The Hunting Camp
Camping is part of many hunting trips. Sometimes it will involve staying at an established camp, where everything but the food and personal gear are in place in rustic, but home-like atmosphere. At other times, it may involve spending an extended period of time in a wilderness setting, where the hunter is limited to the gear he or she brought into camp.
Camping offers several advantages to the hunter. It permits extended hunting trips with more time devoted to hunting and learning the area. It allows the hunter to stay in or close to game country, where they can spend less time traveling to and from hunting sites and more time actually hunting in those sites. Camping allows persons who enjoy the camp experience to expand the enjoyment of their hunting experience and to share it with a few like-minded people. It allows the hunter to “get away from it all” and recreate his or her spirit in the atmosphere of enjoyment. The hunting camper camps as a means to another end, but may find that the camp is as important or more important than the hunt itself.
The hunting camp may involve some challenges and needs that differ from other types of camps. Siting the camp involves getting as close as possible to the action without disturbing or interfering with the normal behavior of the game animals. For sensitive wilderness species that may mean a few thousand feet of elevation or a mile or more from the hunting area. Other species may be impacted almost negligibly by the presence of a quiet camp. Hunting campers have needs in the area of meat and trophy preservation that are seldom encountered by other kinds of campers, and they must be concerned with some additional safety factors. Strict control of firearms or archery equipment is vital. Since most hunting takes place in the cooler parts of the year, the hunting camper is often concerned with heaters and the control of fires as well.
Hunters use many types of camp situations. These may range from an emergency overnight camp carried in a day bag to a permanent base camp or a self-contained recreational vehicle driven into the hunting area and used as a base. The hunter or group of hunters carries backpack camps in. All camping gear and hunting equipment comes to camp on foot, so total weight is an important consideration. An emergency overnight camp could be considered a special case of the backpack camp. It might include no more than a “space blanket” or an inflatable tube tent, fire starting materials and little food and water. Spike camps are often camps established for a day or two deeper in the hunting territory from a base camp. Typically, a spike camp may include a small tent, sleeping bag, minimal cooking gear, and food for several days. Some backpack camps are reinforced by gear carried to the campsite by an outfitter and left for the use of those who carry in their hunting and sleeping gear and their food.
Horses are used in many areas to establish hunting camps. On full-service guided hunts, the outfitter will provide the basic camping gear and food; and the hunter will provide personal gear, hunting equipment and sleeping gear. Drop camps may rely on the hunter’s equipment completely or provide the basic shelter, heat, and light of a base camp, with the remainder being supplied by the hunters. In this situation, horses provide the transportation to the camp and back from the camp at the end of the pre-arranged length of stay. Other hunters may organize their own horse packing trips into remote areas to hunt undisturbed country. Horse packed camps usually allow for more gear and comfort than do backpack camps.
Campsites that are accessible to vehicles permit greater flexibility and a greater variety of gear. Some such sites are provided with a cabin or a tent platform. Others may be equipped with a trailer, either permanent or drawn in for the season. Still others will use self-contained vehicles or camping trailers as their base. Pickup campers may be adequate for a few days’ stay. Tents are the most common shelters in vehicular camps. Boat or canoe accessed camps may be similar to vehicular camps. Houseboats or cruisers may be used as base camps, while smaller boats or canoes may act as transport in the place of the backpack or the horse.
Locating Good Camp Sites
Several things enter into determining a good campsite. Access to the type of transportation being used is a major one. A second major item is proximity to the hunting location. The camp should be near enough to be convenient without disturbing or interfering with the game being hunted. Thus, a waterfowlers might locate a camp on a bit of high ground within a few hundred yards of a hunting area while an elk hunter may need to keep the campsite a mile or more away from prime hunting areas to avoid disturbing the animals.
Site features are also vitally important. The ideal campsite is level, at least where the tent, cooking and eating areas are to be placed. It should be as free as possible from surface clutter, like rocks, protruding roots, stumps, and similar obstacles. These can pose a hazard to movement in the dark and even small ones can become a pain in the back if they find their way through a sleeping pad during the night. The area should also be well drained and out of any potential flash flood areas. Ditching of tents should be used only as a last resort to prevent wetness inside the tent. The area should be large enough to locate the gear comfortably and without giving a sense of crowding or creating any hazards. Access to any on-site needs should enter into the decision on camp location. Access to a water supply reduces the need for transporting water to the site. Availability of fuel wood for campfires, heat, or cooking is a consideration in many camps. If pack animals are being used, adequate forage must be available for the stock. The site must be located so that wastes and wastewater will not contaminate local waters with adequate disposal areas or arrangements to remove all wastes and trash from the area. In big game country, a site to hang game animals can be a very important feature.
Other site features are also important. Elevation is important, both as an impact on other factors and because of its effect on the hunters. Note that it takes about 3-5 days for a person to become acclimated to elevation and that even then, the elevation places a burden on the heart and lungs. The campsite should be outside flood or avalanche areas. It should be located some distance from game trails used by bears or other potential problem animals for the camp.
The availability of sun and shade should be considered. A sunny site is much more pleasant during the day, except where temperatures are high; but shady sites are better for hanging game or periods of high daytime temperatures. Wind protection is important to keep the cooling effects of the wind under control and to prevent collapse of tents or upsetting camp equipment. On the other hand, some air movement is an important factor in keeping insect pests under control in areas where flying insects are a factor.
The site should be chosen to permit a reasonable amount of privacy. This adds to the wilderness quality of the experience, even when other people are in the area. It grants some measure of security to equipment left in camp, even though camping hunters tend to show a high level of respect for the property of other campers. Finally, it affords a level of personal privacy that is helpful when bathing or taking care of other personal matters.
Finally, the campsite should be located where the surroundings look good to the camp residents. If the site pleases the aesthetic senses, it will promote a general sense of well being and pleasure.
Camping Ethics
Ethics refers to accepted codes of conduct associated with right or wrong behavior. Many ethical codes have been printed, but the truth is that ethical decisions are personal as well as societal. Camping ethics have evolved toward minimum impacts on sites. No camp can leave an area without impact or evidence of human activity, but most sites can be left very close to the condition in which we found them or even in better condition. Proper disposal or removal of wastes, trash, or other items that were carried into or produced in the camp is a major part of minimum impact. Where burying garbage used to be considered appropriate, current standards call for it to be burned or carried out of the camping area for disposal.
Cleaning up the site and renewing its appearance are the camper’s responsibility. Where existing established campsites exist, using established fire rings and tent sites is helpful. Policing the site to remove trash or garbage left by others is part of the camper’s responsibility, as is leaving the site ready for the next person. When a remote campsite is established where no others exist, the site should be restored as much as possible to its original state. Ash and burned materials from campfires can be buried with soil and sod replaced over the site, creating fertilizer rather than a fire scar. Keeping site disturbance to a minimum reduces the effort required to restore the site to its original condition.
The camping hunter has a wide variety of responsibilities. He or she is responsible for the site and wildlife using that site. Responsibilities to other people are varied. They include other hunters or campers that might use the area, other kinds of recreationists (anglers, backpackers, nature observers), and all other human users of the area. Resource managers, users of natural resources (cattle or sheep) grazers, loggers, or others), and landowners are all concerned with the quality of the sites used by camping hunters. Positive experiences with the hunting public lead to positive images of hunting, particularly where some of us clean up the messes left by those who are not worthy of the name hunter.
Although ethics go far beyond legal requirements, those requirements form a minimum standard for the society. Some states have very specific regulations which must be followed, like not cutting any living vegetation, no open fires, restricted use of vehicles or securing a permit before camping. The hunting camper must be aware of these regulations and follow them carefully.
Camping Equipment
The camping hunter may come in a self-contained version of home, stay in a well-stocked cabin, or carry a minimum of gear in on his or her back. Several categories of equipment are important. Shelter (and heat), sleeping gear, food and water, cooking gear, sanitation equipment, light, a variety of tools, and some creature comforts are part of the list to be considered in establishing camp.
Shelter and Heat – Most self-contained recreational vehicles come equipped with both shelter and heat (or cooling) as well as the remainder of the gear needed. Pickup campers, trailers, or pop up campers may be similarly equipped. Houseboats are simply water-borne RVs, while cabins are really home away from home.
Tents are the major type of shelter used by hunting campers. Tarps or space blankets can be used to form body bags or simple lean-to shelters. They are excellent for emergency use or for use as a shelter under mild conditions. They may be rigged in several ways to make them useful to the camper or the over-night bivouac resident. Tube tents are similarly useful. Most backpacking tents are of limited use to the hunting camper. They are light in weight, compact, and easily carried; but they lack space for adequate gear for an extended stay. Some backpacking hunters use them either as a main camp or a “spike camp,” but the long-term camper does not use them heavily.
Dome or umbrella tents offer many sizes and shapes with more space for people and equipment. They may have either external or internal frames. Some pop into place. All of them have more bulk and weight than the backpacker tents. Most camping hunters are willing to sacrifice the convenience of the smaller tent for the extra space and comfort of the larger ones. Cabin and wall tents offer greater height and more freedom of movement for the campers. They are frequently larger, up to military style “squad” tents, and often provide for additional heating options.
Heat Sources – Cold country outfitters frequently use a sheet iron stove or sheepherder’s stove as a combination heating and cooking stove. These wood-fired stoves require a chimney and an asbestos ring in the tent to prevent setting the canvas aflame. Smaller tents are nest heated with a catalytic heater. Several types are available, and the risk of fire or toxic fumes is minimal with them. The use of cook stoves or lanterns to heat tents is dangerous because of fire hazards and the possible build-up of carbon monoxide fumes inside the tent. Ventilating the tent adequately to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning defeats the heating effect of the stove or lantern. Another alternative, particularly with open shelters or tent styles is the use of a reflector fire. Reflector fires can provide adequate warmth, but they do require maintenance during the night.
Keeping Unwanted Guests at Bay – Many hunting campers encounter some unexpected “guests” in camp. Some of them add to the experience, like jays that scrounge scraps or the chipmunk that decides your gorp is a great source of peanuts. Others are a nuisance or can create problems. Insects can be managed by selecting a breezy site with adequate air movement to discourage them. Adequate screening on the tent windows and doors is also effective, at least while inside the tent. Citronella candles or similar insect deterrents can be used to inhibit the critters around the dining and cooking areas.
Rodents can invade food supplies if they are accessible. The solution is to keep food in closed containers. Pack rats and deer mice can invade tents if they find tempting objects available and easy access. Sanitation, keeping attractive foods in sealed containers, and using a floored tent or a tarp covering the bottom flaps on wall tents should be adequate to keep most of them on the outside.
Bears and raccoons can be a serious problem in your area. In bear country, NO food should be stored in tents. Food containers should be hung out of reach in trees. Do not put anything that smells of food inside anything that you do not want to see torn open. Bears are powerful animals that can show great determination in getting at desired goodies. Raccoons are much smaller and less powerful, but they seem to have a capacity to open anything short of a strong combination lock! Exercise care to keep the area clean and to avoid raids by passing bandits.
Many problems with critters can be avoided by careful site selection and scrupulous sanitation. Using some type of barrier to restrict their access can cure most of the remaining ones. Problems are easier to prevent than they are to cure.
Sleeping Gear
Some types of camps are set up so sleeping arrangements are just like they are at home, with comfortable beds and appropriate linens for the season and temperature. Recreational vehicles usually have bunks or cots that can be used for sleeping, even if they fold away for other activities. Many hunters in other camps find canvas cots to be the most comfortable sleeping platforms, but some prefer the lighter and more easily transported sleeping pads of closed-cell foam. In cold weather, using a pad or a folded blanket on a cot will increase the comfort for the sleeper, since it provides a layer of insulation between the bag and the air.
Blankets may be adequate for mild weather, and several may be pinned together to make a sleeping bag of sorts. Blankets tend to be somewhat heavy for the amount of insulation they provide, so most camping hunters prefer to use sleeping bags. Sleeping bags are available in a variety of shapes, weights, and filler types. Mummy bags are the warmest for their weight and bulk, but they may be a bit too restricting for tall or large people. Tapered, semi-mummy bags are a compromise that approach the rectangular bags in shape and freedom but increase the level of sleeping comfort per pound of filler. Rectangular bags are often the most acceptable to big or tall hunters or those who tend to be active sleepers.
Sleeping bags may be filled with a wide array of natural and synthetic materials. Down has been considered the best filler for many years. It has excellent insulating qualities, very low weight, and superior loft. That allows the user to crush the bag into a small package, yet have it spring back into shape and heat retaining efficiency once it is spread on the pad or cot. Many synthetic fibers have been developed with characteristics that mimic down’s desirable qualities without the tendency to become matted when they get wet. Thus, several of the synthetics will perform on a par with the best down and behave well if they get wet and must be dried in the field. “Chicken feathers” or cotton batting found in the least expensive bags is not acceptable for cold conditions. Check the comfort rating of the material against the conditions you expect to face when buying a bag.
Taking a few other steps when going to bed can increase comfort. Change into a clean, dry set of long johns or quilted underwear. Put on a clean, dry pair of socks. Most importantly, wear a stocking cap to bed. The socks and underwear add a layer of insulation. The cap keeps the body’s primary radiator from donating too much heat to the cold air. Bags with a drawstring hood are great additions to these comfort-building actions.
Food and Water
An adequate water supply is one of the most important elements of a safe and comfortable camp. Water is one item that is in constant use. We drink it, cook with it, wash dishes in it, bathe in it, and perhaps wash clothes in it. Water can come from several sources. It may be carried in containers from home or some other approved and tested water source. It may be available on the site from a well, spring, or surface waters. All surface waters and any source that is questionable should be purified before using it. Many surface waters contain variety of organisms that can cause disease or temporary disability. Viruses, bacteria, and intestinal parasites can bring a dream hunt to a quick and bitter end. Almost all of them, including Giardia, a parasite that is common in many places and causes severe intestinal problems can be eliminated by proper water purification. Iodine, halazone, several commercially available biofilters, and boiling can all produce safe, potable water.
A safe, quality food supply is important to enjoyment of a hunting experience. The type of transportation used and the amount of refrigeration necessary often dictate the type of food supply used in camp. Backpackers may be restricted almost entirely to freeze dried fare, primarily so they can save the weight of carrying the water in standard foods. Most RV users can enjoy home-style cooking, particularly if self-contained units include refrigeration and stoves with ovens. Any boat or vehicular access camp should be able to support a varied diet of quality foods even if the only cooking heat is a camp stove or campfire coals.
Food safety is as important in the field as it is at home. Hot foods should be kept hot, and cold foods cols until they are used. Normally a hunting camp does not have a problem with keeping the hot foods hot until they are consumed. Meal times are often similar to a shark feeding frenzy. If the camp is in cold weather, keeping things cold may be less of a problem than keeping them from freezing solid. Under warm weather conditions, the ice chest may be the only way to keep fresh foods fresh and safe to eat. Keeping dishes, cooking pots, and utensils clean is also vital to food safety. Food residues and soap both represent possible problems for the camper’s stomach.
Most hunting situations call for a high level of physical activity. In cold weather, using considerable fuel to keep warm compounds that. In hot weather, keeping the fluid level up to par is a challenge. Fueling the active hunter calls for a balanced diet of quality foods with a strong complex carbohydrate component. Hearty, well-prepared, and palatable meals add to the quality of the hunting camp experience.
Food preparation should be practiced at home, rather than waiting until the party is in the wilds. Anyone with the ability to read and follow a recipe can cook super meals for hunting camp fare. Grilling, baking, boiling, and frying foods are fine; and most backyard chefs feel comfortable with these techniques. Some truly exceptional camp foods can be prepared using a Dutch oven or reflector oven, if their weight and bulk are not too much for the situation.
Camp Kitchens – Camp kitchens could look just like home in some situations. In most cases, however, the camp kitchen needs to be set up for multiple use and efficiency to allow room to bring back all the game. Some of the simplest cooking sets are nested pots and pans with plastic plates and silverware inside the smallest pan. These are completely suitable for two or three hunters. As party size increases or the capability of the cook increases, cooking gear can get a little more complex. A stout camp grill provides both a cooking surface for grilled or broiled foods and a support for other pots and pans when campfires double as cooking fires. A Dutch oven or reflector oven adds tremendous versatility to the cooking options and allows baking as well as bean hole cookery. As these materials are collected, a kitchen box might be constructed to hold the pots and pans, cooking utensils, hot pads or welder’s gloves, pot lifter, and a supply of condiments and spices that do not need refrigeration. These seasonings, incidentally add tremendously to the enjoyment of food, particularly when coupled with a hearty appetite.
Cold Storage – Although some camps might be equipped with electricity and electrical appliances like a small refrigerator, most of them depend upon other means of keeping food cold. Ice chests perform that task for the vast majority of camps. In cold climates, snow or ambient cold air might be enough or even too much cold for some items. In the latter case, the ice chest may provide a tempered environment where the fresh foods will be kept from freezing. Where cold-water streams are present, bone-chilling water can be used as a refrigerator if the foods are anchored in sealed containers.
Cooking Techniques – This was discussed briefly above, but a wide variety of methods are available to the camping hunter. Backpackers may restrict their cooking to boiling water to re-hydrate and warm freeze-dried meals. Traditionalists might elect to do most of their cooking over coals, where the use of wood fires is permitted. That can include any method of cooking up to and including baking almost anything desired in a Dutch oven or reflector oven. Bean hole cookery, burying the Dutch oven meal in coals and soil, is the equivalent of the modern slow cooker. It is excellent for beans, pot roasts, and similar meals that benefit from a sustained heat. In other words, while the source of heat and the site of the oven may differ, you can do almost anything in the field that you could do at home. Remember to add cooking time to anything that is boiled when meals are being prepared at altitude. As elevation increases, the boiling point of water decreases, requiring longer cooking times to reach the same doneness.
Eating and Cooking Amenities – A table and stools or folding chairs add greatly to the enjoyment of meals and bull sessions, and they make processing meat much easier. Sturdy folding tables or tables that can be taken apart and reassembled easily are easy to pack and welcome conveniences. Seat can be folding chairs, camp stools, packing boxes, or even buckets with lids. Having a seat other than the ground or a convenient log, stump, or rock adds comfort to the camping experience. Boxes and buckets can serve double duty as storage containers and seats, but the back support of folding chairs is welcome to a tired hunter.
Sanitation
Sanitation covers an array of considerations from bodily wastes and cleanliness to preventing gastric problems because of food or cooking utensil contamination. Most camp sanitation is just common sense and doing the things your mother taught you to do many years ago.
Body Wastes – Bodily functions continue in camp as well as at home. Care is required to keep wastes away from the immediate camp area and to prevent them from contaminating water supplies, even if the camp is not using those water supplies. Some hunters use camp toilets. They are equipped with sealable plastic bags that permit the wastes to be carried out for disposal at an appropriate site. Others dig a latrine and provide it with a seat and other conveniences. At a minimum, wastes should be deposited in a slit trench or “cat hole” and covered with several inches of soil. That allows the wastes to be recycled by the local plants without allowing it to be carried into local waters by run-off. Make sure that any latrine or trench is situated so it will not allow wastes to be leached into springs or water supplies.
Cleanliness – Basic cleanliness is important to health, a sense of well being, and hunting success. It can also contribute to the longevity of camping equipment, like sleeping bags and to prevention of skin irritations. Short hunting trips may not require extensive bathing. A simple washing of hands, face and feet may be all that is needed to make the hunter feel good. Washing the hands is part of basic sanitation and food safety. Washing the face makes the individual feel more alert. Washing the feet refreshes them and helps to prevent fungal infections or foul odors that can alert game to an approaching hunter.
Many hunters like to go beyond the absolute essentials, taking a sponge bath to keep bacterial activity on their skin to a minimum. Others go even further using some sort of shower arrangement to bathe as the opportunity presents itself. When hunting in warm, dusty conditions, a hunter may feel like a new person with a shower every three or four days. In cold conditions, they may go much longer without feeling too offensive. Sunshowers, containers with a perforated bottom or other arrangements provide an adequate water supply, and a couple of tarps can make a private shower stall with either a couple of boards or a plastic sheet as a floor. Persons prone to skin irritations or fungal infections will find they are much more comfortable if they keep clean. Reducing the bacterial population and activity on the skin reduces body odors. This not only makes the tent more pleasant, it also enhances hunting success by reducing warning odors detectable by game animals.
Dish Washing – Thorough cleaning of all dishes and cooking utensils prevents contamination with either soap or bacteria. While a meal is being eaten, water can be heating to take care of the dishes. A hot wash with dish soap, followed by a rinse with hot water to get rid of any soap residues and a second rinsing with a mild hypochlorite bleach solution will clean and disinfect the dishes. Putting them away in an insect and rodent-proof place will keep them clean until they are used the next time.
Clothing – Most hunters take enough clothing along to permit using clean clothes for the entire trip. If washing some clothes becomes a necessity, a heavy plastic bag or a sealable plastic bucket can be used as a washing machine. Simply place the clothing, a small amount of laundry soap, and some water in the container. Shake or kneed the container to force water through the clothes. Wring them out or scrub areas that are soiled more deeply, and then rinse them in clean water. These clothes may be hung on tent guy lines or on a cord between trees to dry for later use.
Light
Since most hunting camps involve spending the daylight hours in the field and many require starting before daylight and hunting until dark, some type of additional light is important to many camp functions. Some well-equipped camps may have an electrical generator that allows them to use electric lights when desired. Most of them will use some combination of gas, propane, kerosene, or battery powered lights along with the soft light of a campfire. Lanterns are designed to produce relatively bright light, and they are useful around food preparation and eating areas. As well for temporary use inside tents for dressing and getting gear assembled. Most other applications are best served with easily portable flashlights and headlamps.
Flashlights and headlamps come in a wide variety of sizes and types and sizes. Headlamps have the advantage of leaving both hands free while focusing light on the area where the eyes need it. Headlamps may be found that operate on a variety of battery power packs, from two to four AA cells to 9-volt packs or rechargeable gel battery packs. Some hunters prefer a carbide miner’s headlamp. Hand held flashlights come in sizes from AAA to multiple D cells as well as hand lanterns. Some of the latter are useful as lanterns as well – 6 to 9-volt powered fluorescent lights with variable intensity. Any time lights that use batteries are in use, the wise hunter will include a supply of the appropriate batteries and spare bulbs along with the lamp or lantern.
Candle lanterns can also be used effectively for modest lighting needs. The lanterns are designed to enhance the candle light while providing some measure of protection from the wind and containment for the flame. Their light is softer and more yellow than the light from gas lanterns or krypton bulbs. These brighter light sources are outstanding for tasks like following up a wounded animal (where legal) after dark.
Cutting Tools
Every camp needs some cutting tools. Knives, axes and hatchets, and a variety of saws can all be useful to the camping hunter. Axes and hatchets are designed to work diagonally across the grain or with the grain of wood. They are useful for cutting poles, clearing tent sites, shopping firewood, or splitting wood into billets to increase its burning rate. A hatchet or cruiser ax can be useful in quartering carcasses of larger game animals if a meat/bone saw is not available, and if a single design is selected, the reverse side of the head can serve as a light sledge or hammer for driving pegs and similar chores.
Saws are designed to cut across the grain of wood or to cut through bone and muscle to work up a carcass. Several useful types are available for the camper. Bow saws or Swedish saws are light, sturdy wood saws with fast cutting blades. They do an excellent job on firewood preparation. Several takedown saws are on the market, most of them with several blades for different tasks. A wood blade mimics a small bow saw and does similar work on fuel wood, while a bone saw is outstanding for the handling of big game carcasses. Many of these are light and compact enough to be included in the contents of a day bag by big game hunters. Chain saws are heavy, noisy and require both a mixed fuel and bar oil. The user should wear eye and ear protection, as well as cutting gloves and chaps. On the other hand, no other saw will compare to its effectiveness in producing large quantities of fuel wood quickly. Choose the task, and then choose the saw to get it done effectively. Wire or cable saws are included in many survival kits. Redundancy is a good idea for any vital tool on a wilderness trip.
Knives are designed for light duty cutting. A sharp belt knife can do most of the tasks required in camp, but specialty knives can be far superior if adequate space is available to pack them. A belt knife designed for skinning is an excellent choice for basic game handling and for slicing food in camp. A small paring knife may be useful to the camp cook (a four-inch fillet knife serves this purpose well). Filleting knives serve very well for boning out big game. Most hunters will carry a pocketknife, and many carry a multi-purpose tool or knife for light duty chores of many kinds.
Knives and other cutting tools are only as good as their sharpness allows, and use dulls blades. Sharpening equipment is essential to keep tools at peak utility. At a minimum, a fine mill bastard file and a set of sharpening stones should be included in the camp kitchen box. Crock sticks or good steel as well as a true-angle honing guide and some cutting oil are also very useful in the sharpening department.
Earth Moving Tools – Many digging chores are part of camping in most settings. A good shovel is adequate in most situations, but some soils and sites require treatment that is more vigorous. Standard short or long handled shovels are best if space permits. Folding, army-style, shovels are useful for many things, although they are much less pleasant to use for big chores. A pick or mattock is helpful if the soils are very heavy, hard, or stony.
Maintenance Tools – A simple set of basic maintenance tools can be extremely useful, particularly to hunting campers who are in remote areas. An assortment of screwdrivers, wrenches, and pliers, along with a claw hammer will find plenty of uses. Be sure to include both Phillips and flat screwdrivers. If other types of screw heads are present with your equipment, make sure the appropriate drivers or hex wrenches are in the kit. Both adjustable and box wrenches will be helpful, particularly in setting up or taking down gas appliances, tables, or other mechanical gear. A wide variety of pliers can be useful from fine needle nose pliers to heavy locking pliers. Be sure that at least one pair includes a wire cutting edge.
To compliment the maintenance kit, add an assortment of fasteners – nails, screw, bolts and washers, and perhaps a few pop rivets. Be sure to include spare parts for any equipment, like a lantern generator, o-rings for hoses or similar items. A spool of annealed wire will be useful for many things as will a supply of light rope. Duct tape and electrical tape are both extremely versatile and useful as well.
Gun or bow maintenance equipment is vitally important to the hunter who cannot simply drive to the nearest gunsmith or pro shop for help. At a minimum, the hunter should carry a well-stocked cleaning kit. Spare bow parts, like rests or cushion plungers, and an arrow repair kit are critical. On remote trips, a spare firearm or at least a spare scope and mounting screws may be a trip saver. Both soft and hard cases for firearms and bows will be useful in camp, in the vehicle and in transit to and from camp.
Enjoying It
Enjoying a stay in a hunting camp depends upon a number of factors. One of the most important factors is the relationship with the people sharing the camp. Looking for things that need doing and trying to do more than your share makes the work lighter for everyone. Dividing up the chores so people are not saddled with something they dislike and they get to do things they enjoy that will help makes the camp a happy one.
An organized camp helps. Keeping things in order so they are easy to locate when they are needed and people can move around easily and freely helps significantly. Anticipating the needs that the group might have and being prepared for them in advance reduces friction and frustration. Planning ahead for the entire trip and having contingency plans is another way to increase enjoyment and satisfaction. Having a well-stocked repair kit is one of the ways to ease problems and increase satisfaction.
A well-stocked first aid kit is vitally important. It must go well beyond Band-Aids and iodine to anticipate common problems. Having fresh medications for minor aches and pains, stomach upsets, indigestion, and skin irritations can make a bad situation much better. Be sure to include antibiotic ointment and a spare supply of any prescription drugs as well as a mirror, a fine pair of forceps, and a magnifying glass. Each person should also carry minimal survival gear.
Remember the reason for going to the hunting camp in the first place. Take the time to enjoy the experience, and keep things in perspective. Leave all the pressures behind, including the pressure to succeed and the pressure to get out and hunt hard. Do things as you feel like doing them and at the pace that is comfortable. Avoid getting into camp with people who clash with your personality, ethics, and hunting desires. This will allow you to enjoy the total experience, enjoying the solitude or companionship and taking the time to rebuild your spirit. The hunting camp can do that if you are prepared and you let it.
