who roughs it

[monschman]

So us manly men are all (mostly) gagging at the bit for the opener next week. What i am wondering is how manly are we, has hunting evolved to a metrosexual weekend or a few where we go to our cabing (read 3 bed, 2 bath, electricity and running water, hottubs, style lakehome) and get us a deer (read lure bait and slam through with an overpowered $1000 gun wopped with spendy glass) from high in our heated stands.
What do you all consider essential for hunting weekend, me, short of required nanny state clothing and instant coffee plan on taking not much more than rope, a knife and a gun and a tinderbox. Perhaps i am nuts but i hate lugging all that stuff up north, heck i feel even more priveledged this year, i get four walls and a roof. its strange but i like my survivalist mentality and it heightens the anticipation of the weekend.
So who here roughs it and how do you all prepare for it, is it a carload of crap of is it a gun and a rucksack?

[JJ]

I guess I can't really call it roughing it anymore, but 13 guys in a 20x24 shack isn't exactly luxury. We used to hunt 9 of us out of a Winnebago, and a 8x6 pull-behing camper that when it was cold got frost on the inside with the heater on(when it actually worked). Now we have running water, and a guy can actually shower a couple times when hunting for the week (a week in a Winnebago is a LONG smelly time).
Myself, I put a pack with a change of stand sitting clothes that have been scent-controlled, and aired out on stand 2 days before I hunt. Its a 3 mile walk to my stand, I could ride the wheeler right up, but I like leaving the woods undisturbed(plus when the neighbors come into the woods on the wheeler's I am in stand and usually have deer move past). My goal is to always be on stand at least 30 minutes before legal shooting time. I sit on a ladder stand uverlooking a hump in a tamarack swamp that does like to sit on. My stand faces NW so I'm looking into the wind all day, but it keeps my scent from bumping bedding does.

[VikesFan1]

We roughed it a few weeks ago, waaay up north for the Grouse/Bow opener. It's highly recommended once in a while, in some capacity or another. Weather it be hunting, fishing or just camping. By the time deer firearms rolls around it's a little too cold to sleep outside for my taste.

[1911fan]

30 foot ancient single wide. It was a job site trailer I rescued from the crusher. Bunks and a make shift kitchen. It was supposed to last two years thirty years ago. We finally got electricity in and that is a huge change. With some electric baseboard heaters I can keep it about 30 degrees above outside. That at least keeps the frost off the walls.


Cushy? No. Bearable yup. We still have a one holer down the hill and bring water in jugs buts it still one of our favorite places.

[Ramoel]

We've got electricity and satellite TV but have to pump our water out of a well manually. Porta-potti completes the "roughing". Heat the cabin with wood stove and some supplemental electric heat. We've also got a 24x32 garage to store boats, ATV's and snowmobiles. In addition we have a stand alone sauna that feels good on those cold days.

[ex-LT]

I consider myself one of the lucky ones. My parents live less than 10 miles from where my family (counting my dad, uncle, brother, cousins and cousins kids, there's about 15 of us) hunts. We use my uncle's place as "base camp", typically meeting there at oh dark thirty before we head out to our stands, and meeting back there around noon for lunch.

[old guy]

I,ve got my 12'x12' alaknak tent and consider that a palace. In the early years I just hiked in 2 or three miles and built a brush shelter and stayed for a few days. I have had campers and other tents and even built teepees. Now I hunt both Minn & wisc south of Duluth Superior and live in my tent for two weeks.

John

[goalie]

North shore of Whitefish Lake. "Cabin" with a sauna, hot tub, and pool table. Three plots of private land to hunt with many permanent stands (I personally use a Summit Viper climbing stand, but it depends on the scouting and if a permanent stand is appropriately placed or not).

I guess that means that I do not "rough it" anymore. Granted, we don't use ATV's or anything, and I have humped a deer over a mile through some thick stuff after shooting it, so I guess we're not complete wuss' yet.....

Oh, and I often use a scoped .270, but the whole rig cost less than 500 bucks....most of that on the glass. Otherwise it is the .44mag handgun or the 30-30. This year the new "Trapper" 30-30 is going to be the go-to gun. Iron sights.

Before we had access to this private land, I hunted public land for about 10 years. Being afraid of most public land rifle hunters, I hunted exclusively with a muzzle-loader for that time. We "roughed it" back then.

Anyhow, your camp luxuries really have nothing to do with how hard you hunt. You can "rough it" but stay in your stand for no more than 2 hours at a time, or you can stay in a palace at night but stick it out all day in the sleet, rain, and cold just to get a shot at Buckzilla. IMO, you can either hack being "uncomfortable" long enough to earn a shot, or you cannot. If you can hack it, you don't need practice being miserable, so I'll opt for creature comforts when I'm not in the woods every time.

[cobb]

The hunting shack is basically 2 rooms, 13 X 20 feet interior with a dividing wall, a deck and outside closet for the refrigerator and supplies.

The outside closet was for a gas refrigerator that we use to have, not a good idea to have a gas refrigerator in the living & sleeping quarters. The current refrigerator that we use is prior a 1957 and still works great. I know the year partly because it is a family refrigerator and when we were changing how the power cord ran, I found a 1957 Volunteer magazine in the back shield.

Four built in bunks with mattress's from the Mattress Factory and room easily for another cot and we have squeezed in another two.

Our outhouse has electric heat and electric venting that can be turned off and on from the hunting shack, that is very nice on single digit mornings. We have no running water, it has to be hand pumped and brought in as needed which means putting the pump on when needed, otherwise if left on the pump will freeze up solid.

Use to have a wood burner, but several years ago we had a chimney fire that burned an interior wall, so dad put in LP heat with a thermostat control, no forced air, but a ceiling fan circulates it very well.

Very warm and dry, a cribbage board and cards, so hunting camp life is good.

This little slice of heaven is on 180 acres owned by my brother and I, surrounded by neighbors that are friends and this is all because of my father's love of the outdoors.

Thank you dad, I have missed you for the past 10 deer hunting seasons, but you have done good and your sons will carry on..........................

[monschman]

this is what makes hunting season a special time, carryig on the traditions bestowed upon us by generations of men before us that made us what we are today. Keep those stories coming
What brought up this thread is that this year i ill be hunting a little different from years past in that i have a cabin to sleep in, the past four years it was a tent that would not have looked out of place on the north face of the eiger, and i feel that it is a little soft. Truthfully however i am looking forward to not turning into a mansicle before midnight and waking up feeling like every ounce of synovial fluid in my body has gellified or frozen.

[VikesFan1]

Goalie said it well. Creature comforts at night help with endurance during the day.

Have fun hunting, monschman. I think minimizing 'the hard part' will make it that much more enjoyable.

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

Me and a fellow hiker almost froze to death two months ago staying overnight at 12,730' near the summit of Mt Elbert in Colorado with no winter clothing in low 30's temperature and almost completely out of water and food. Hypothermia: I don't personally recommend it. Before that I walked across Grand Canyon with a heavy pack just because was there. That count as roughing it?

[Payne]

I also use a Cabelas tent with a wood stove, I think it is the Alaknak also. My three sons and I have hunted out of this tent for the last five years. Our hunting land is only 4 miles from my house, but the boys (now men) still like the idea of "hunting camp" and we have a good tradition going. They wouldn't have it any other way, and neither would I.

The coldest morning we had was -7 degrees but the inside of the tent was toasty because the man servant (me) was up several times during the night keeping the wood stove stoked. I dread the time when we can't get together like this anymore, for whatever reason.

[Keith]

I also use a Cabelas tent with a wood stove, I think it is the Alaknak also. My three sons and I have hunted out of this tent for the last five years. Our hunting land is only 4 miles from my house, but the boys (now men) still like the idea of "hunting camp" and we have a good tradition going. They wouldn't have it any other way, and neither would I.

The coldest morning we had was -7 degrees but the inside of the tent was toasty because the man servant (me) was up several times during the night keeping the wood stove stoked. I dread the time when we can't get together like this anymore, for whatever reason.

When Tyler gets down to Benning maybe you'll just have to go down there and hunt hogs with him? He sounded pretty excited about that. Start a new tradition. (and maybe drag some of your 3-gun buddies with? )

[Payne]

That does sound like fun. My wife really doesn't like for me to hunt deer, but she does want me to go Moose and Wild Hog hunting. She likes the taste of the meat better than venison.