by two more people.  Special accommodations made for additional things to take to camp and setup.  And of course there are some friends of the family members who would also like to tag along with us.  All were welcomed, and we still had a great time and even bagged a deer or two.

Then my brothers with their new spouses, had babies of their own, and that disrupted the ladies from going to deer camp.  They had to stay home with the little ones, as it was the man’s duty to go to deer camp every year and try to fill the freezer with good old venison.

Now let’s skip forward to after my military time.

Back home and the tradition of hunting has not faded.  Memories of the past years hunts continually running through my head.  My year begins and ends with the deer hunting season.  Fall is a wonderful transition from the heat of the summer to the cold of winter.  I can sense the hunt for weeks before it actually gets here.  Dustings of early snows that will long be melted before the hunt begins are additional reminders of what lies ahead for the hunt and it all begs to be drawn into the soul of the hunter and prepare him for the upcoming event.

But, there is something that has changed about the camp since I last was here.  Dad is surely there.  Mom is not.  She has no desire to go and would rather stay at home and prepare a good meal for the returning hunters and her always lovely apple dumpings for desert!  MMMMM.  Ok, mom stay at home and we will bring back some hearts and liver and a freezer full of meat!  The camp now includes the brothers (5), brother in law, Roy, and his son (who just turned 13), the best friend of my younger brother (who not only went to school with him, but also enlisted in the Army Airborne with him), AND two sons (who are now 11 and 12 years old) of one of my brothers.

Bigger camp, more stuff to pack, more tents, campers and all of the other conveniences necessary to help our stay in the mountains such a pleasure.  And we had a great time making jokes, laughing and having a wonderful time.  All the while sacrificing ourselves to the ever daunting task of providing meat for the family tables.  And occasionally one or more of us would bag a deer.

As the years continued to go by at an alarming rate, I too married and had two sons.  All of us found ourselves married and with families.  Our young brides wanted to attend the deer camp they had heard so many wonderful stories of.  And until they had children they came and joined in the hunting fun and laughed and joked right along with the rest.  It was fun!  And occasionally someone would bag a deer.

More gear had to be packed.  Additional campers, trailers, tents, trucks and added expenses had to be accounted for to make our stay more comfortable.  And we added those things without a thought because it was a fact that our camp had grown.  As the older ones decided they either had health issues that would prevent them from going on the hunt, or they passed on, their voids at the camp were noticed and they were missed very much, but we were adding more people to the camp than were dropping off the other end.  And still, the hunting season continued to begin and end my year.

Much later in my life, my children attained the age where they were allowed to go to camp.  Add two more.  And then my younger brothers son got to the age as well.  Add one more.  Suddenly, the two sons from my middle aged brother had children who reached that wonderful age and could attend as well.  Add more!

Suddenly with 200,000 plus hunters all on the mountain at the same time, killing deer like there was no tomorrow, the State of Utah decided there was enough interest in deer hunting for those who would rather hunt with a bow, or a muzzleloader to split up the deer hunt into three different seasons.  Before:  You could hunt archery and if you were unsuccessful at bagging your “buck only” deer, you could go on the rifle hunt and try your luck there.  After:  You have to decide which type of hunting weapon you wish to use and you can only hunt during that season with that weapon.

Since there were four of us who liked to hunt with the muzzleloaders, we chose to hunt that hunt.  At first we were restricted to specific areas of the state, and we hunted those areas.  And when they finally opened up the muzzleloader hunt to statewide, we began to explore different areas, even clear down to the Moab area.  Those were very fun times.  But never any more fun than the camp of old, with so very many people.  And we hunted, and camped and laughed and joked and occasionally someone would bag a deer.

And so the word spread that the four of us were having SO much more fun than those still going on the general rifle hunt, they too began to purchase muzzleloaders and joining in our season.  Couple that with the rendezvous and the fun we were having at those events and our circle of friends grew and grew.  Our stories of the hunt from the past year gained a hearty interest in our new found friends and soon they too wanted to meet up with us at our camp.  And we welcomed them in and we had fun, and laughed and joked and occasionally would even bag a deer.

From four, to eight, to twelve, to sixteen, to twenty, to twenty six.  And still we have fun and laugh and joke and kid around with each other.  And the camp is very, very large indeed and accommodations have to be made for more trailers, campers, tents, trucks, atv’s, ez-ups, common cooking facilities, etc.   And a nearly formal meeting must be held ahead of the hunt in order to make sure everyone who is going to be at the camp, knows when the bulk are leaving their home towns, who is bringing what, who is riding with whom, who is sleeping in who’s camper, trailer or tent, who is bringing atv’s, who is bringing parts of the camp that we only need one or two of, what the planned meals will be.  And we have fun and we laugh and joke and talk about hunts of the past.  And we joke about who will shoot just any old buck and who is going to hold out for a big monster buck.  And the meeting turns out to be a mini rendezvous.

Times have changed a great deal.  We can get from our homes to our preferred camping area in pretty much less than three hours.  We prefer to camp over rather than commute to and from the hunting area each day.  If we choose to leave camp and hunt a different area than immediately around the camp, we can do that and still be back at camp just after dark.  We have choices every day as to who we would like to hunt with that day.  Who would like to ride with who when they leave camp.  If we choose not to hunt on any given day, we can choose to sleep in and not go hunting.  Of course the camp size does not have anything to do with that choice anyway.

Our camp has gone from a “traditionally MAN only” camp (which was before my time to go), to a camp with young children, old men, women who hunt, women who are just camping, men of all ages and abilities and unwelcomed dogs.  We had no idea there were going to be dogs in camp until they arrived. Oh and by the way, the men try their best to control language and actions around the children and women, but those who bring their children and those women who choose to come into our camp are very welcome, but must understand they are going to hear and see some “man things” and that is something they must accept.  If they don’t have a tolerance for that, they are welcome to go elsewhere.

Most of us prefer to ride around the back roads of the mountains and try to spot a buck within range.  We see some very wonderful scenery,  lots of different animals from squirrels to moose, and occasionally someone in the vehicle will bag a buck.  There are many vehicles that are loaded up in the early dark hours of the morning and every one heads off in a direction the majority of the occupants think might be the best direction to get them into a buck or two.  Some prefer to hunt alone and will hike from camp.  Others will drive an atv to a point and walk from there.  All in all, if you want to go hunting and do not want to stay in camp, there is room for you and your gear in someone’s vehicle.

The vehicle occupants have good conversations, eat snacks, drink their cold drinks, laugh, joke and in general have a great day in the field.  When they are back at camp, everyone in camp wants to hear their story.  And so, each person around the camp fire has a chance to tell their story of the day.  What they saw, what they shot at and anything else they want to share.  These daily stories tend to tell everyone that perhaps the majority of the bucks being seen are up the canyon from camp, or down the canyon from camp or not in this canyon at all.  Or perhaps there are bucks everywhere and if you just happened not to see one that day, well maybe you were being too noisy in your stalk.

Our desire to have a “big buck contest” can go on whether with one or two members of the camp, or every hunter in camp.  And we laugh and joke and make good times of it all.  The kill jug is shared by those who did in fact bring a buck back to camp, and for those in the contest, only one will win the money!  Just like in a camp of two people.

What would I change about our camp if I could impose rules?

I would like to think that everyone in the camp would share with those who drive the vehicles.  Share with the gas and oil being used.  Share driving if the vehicle owner is open to that being done.  Take turns being in the front or in the back of the vehicle, in the middle of the back seat, wherever they ride.  Mix it up.

Toss in their cooler full of drinks and daily food stuffs to share with all of those riding in that vehicle that day.

Offer up their vehicle to take the hunters around the hills.

Ride in different vehicles from day to day, so that we can better get to know each of us in camp.  It’s all too easy to get into the habit of only riding in “so and sos vehicle”, year after year.

Offer to be the one going into the brush to try and push out a buck instead of always being out on the open hill waiting to get the shot.

If someone decides, for instance, they would like to stay at a watering hole until dark, that someone else would offer up to share that experience with them, so they are not alone.  Of course that would have to be up to the original persons digression to accept company.  And if so allowed, the person offering to accompany them would listen to and follow the “rules” laid down by the original person.

I would like to see a group of hunters hunt in the same large draw or canyon at least once during the hunt.  By that I mean, everyone spread out either at the bottom or the top of a large expanse of pines, quakies or whatever, and hunt slowly through that canyon.  Stopping often and being as quiet as they can as they hunt.  Hunters accepting this challenge would most likely be 200 yards apart the whole time.

And lastly, I would like to see NO DOGS ALLOWED in camp.  None!  Zip!  Lap dog or Doberman!  NO DOGS!

Is our camp a special camp?  Not in the least!  We have a camp like all the millions of other camps across this nation.  Some camps have to lease the ground upon which they hunt.  They have rules that must be followed or they are asked to leave.  They have to apply for the stands or areas they have to hunt in.  They have to share in what they have and so they may only get to hunt in one particular stand on one morning or evening just once during the entire season.  They might not even with their camp lottery and not get to hunt at all during the season.   Do they enjoy each others company like we think we do?  Yes!  They have fun, make jokes, pull pranks, drink beer and whiskey, play cards and gamble and in general, have a wonderful time at deer camp, and occasionally one of them will bag a deer.

Others share what we share out here in the West…Public Ground!  We can come and go to camping and hunting areas pretty much as we please.  We will run into small and large camps, much like our own as we are traveling around looking for that buck.  Are their camps growing or shrinking?  I’d bet they are growing as well.  Are they having fun, making jokes, pulling pranks, drinking and having a good time?  Yes!  And they occasionally bag a deer.

What I am seeing with our own camp is the joining of several deer camps in one location.  And because not everyone of those camps has all the necessary luxuries to make their stay in the wilds all that comfortable, they are allowed to share with those that do have the equipment.  If I examine our camp from last year (2010), I see ten different familes all joined in the fun as one big camp.  Some of these families consist of just one member from their family.  Others share brothers from the same family.  Still others are dad and son teams.  Others again are brother and sister, husband and wife teams.  To say our camp is a large one is an understatement.  To say that we need to downsize….I say no way!

We are there for a common purpose….kill a deer…NO!  Have fun!  YES!  Enjoy each others company, share that common purpose and help each of us bag a deer while we are at it.

But, let’s leave the dogs at home!

P.S.—Not you Dry Dog!  Camp is nothing without you there!

Bears Butt

Aug. 2011