IT ’ S NOT JUST ABOUT HUNTING
Hunt camp glows with deeper meaning in off season
DOUG PHILLIPS
IT ’ S NOT JUST ABOUT HUNTING
Well , the deer season is over and for many people , hunt camp would be all done for the year . But not for us . The hunt might be over but that doesn ’ t mean the camp is closed . There ’ s still time to enjoy an off-the-grid camp before winter sets in , and even when it does , the camp remains active .
It ’ s just too good to leave , after a successful hunt with friends in camp – it can sleep up to 20 – for a week , and a few who stayed for a second week as well . Some of them I only get to see three or four times a year , but they ’ re among my best friends . Living , eating and hunting beside these gentlemen for a whole week can have that effect . So why stop ?
Hunt camp is a special place for us . No wonder . Built by railroad workers from Smiths Falls in the Madawaska Highlands , it ’ s been in use since 1935 , with some of the old-timers – there ’ s a charter with founding members ’ names up on the wall – using horse-drawn sleights to go in during winter . It shows how tradition has played a crucial role in our deer woods , and that the tradition does not necessarily end after hunting season .
Once the grouse hunt ends and the snow starts , we put the winter snow poles up at
camp to help distribute the weight of the snow and ice ( a good idea in older buildings lacking roof truss supports ) and anticipate our next trip in January for winter fishing . That January trip always seems to fall on the coldest weekend of winter , with night temperatures often below -20 C .
We have to travel about seven kilometres by snow machine and ATV to make it in , but the trip is so white , crisp and beautiful that you wonder why you only do this once a winter .
About three hours after we arrive – once the cabin is warmed up – it ’ s pretty easy to keep the chill off , with the air-tight stove roaring and the cook stove chugging along to help as much as it can . We use ideas from Frank , a friend and mentor to the younger guys who passed away a few years ago . He showed us how to pile snow up around the base of the building , and to open all the windows as soon as we arrive . This snow keeps the wind from blowing under the camp and sucking warm air out , and the fresh air that fills the camp , driving out the stale dampness , just seems to warm up faster .
Then we can enjoy ice fishing on a nearby lake . There ’ s nothing more exciting than
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