The title really says it all. It has been quite a while since I ate tag soup at Deer Camp. Not only did I not hit anything, I went through Early Muzzleloader and all of Rifle Season not drawing a bead on a single deer. Angus pretty much had the same luck. For the 6 of us, we only filled 4 tags. This happens to us maybe about once a decade. I have to say, for the lack of deer, we had about as optimal a deer camp as ever. Things went smoothly in the warm, dry days– no rain, no snow, no stuck vehicles, no misses, no wounded deer. The food was great and everyone came home safely abed.

The Last Weekend

I’ve already given the punchline; we did not see a whiff of deer in the last three days after Thanksgiving. Mooselette was back out with her Grandpa. We hunted Midway and did not see a thing. However, #1 Granddaughter did get to see Daddy Moose get his buck on The Opener. It was the first time she’d seen a deer taken. That was a big step forward for her. She now has a feel for how it is done, and it has her pumped.

SuperCore brought out his MAC-11 for some shooting after we got out on Sunday morning. Mooselette was hesitant at first, but took her turn at the line.

Post Mortem

For once, I can’t think of anything to say about the gear that I have not already said. If you look back over the past 10 years, I’ve reviewed the gear that I thought deserved mention. Everything functioned nominally– knives, flashlights, boots, the works! I suppose tag soup doesn’t put that much of a strain on anything, but it was still another year of slogging out to the stands in the dark and slogging back in.

All told I had 3 different rifles out this year. Of course, the Savage 99 had nothing to prove, but the TC Compass in 7mm-08 and 25-06 Mauser had new unproven loads. No runs, no hits, no errors. I’ll probably return with the same line-up next year and pick up where I left off.

As to what to do about the deer situation, the best option is to sit back and wait. I have learned in 20+ years at this camp that it all turns around. We saw plenty of deer before season, including plenty of mature bucks. We’re still behind on planting any new food plots, but I don’t think those would have helped. The big issue was the late acorn drop. Even the neighbor’s cornpiles went untouched.

I also want to make notice of the new member of the Shamanic Dream Team, Foxtrot Charlie. He was a consummate sportsman and an ideal all-around guy at camp. He’s got an invite back for Turkey in the Spring.

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