Winter Camping

[Doc]

Anybody here doing any mid-winter camping? I used to, but I'm not as tough as I used to be anymore.

My first experience was the first year I went hunting deer. I built a shelter up on the hill, made out of on-sight materials, and I spent nearly a week up there with a high school buddy. It was great fun. I had my old bent-barrel 20 gauge and missed a couple of shots. We tried eating a squirrel cooked over the fire (tasted good, but tough as shoe leather).

The next phase was tent camping in the winter and for hunting. That worked out well and was a lot of fun for a lot of years. I can't really describe the appeal of roughing it like that, but it sure was a lot of fun and added a lot to the hunting experience.

Eventually, my Brother-in-law and I built a small 12' x 12' cabin up there and did our camping and hunting from there. Great times. Snow and cold outside, but we stayed toasty.

So, I was wondering whether there were any winter campers, or camper/hunters here.

[First-light]

I did it a few times at hunting season. I can remember a foot of snow and temps in the teens. Nothing like getting into your sleeping bag at 8pm to get warm and have a great night of sleep. Like you Doc that would be tough to do these days. I do want to go back to the Catskills to hunt and do some camping one of these seasons. We would camp at the state lands by Russel and Campbell brook on Morton Hill road. 

[hunter]

When I started hunting I used to camp in the Adirondacks, Moose River Area. It was fun but I felt I was spending more time camping than hunting.. I would try to get back to camp before dark to get the fire started. After six or so years I started hunting the Catskills out of rental units like Motels or lodges and eventually bought a camp down there which was closer to my home in LI. I loved it but couldn't do it now.

[Grouse]

I have an insulated ARE cap on the back of my pickup set up for camping.  I will do an overnight in it hunting for yotes or grouse and squirrel this time of the year.  Once I'm in for the night, I have a comfy cot, warm sleeping bag, cooler, fixed light and flashlight, candles for heat and a small propane stove to make boiled water for coffee, tea, instant oatmeal, cup-o-soup etc.  I bring bread and cold cuts for lunch and hope to eat a grouse or squirrel for dinner over the campfire.  It's great to be able to spend a night anywhere at any time, and if it gets too cold, I hop in the cab and turn on the heat and radio.  

I keep a bottle in the back to pee in, but #2 in the woods can be chilly.  I have a wash basin and cloth I set up on the tailgate when needed and plenty of bottled water to use.  I also have some bottled water to use for everything other than drinking.

I can only do this solo though.  I do keep a small tent in the truck too, just in case it's needed or someone else wants to come, but it's not as cozy as it is in the cap.  

It's still fun to do, but I hardly ever do more than one night to make a weekend out of a hunting trip.

Sure saves me a lot of money though.

[Doc]

Our exploits up on the hill were a bit more challenging because it is a 1/2 mile climb up a rather steep "killer" hill before the advent of ATVs. But once we got ATVs, we dragged all the materials up and built that little 12' x 12' cabin and it all seemed like great luxury. We had a kerosene heater and propane lanterns for light. Bunk beds with real mattresses. A sink (no running water other than what we took up in a huge Igloo water container), an old kitchen table and a few chairs. We hunted out of there for quite a few years. Last year we logged the woods, and the loggers dropped a tree on the cabin and demolished it. So that was the end of that. 

[wolc123]

The closest I’ve done to winter camping, was mid-October in my truck campers, up in the Adirondacks.  I’m on my third one now, and each of them  had propane heaters in them.  
 

The first one lacked a thermostat and many other modern conveniences. It had numbers one thru five on a dial.  With that, it was always a little too hot or a little too cold, when I woke up to go hunting in the morning.  

The current one has a roof-top air conditioner, so it’s real nice for super hot weather summer camping.

I’ve done plenty enough of it, to cure myself of any further desire to camp in cool weather, without a thermostat controlled heating system.  That’s something best left to the folks who don’t know no better.  For me, the best thing about “the good old days” is that they are over.  
 

 

 

[Daveboone]

When I was in Boy Scouts, we camped every month, year round. Sometimes in the winter it was cabins, but we also would hike in and set up camp (usually left friday night). We got quite proficient at it and I used to like it alot...actually, I would love to get out and do it now. We made "dog sleds", I still have one, that carried our heavier gear, which included water. The key for happy winter camping is to go when it is COLD! the colder, the better, as the snow isnt so likely to melt on you, it acts as insulation , and you are less likely to sweat profusely. 

You bury your water in a snow drift...it will not freeze. We usually had an area scoped out ahead of time and would usually pre-cut wood, and clear an area for a shelter. We would dig down in the snow, lay down boughs, and spread a tarp across the top...building up walls on the ends. With only a candle lantern or two, it would warm up considerably. The coldest we were out was a measured -20 on the Tug Hill in the early eighties, but we were comfortable. 

Nothing like a still woods on a calm, clear night. 

Now I have an insulated cabin, which is cheating. It still takes most of a day to warm it up though (wood heat and an area propane heater). I go up in the a.m., fire everything up and head out for an afternoon of activities, by the time I get back the cabin is close to warm.

[Doc]

21 hours ago, wolc123 said:

I’ve done plenty enough of it, to cure myself of any further desire to camp in cool weather, without a thermostat controlled heating system.  That’s something best left to the folks who don’t know no better.  For me, the best thing about “the good old days” is that they are over.  
 

I've got to say that the best memories I ever had were made on those hunting experiences that involved primitive winter camping. I think back to some of those trips back in where you couldn't even here a car or any other human sounds. There was an extra connection with the whole hunting experience. We were a lot tougher back then in our youth, but the effort got us away from other hunter pressures and often paid off. We didn't know the meaning of discomfort. It was all just excitement and anticipation and adventure. 

Of course I was a whole lot younger back then. Today at age 80, I have to agree with you. I have grown accustomed to my need for creature comforts now. But I sure am glad that my youth was filled with those remote camping experiences.

[Northcountryman]

This is something I have not done (to date), but would love to try it sometime.  Couple guys in my club told me about an old lean-to that the state built on DEC land up near our camp. One guy said he always wanted to hike in there and spend the night for the gun opener , but never did.  Its really not that far back in to the bush -maybe a mile- so, might give that a try next season.  First, I gotta make sure its still there,

Major problem in todays world, of course, is finding a spot where you can , actually, pitch a tent and setup a temporary camp.  If youre on private property and have permission, then no problem; if not, most publicly owned properties have rules regarding that and may not allow it.

[airedale]

Back when I did a lot of archery hunting a friend of mine owned one of those Coleman pop up trailers with the pull out canvas covered bunks on each end. We set it up during the southern zone archery season and used it for a base camp the entire season, it was better than a tent but not by much.

I did go on a couple of outfitted hunts, one in Newfoundland for Caribou and one in Colorado for Elk, both were well run tent hunts, The outfitters took care of all the camp set up, great fun when I was young but I do not think I would do it today.

Al

[First-light]

Good post Doc, looks like you stirred up a bunch of great memories from all of us!

[GreeneHunter]

Back in the Boy Scout Days we camped out one weekend per month all year long , miss those days !

[Doc]

4 hours ago, Northcountryman said:

This is something I have not done (to date), but would love to try it sometime.  Couple guys in my club told me about an old lean-to that the state built on DEC land up near our camp. One guy said he always wanted to hike in there and spend the night for the gun opener, but never did.  It's really not that far back into the bush -maybe a mile- so, might give that a try next season.  First, I gotta make sure it's still there,

Major problem in today's world, of course, is finding a spot where you can, actually, pitch a tent and setup a temporary camp.  If you're on private property and have permission, then no problem; if not, most publicly owned properties have rules regarding that and may not allow it.

Yes that is a problem. We used to camp all over the adjacent state land, until they posted all the rules and regulations. They don't allow camping there now. There is a sign up in the parking lot stating that.

[Doc]

Back in 1986, myself and three other coworkers planned an archery moose hunting trip up in Ontario Canada. We took 2 canoes and a small aluminum boat and all our gear back along an old dirt road for umpteen miles, entered a lake and went to the end of that lake. Then we did a 150 yard portage into another lake and then went to the far end of that lake and set up camp. It was to be a 1-week hunt.... No guides. We set up tents and that was home all during the hunt. We did our hunting in the first hours of the day and during the last part of the day. During the middle of the day, we fished and caught some of our meals. The fishing was great.

I never saw nights that were so dark and it was so quiet like I have never experienced. These lakes were not occupied, and there was a feeling of total isolation. There was a grey jay that we could feed out of our hands. I saw my first and only marten on that trip. It just was a fantastic experience that I never would have had if we hadn't decided to rough it. Oh, and by the way, we did get a small bull moose. It was just a perfect trip. 

[airedale]

Sounds like that hunt was quite the experience, and successful, a belated well done.

Al

[Daveboone]

On 1/14/2024 at 9:10 AM, Northcountryman said:

This is something I have not done (to date), but would love to try it sometime.  Couple guys in my club told me about an old lean-to that the state built on DEC land up near our camp. One guy said he always wanted to hike in there and spend the night for the gun opener , but never did.  Its really not that far back in to the bush -maybe a mile- so, might give that a try next season.  First, I gotta make sure its still there,

Major problem in todays world, of course, is finding a spot where you can , actually, pitch a tent and setup a temporary camp.  If youre on private property and have permission, then no problem; if not, most publicly owned properties have rules regarding that and may not allow it.

Most state lands you can overnight without a permit, most any where as long as it isnt on a lake shore. State lean toos are great for being a flat dry place to camp, but actually they tend to be a very cold camp...thus we dug down in the snow. Every winter I get the pull to get out and do it again. I have the gear, and likely would just go up to my camp and then head out into the adjoining state land. Funny thing is, most of the time the weather isnt apprpriate for it....not enough snow, which actually is important for insulation (bare ground is colder, and more exposed to the wind). 

[Northcountryman]

21 hours ago, Doc said:

Back in 1986, myself and three other coworkers planned an archery moose hunting trip up in Ontario Canada. We took 2 canoes and a small aluminum boat and all our gear back along an old dirt road for umpteen miles, entered a lake and went to the end of that lake. Then we did a 150 yard portage into another lake and then went to the far end of that lake and set up camp. It was to be a 1-week hunt.... No guides. We set up tents and that was home all during the hunt. We did our hunting in the first hours of the day and during the last part of the day. During the middle of the day, we fished and caught some of our meals. The fishing was great.

I never saw nights that were so dark and it was so quiet like I have never experienced. These lakes were not occupied, and there was a feeling of total isolation. There was a grey jay that we could feed out of our hands. I saw my first and only marten on that trip. It just was a fantastic experience that I never would have had if we hadn't decided to rough it. Oh, and by the way, we did get a small bull moose. It was just a perfect trip. 

TOTALLY AWESOME; thank you so much for sharing!! Looks like you guys had an awesome time and was a truly unique experience!! Are those Lakers , btw ? 

[Lawdwaz]

On 1/14/2024 at 2:34 PM, Doc said:

Back in 1986, myself and three other coworkers planned an archery moose hunting trip up in Ontario Canada. We took 2 canoes and a small aluminum boat and all our gear back along an old dirt road for umpteen miles, entered a lake and went to the end of that lake. Then we did a 150 yard portage into another lake and then went to the far end of that lake and set up camp. It was to be a 1-week hunt.... No guides. We set up tents and that was home all during the hunt. We did our hunting in the first hours of the day and during the last part of the day. During the middle of the day, we fished and caught some of our meals. The fishing was great.

I never saw nights that were so dark and it was so quiet like I have never experienced. These lakes were not occupied, and there was a feeling of total isolation. There was a grey jay that we could feed out of our hands. I saw my first and only marten on that trip. It just was a fantastic experience that I never would have had if we hadn't decided to rough it. Oh, and by the way, we did get a small bull moose. It was just a perfect trip. 

Great read and post, doc.   

[Doc]

16 hours ago, Northcountryman said:

TOTALLY AWESOME; thank you so much for sharing!! Looks like you guys had an awesome time and was a truly unique experience!! Are those Lakers , btw ? 

Walleyes and northerns, but mostly they were supper.

[Doc]

Ok......One little side-story I have to tell you all about our Canadian moose hunt. This almost got me thrown into the lake.

We used to have a dog that loved to have a tug-of-war with us if you had an old towel or rag of some sort. and while she did this, she would growl and snarl like some kind of rabid, wild, crazed, animal. Well, being the a-hole that I am, this sparked an idea in my evil brain. I had a portable tape player, and I put a 20-minute empty leader on the tape and then I started to tape all the growling and snarling of our dog while I had a tug-of-war match with her. It was beautiful.....That sound that she was making sounded like some unknown variety of insane wild animal.

So, the first night at camp as soon as it got completely dark, we were all sitting around the campfire, talking and I declared that I was going to go take a leak, and I walked out into the pitch-black night away from the campfire and set the tape player down and turned it on.....Full volume. I had that 20 minutes of blank tape so everyone would forget that I had even been out there. All of a sudden, all that loud growling and snarling started to come out of the darkness. It was absolutely terrifying. I mean, here we were deep in the Canadian wilderness sitting in the dead quiet darkness, and we hear this supposed unidentified wild animal threatening the camp, growling and snarling. It was pretty horrifying.

Everyone grabbed knives and whatever they thought would save them from this menacing wild beast and like the brave savior, I grabbed a flashlight and started out to confront the beast. They all trailed after me. When I finally got to the tape player, I dove on it and lifted it up proclaiming that I had killed the critter and started laughing at the joke I had played on them. I thought I was going to wind up in the lake, but we all had a great laugh, and still do today.

Yeah, it was a mean trick, but I've always been a bit of a ball-buster.