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F&S Classic: Good Deer Camps Never Die
You can’t break up real hunting buddies, even after the last buck comes off the mountain.
Good Deer Camps Never Die
Many authors and prospective authors send unsolicited manuscripts (or attachments) to Field & Stream, hoping that the editors might like their story, might even publish it. This is one of those – a rare gem that simply appeared in the mail one day. The editors thought it was a strong story and published it in December 2006; readers, in turn, also loved it, and sent letters of praise to the New York offices. Many readers had similar stories. Perhaps you do to. This is the only piece Dave Mance has ever sold to Field & Stream; it’s heartfelt and compelling. If you belong to a deer camp, and that camp is on leased property, Mance’s story hits a special nerve. Click here to read Mance's "Good Deer Camps Never Die."
Vermont has seen its share of change in the past 40 years, but Glastenbury Mountain is still wild enough. I have hunted there, out of Ed Colvin’s camp, since I was 14. The camp is a 16x20 shanty constructed in six hours in 1969, built on a 30-inch hemlock that was felled for the foundation. Time has eroded the slope and the hemlock, causing the structure to list inward until it looks as if the mountain is slowly swallowing the cabin whole.
The way in is an old skid road more vertical than not. On good days, the ride entails dented skid plates and abused suspensions. On bad days, you need winches and manpower. Around the camp is a forest full of wilderness. There’s not a lot of forage and so there’s not a lot of deer; then again, there’s not a lot of people, there’s not a lot of noise, there’s not a lot of problems. You could lose yourself up here, and I mean that both ways.
We opened camp last year on the third Friday in November after a trip in that didn’t go so well. Old Ed, now a whisker shy of 80, had driven in alone and blew a tire somewhere before the forks. On account of a boulder-strewn ride and ears that weren’t quite what they used to be, he rode another half mile or so before the crumpled rim finally snagged enough to make the problem apparent.
Andy Crosier, Ed’s son Eddie Jr., and I pulled up behind his jeep. Ed had been idling for half an hour or so, too cold to get out of the truck. We’d told him to wait for us before heading into camp, not realizing then that he had something to prove. Blowing out a tire and waiting helplessly was not a part of the plan, and as we approached his vehicle, his sour face let us know this.
A curt exchange followed, Ed stubbornly insisting that he resume the journey on a donut tire, which soon became a mutilated donut tire. Ed Jr. and Andy headed down the mountain in search of a spare, while Ed and I walked the rest of the way to the cabin.
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Comments (16)
this is cool but when am i gonna get to go to Vermont
I had been trying to find my back issue that had this story in it. Thanks F&S for running this one again. This was IMO one of the best pieces the mag has run in recent memory.
I remember readign this story earlier ad it was very cool to read it again.
Hits very close to home for me, indeed.
Agreed, a great story. I kept that issue.
I kept that issue for a long time, but my wife finally threw it away one day. This is absolutely one of the best stories I've read in Field and Stream (IMO). That issue also has a story by a female journalist who had never hunted before. She learned to shoot and then went on an elk hunt. It was also great.
Bass2Buck,
You have completely missed the point of this story. If all you are worried about is when you are going to get to Vermont to drop some money on a buck you need to rearrange your priorities. This story was not a sales pitch. I think the author could care less whether you ever saw a sign welcoming you to Vermont in your lifetime.
There is such a bond between men who sweat together. To many youth of today do not know this, they spend their short lives rushing towards a dollar never stopping to appreciate really living! These stories form a bond that last generations. I have sat for hours listening to my Grandpa relate hunting stories as if he is there and I have learned countless lessons from these stories!
right on oldtyme. all hunting camps are special in their way. stories like this one bring back many memories of many hunting camps, and too, memories of companions that are no longer with us.
the wilderness has ways of showing a man many things. special insights into life that cannot be found in the city. most often,the lives we lead force us to believe in the artificial, things that are not real, things that have no significance at all in the grand scheme of things.
hunting is so much more than just killing. many times, a lot of us go to our favorite mountain knowing full well there is not much chance of even seeing game. but we go anyway. it's difficult for the non-hunters to understand,i know. stories like this one and the many others that can be found inside these pages serve to focus on the intangible benefits of hunting. killing is sometimes a part of our sport and these life and death encounters only serve to underscore the sanctity of life and how fragile it all really is. it is said no one values peace more that a military man. and i believe that no one values life more than a hunter.
keep em coming f&s. the retros are great.
I read this when it came out and thought it was one of the most touching stories I ever read. I thought of it again recently when there was a rather heated discussion following a story about the ethics of fee hunting. I always wondered what happened to the camp in the story, and I really hoped the guys who had been using it pitched in to either buy it or at least offer to pay the taxes and other expenses so the family that owned it would consider keeping it.
Love deer camp/hunting tales. Reminds me of my teenage years when all the family was alive and hunted together. We could cover a mountain in a line and "still hunt" down to the valley. Also enough for some to sit and others to "drive". Memories of days gone by.
I also remember this story from a few years back and have also been trying to find the issue that contained it. It would be nice for these classics to be permanently available on the F&S website. Keep 'em coming !!
great deer camps never die
One of the best articles I've ever read.
Folks stopped by my computer to ask if I was ok. Must have been a powerful story. I long for days such as that, deer camps and comrodery. Probally born 50 years to late, but stories such as these give you a chance to live them. Thank you.
Post a Comment
Bass2Buck,
You have completely missed the point of this story. If all you are worried about is when you are going to get to Vermont to drop some money on a buck you need to rearrange your priorities. This story was not a sales pitch. I think the author could care less whether you ever saw a sign welcoming you to Vermont in your lifetime.
There is such a bond between men who sweat together. To many youth of today do not know this, they spend their short lives rushing towards a dollar never stopping to appreciate really living! These stories form a bond that last generations. I have sat for hours listening to my Grandpa relate hunting stories as if he is there and I have learned countless lessons from these stories!
I had been trying to find my back issue that had this story in it. Thanks F&S for running this one again. This was IMO one of the best pieces the mag has run in recent memory.
this is cool but when am i gonna get to go to Vermont
I remember readign this story earlier ad it was very cool to read it again.
Hits very close to home for me, indeed.
Agreed, a great story. I kept that issue.
I kept that issue for a long time, but my wife finally threw it away one day. This is absolutely one of the best stories I've read in Field and Stream (IMO). That issue also has a story by a female journalist who had never hunted before. She learned to shoot and then went on an elk hunt. It was also great.
right on oldtyme. all hunting camps are special in their way. stories like this one bring back many memories of many hunting camps, and too, memories of companions that are no longer with us.
the wilderness has ways of showing a man many things. special insights into life that cannot be found in the city. most often,the lives we lead force us to believe in the artificial, things that are not real, things that have no significance at all in the grand scheme of things.
hunting is so much more than just killing. many times, a lot of us go to our favorite mountain knowing full well there is not much chance of even seeing game. but we go anyway. it's difficult for the non-hunters to understand,i know. stories like this one and the many others that can be found inside these pages serve to focus on the intangible benefits of hunting. killing is sometimes a part of our sport and these life and death encounters only serve to underscore the sanctity of life and how fragile it all really is. it is said no one values peace more that a military man. and i believe that no one values life more than a hunter.
keep em coming f&s. the retros are great.
I also remember this story from a few years back and have also been trying to find the issue that contained it. It would be nice for these classics to be permanently available on the F&S website. Keep 'em coming !!
I read this when it came out and thought it was one of the most touching stories I ever read. I thought of it again recently when there was a rather heated discussion following a story about the ethics of fee hunting. I always wondered what happened to the camp in the story, and I really hoped the guys who had been using it pitched in to either buy it or at least offer to pay the taxes and other expenses so the family that owned it would consider keeping it.
Love deer camp/hunting tales. Reminds me of my teenage years when all the family was alive and hunted together. We could cover a mountain in a line and "still hunt" down to the valley. Also enough for some to sit and others to "drive". Memories of days gone by.
great deer camps never die
One of the best articles I've ever read.
Folks stopped by my computer to ask if I was ok. Must have been a powerful story. I long for days such as that, deer camps and comrodery. Probally born 50 years to late, but stories such as these give you a chance to live them. Thank you.
Post a Comment