Hunt Camp Tales - stories from a hunting guide: Guide Tips and Meal Ideas

By Ronald Gayer

This book is a short compilation of memories from the author's hunting journal.
Outdoor enthusiasts will find this read to be educational as well as interesting and amusing.
Guide tips and recipes are informative for novice outdoorsmen and seasoned guides alike.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gatekeeper Press
• Release date: Jan 6, 2021
• ISBN: 9781662905858

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Sure is Dark

When you work as a guide or outfitter, each week of the season brings changes. Last week’s hunters have packed up and gone home. A new batch of wide-eyed hunters has arrived. Having waited months or years for the chance to hunt big game, some are giddy with the excitement of being in camp. It shows with the non-stop stream of words, some in the form of questions; others detail their past successes as hunters.

The mix of personalities depends purely on the luck of the draw. Some camps are a dream where life-long friendships can be made. Other camps can be tense as hunters use words and body language to spar for dominance (some cave men have not wandered far from the cave). Those hunts seem to last for weeks.

The first night in camp is always educational. What quirks or odd habits did hunters bring with them? Sometimes you get surprised.

Some will show up at dinner in full camo, looking tree stand ready. Some appear in pressed shirt and shined shoes. Others are adorned in gold chains and aftershave strong enough you could smell them in the next county (and certainly the game will).

This story happened in New Mexico during the archery elk season. This particular group of elk hunters arrived a day early, so I had more time to try and figure out how to work with them. Who had more hunting experience? Which guys could shoot and actually hit a target? You would be surprised to find out how many hunters can’t put an arrow into a paper plate at 30 yards.

All things considered; this group looked real good. Most were from California; two were from Tennessee. Although the experience levels varied, they all wore smiles and were excited about tomorrow’s opening day. And there was that added plus: they all were superior plate perforators at 30 yards!

Around the campfire that night, I learned the two men from Tennessee were big-time turkey hunters and had taken their share of whitetail with a bow. Although neither had been elk hunting before, they were confident in their skills and were hoping to fill their tags early.

One man from the California contingent was a big barrel-chested guy, and a full beard gave him the appearance of a seasoned mountain man. I’ll call him Joe the Mountain Man. (Sometimes I must change the names to protect the innocent.) Quick to smile and to conversation, Joe soon became a friend to all.

Being a sporting goods store owner and avid hunter, Joe had talked several friends into this archery elk hunt (and probably sold them their gear in the process). Short on experience, his friends had read all about elk hunting and had loaded up on gear. Everyone turned in early that night.

Early the next morning, the bacon sizzled, its aroma engulfing the camp. The coffeepot’s song was increasing in tempo. Biscuits stood tall and a slight veil of steam rose above the pan. Drawn by the smell of an opening day breakfast, the cook tent soon filled with camo-clad archers.

During breakfast I went over our plan. We would hunt from tree stands for the first few days of the hunt. We had a much better chance of getting good shot opportunities from the stands than with hunters crisscrossing the ranch stepping on each other’s toes.

We would drop off hunters near their stand and pick them up after the morning hunt, then do the same for the evening hunt. We had some proven stand locations and felt sure they would pay off early.

After my third cup of coffee and with breakfast now a memory, it was time to load up and head out.

In the moonless early morning, the light from the cook tent illuminated the smoke rising from the flameless campfire ring. Joe, the California mountain man, was riding shotgun, and I had three other hunters in the back seat. We left the lights of camp and started up the trail to our stands.

I had only driven about 400 yards when Joe asked: Do you mind if I just stay in camp this morning? I’ll hunt this afternoon instead. I stopped the truck and asked if he was feeling o.k. This was opening morning, and I had never, ever, had a hunter ask to stay in camp before. He assured me he felt great but would rather hunt in the afternoon.

We were burning time and needed to get up the mountain to the stands. Although still curious about his reasons, I would have to wait to solve this one. I turned around to drop off Joe, and then headed up the road with the remaining hunters. They were not about to give up their opening morning shot at a big bull.

Returning to camp for lunch, each of the hunters had his story to tell.

One had taken a shot at a nice bull but accidentally hit his release early and the arrow flew wildly by the bull.

Another said he had been standing up in his stand when the biggest bull he had ever seen came into the water hole. He recounted that he had stood there and tried to wait for the bull to get closer, but that his legs started to shake. He was shaking so much I thought he might fall out of the stand, so he sat down. When I did, the seat made a squeaking noise, and the bull turned and ran.

Joe listened eagerly to each of the tales. The unrestrained enthusiasm expressed by each hunter was contagious. I’m ready to go, he announced, still insisting he felt great. He was the first to load up after lunch.

Having dropped off the other hunters, I parked and walked the bearded big man toward his stand. I pointed over to the large tree by the water hole and told him how to approach the stand and what direction he might expect the elk to approach from.

I instructed that, if he had elk on or near the stand at dark, to wait until they move off before leaving the stand. We don’t want to spook them or alert them to the presence of our stand, I explained.

I returned a little early to start picking up