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Opening day at deer camp: Reflecting back, while looking ahead to one of the best days of the year
BY Luke Clayton, Special to Star Local News
By the time you read this, opening day of deer season will be a fond memory for most of us.
I'm writing this week's column just before the start of rifle season and I'm as excited as I was on that first deer hunt when I was an 11-year-old kid back in 1961.
Armed with a .410 shotgun loaded with rifle slugs, my deer hunting career began in the woodlot behind our little farm in Red River County. Deer were scarce back then, but there was enough to warrant a season. I remember hunting a couple of years before getting a glimpse of a buck and it was a couple more before I used an old lever-action Winchester to harvest a little fork horn on my uncle's place.
Looking back, I can remember missing only two or three.
This season opener is a special one. I am packed and ready to head down to the Hill Country to join a couple of veteran outdoor writer buddies on their deer lease in Lampasas County. Bob Hood and John Gill also have a lifetime of fond memories of deer camps to reflect upon.
I've shared many hunting and fishing camps with Hood, one of the best outdoors writers in the country and someone I am honored to call best friend.
I enjoy Hood's writing so much because I know the man.
Hood is a very experienced hunter, fisherman and all-around outdoorsman. He can turn a whitetail buck into steaks, chops and ground round as well as the best butcher; he can also transform the meat into dinner in a wide variety of ways. Hood writes about topics he knows and understands and has amassed enough time afield and on the water to earn an honorary PHD in hunting and fishing. I have many friends and acquaintances that are sportsmen and women, but I can truly say none of them spend half as much time in the outdoors as Hood.
He and I have experienced a great deal of the best the outdoors has to offer; everything from barrel burning white wing shooting in Mexico to bugling elk and bear in the Rockies.
My long time buddy and I have truly been there, done that.
I haven't had the opportunity to spend nearly as much time in the outdoors with Gill, a veteran outdoors writer, but Hood and Gill go back more than 30 years; back to when quail were thick, before the days when the cost for hunting trophy bucks rivaled that of a fishing boat and 20-horse engine.
Take a look at this year's TPWD Outdoor Annual and read Gill's article, "Catch and Release...Into the Grease!" It will give you a good feel for Gill's mindset on how to best enjoy the outdoors.
Gill and Hood remember the days in Texas before the white tail deer population explosion in the late-1960s and 1970s, before terms such as management buck or trail cam became popular. They were there in a bass boat in the early days of largemouth bass fishing, before the introduction of the Florida bass. They remember when a 5-pound bass was worthy of note and a 10-pounder made the headlines in the local newspaper's outdoors page.
I have the distinct feeling these few days hunting together will be the first of many outdoor excursions with Gill.
I already know the man through his writing and look forward to spending that most magical time we sportsmen refer to as opening day with him.
Eating is always a big deal at deer camp, and a topic that requires a bit of planning.
I have tonight's supper under control.
Thought some fresh striper tacos and Spanish rice would be in order. You might remember my column last week on striper fishing at Lake Texoma? Well, Larry Sparks sent me home with several big bags of snow white striper fillets and there is no better eating to my way of thinking. To save time at camp, I prepared the rice last night and chilled it in the refrigerator. The striper tacos will be easy to prepare at camp. I simply put a little butter in a big cast iron skillet, add the fillets, sprinkle on a little Fiesta fajita seasoning and cook on high until the fish flakes.
Just before serving I'll squeeze on a little lemon juice and then place pieces of fish on corn tortillas and add Pico de Gallo and guacamole.
Gill has breakfast under control with eggs, biscuits and gravy.
I plan to surprise the crew with some fresh home cured, smoked pork tenderloin; should go well with breakfast. For the opening day evening meal, Gill has mentioned ribs and baked potatoes. Might just have some fresh chicken fried venison backstrap with biscuits and gravy for breakfast the next morning.
After the sun sets this evening, my friends and I will most likely be feeding a campfire with mesquite logs, setting around and telling tales of many, many openers in deer camps from all over the country.
Between the three of us, we have about 150 years of deer hunting to reflect upon. I'm sure by bed time, we'll have at least hit the highlight of each of our deer hunting careers.
Morning comes quickly at deer camp and we'll keep the evening festivities to a low roar.
Twenty or 30 years ago, it might have been a different matter; I can remember some opening evenings where way too much time was spent around these evening campfires. But, with a median age of about 64, the three of us will be sawing logs (sleeping) about the time the full moon climbs into the night sky.
We're all looking for some fresh venison.
I'll be packing a new Darton 3800 bow that has been shooting like a dream and, I might add, is about 35 feet per second faster than any bow I've hunted with. A Darton set at 60 pounds draw weight shoots as fast as most 70 pound bows of just a few years ago. My compadres will be shooting the deer rifles they have hunted with for years. Hood owns one deer rifle, a bolt action .243. I've seen him make some amazing shots with it through the years.
The more I think about it, the more confident I feel about that chicken fried venison for breakfast Sunday morning.
Listen to Outdoors with Luke Clayton at: catfishradio.com. Email Luke with hunting and fishing news from your area at: lukeclayton@prodigy.net.
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