An Outdoorsman's Journal

There's No Place Like Deer Camp

Hello friends,

   This week I am writing to you about the absolutely incredible times that about 23 different people experienced at The Red Brush Gangs deer camp in northern Juneau County.

   Tuesday, November 25th
   High 44, low 26

   After Monday the numbers of The Red Brush Gang slims down to 6 hunters until Friday where it swells to about 19. On Tuesday we spend the day where my daughter Selina and I hunt, which is a 1.5 mile walk before we even get to where we branch off for our individual hunts. On Sunday, Selina put a hurting on a 10-point buck which was an old and very majestic buck, one of our camps biggest ever.
       Today there was a light but steady drizzle that would last the entire day, the plan was to put our group in strategic locations and I would travel about ¾’s of a mile past them and then slowly work my way by doing 600-yard zig zags. The wind was perfect for this plan and I have to admit, I missed a running buck that was flying across a marsh at a long distance and he was big.
       When I got about 300 yards past the guys, for the first time in my life I put the scope cover on my BAR 300 and said I'm not shooting. Simply put, I was in swamp country, and it was too far to try to get a deer out. So I am working my way to Selina, Jeff Moll, Doug Cibulka and Ross Moll who was standing with his 10 year old son Jordan and eventually I determined that I could/would shoot at a buck.
       Visibility was very poor due the mist and moments after I had given myself the green light I thought I saw a good sized buck looking in my direction from a good 200-yards away. I dismissed this thought and just like that said “you dummy, take another look.” I did just that realized it was a buck, put the crosshairs on my scope and pulled the trigger, what I was shooting at vanished. A big smile came across my face when I came across a beautiful 8-pointer, and we had us a Tuesday Buck!
     P.S. The drag was a total nut cracker!

   Saturday, November 29th
   High 27, low 17

       We are existing in a winter wonder land, there are 19 of us and everything is a big adventure and lots of laughs. Last night was our Friday Night Party which can only be surpassed by tonight's Saturday Night Party. In short on Sunday morning we take down our 36x18 shed and all our bunks beds, tables, kitchen and 2 woodstoves pack it up, store it and say goodbye.
       Today the ice was very close to thick enough to hold a human being but generally not. My nephew Riley Schuster went over his hip boots when he broke through 5 minutes into our first drive and toughed it out till well past dark. My stepson Travis Dushek put the lights out on a fork horn which would give us 7 bucks for the season. Another one of my nephews, whose name I might not mention had a dandy kicked to him by Riley and myself and had gun malfunctions and the buck lived to be chased another day, sorry Trent!
       Rumor has it that someone hid a dead chicken in Tim Rittmeyer’s truck and tonight we had a night of nights. This gang goes to Canada together in June, then the musky tournament together in August, then the Mississippi river duck hunt, then camp build, then deer camp. We all get along flawlessly, no tight wads, slackers or whiners.
       Several nights we have a dart tournament and I am about the worst thrower. My left hand was seriously crushed twice and I am left-handed. Sometimes I hit the bullseye, often, I don't hit the board. Tonight just before the tournament we had a ceremony where last year’s big buck contest winner, Jeff Moll handed over the trophy to this year’s winner, Selina Walters.
       This ceremony is extremely cool with very fun speech's, super cool music and lots of laughs. Next, we sang the Star Spangled Banner while we faced the American flag for the championship of our dart tourney.
       I won't go into details but my brother Mike Walters had kind of had a rough experience 2 days! While old Mikey, who whacked a nice buck himself this year, hung in there and won the dart tournament.
        Deer Camp is the coolest place on earth, there is not a member of The Red Brush Gang that would disagree!

Sunset