Cave Mountain | A Real Arkansas Story of Survival & Place
Something about the Ozark Mountains in autumn invites a touch of mystery....
Uh oh...
It appears that you're using a severely outdated version of Safari on Windows. Many features won't work correctly, and functionality can't be guaranteed. Please try viewing this website in Edge, Mozilla, Chrome, or another modern browser. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused!
Read More about this safari issue.
aBring up deer camp with someone who grew up going, and you can almost see their eyes light up. I talked with several people about their deer camp traditions, and for most, they plan and celebrate this annual gathering much like Thanksgiving or Christmas. In fact, I got the impression that a few might rank deer camp even higher.
For someone like me who didn’t grow up around hunting, deer camp might sound more like something you send your kids to in the summer or an actual campground that caters to hunters. Sometimes it may look a little like the latter, but the term is much broader than that. Deer camp, and duck camp too, is the home base during the hunt. It’s where everyone sleeps, eats, warms up, checks gear, tells stories and gathers before heading into the woods again.
As I listened to the stories, I quickly realized that hunting was only part of what made deer camp important. The real joy came from the friends and family who made deer camp possible.
What Exactly Is Deer Camp?
Deer camp doesn’t have one definition. Some are permanent places a family has used for generations. Others gather for a weekend, pulling campers and tents onto private land or a hunting lease. A few may have kitchens, electricity and comfortable beds, while others require hauling in nearly everything you need.
The length of deer camp can vary just as much. For some families, opening weekend is the big event. Others come and go throughout deer season, returning to the same camp whenever they can. Arkansas has a long history of hunting, and for many families it remains both recreation and a way to put food on the table. Deer camp adds a social side to an activity that can otherwise involve spending long, quiet hours alone in the woods.
Those hours back at camp are also when many traditions take shape. Meals are prepared, equipment is checked, stories from the day’s hunts are shared, and plans are made for the next morning. Over time, those routines become as much a part of deer season as the hunt itself.
Everyone Has a Place at Camp
One thing that stood out in the stories people shared with me was that everyone seemed to have a place at deer camp. In some families, it is a large gathering with hunters heading into the woods while others stay behind to tend camp and prepare the next meal. When a deer comes in, someone else may step in to help with processing. In other camps, longtime friends divide the work without giving it much thought because they’ve been doing it together since high school.
Most deer camps don’t need an official job chart. Someone usually starts the coffee and breakfast. Another camper can fix just about anything. And another person knows where every missing flashlight, tool or roll of paper towels can be found. When a deer is harvested, several people may help with recovery, field dressing, transportation and processing. Everyone also shares responsibility for knowing where group members plan to hunt and when they expect to return.
Despite the name, you don’t have to hunt to be part of deer camp. Non-hunters may cook, tend the fire, entertain younger kids, help around camp or simply enjoy being part of the gathering. In a large family camp, those roles can be every bit as much a part of the tradition as heading into the woods.
Children may also spend years coming to deer camp before they are old enough or ready to hunt. They watch the adults prepare, listen to the stories and begin learning about safety, wildlife and respect for the outdoors. Eventually, many get their turn to head into the woods alongside a parent, grandparent, uncle or older cousin.
Several people I talked with remembered those first hunts, but they also remembered what happened when they returned to camp with their first deer. It wasn’t an accomplishment celebrated by one hunter. The entire camp celebrated with them. Years later, those same kids may be the adults walking into the woods beside the next generation.
Finding a Place for Deer Camp
For families that return to the same deer camp every year, deciding where to go isn’t much of a decision. The camp may be part of family property or an established hunting lease, and in some cases the same spot has served several generations.
Starting a new camp requires more thought. Private property and hunting leases offer more flexibility, as long as you have the landowner’s permission. Camping on public land requires knowing the regulations for the particular area you plan to use.
A good camp should be reasonably accessible, dry and safely removed from active hunting areas while still providing access to the places your group plans to hunt. When setting up a temporary camp, use an existing site whenever possible rather than cutting vegetation or altering the landscape to create a new one. For hunters who want a more primitive camping setup, our guide to dispersed camping in Arkansas offers more information on camping away from developed campgrounds.
What Do You Need at Deer Camp?
Ask ten deer camp families what you need to bring, and you will probably get ten different answers. Some camps have accumulated years’ worth of equipment, while others keep things fairly simple. The essentials will also depend on whether you’re staying in a cabin, camper or tent.
For hunting, start with the legal basics, including the appropriate hunting license and permits, legal hunting equipment and ammunition, hunter orange when required, and a clear understanding of current regulations. Good boots, warm layers, rain gear, a flashlight or headlamp, navigation tools, water and a basic first-aid kit should also make the list.
Camp itself doesn’t have to be complicated. Bring appropriate sleeping gear, food, drinking water, a cooler, cooking equipment, trash bags and enough lighting to move safely around camp after dark. Our Arkansas Camping Gear Essentials guide can help fill in the rest.
Camp chairs, hand warmers, binoculars, extra blankets, a thermos and a portable power bank are useful additions. Complicated meals, unnecessary gadgets, too many clothes and anything you aren’t willing to get muddy, smoky or wet can probably stay home. After a few trips, every camp develops its own list of things nobody wants to be without.
What to Expect
Deer camp starts early, often long before the sun comes up. Mornings can be cold, afternoons can be surprisingly warm, and Arkansas weather may provide a little of everything in between. There will probably be mud, campfire smoke and at least one person who realizes too late that something important was left at home.
Food will also taste particularly good after several hours outside. You’ll hear stories you’ve already heard and probably laugh at them again. There may be long stretches when nothing happens in the woods, followed by a few minutes of excitement that become the story everyone tells for years.
A successful hunt is certainly worth celebrating, but a successful deer camp isn’t measured only by filled tags. Sometimes nobody brings home a deer, and there is still breakfast waiting back at camp, another evening around the fire and plenty to talk about.
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Kimble.
Take Care of the Camp and the Woods
A few basic rules make deer camp safer and more enjoyable for everyone. Hunters shouldn’t wander into areas where other members of the group are hunting or head somewhere without letting anyone know their plans. Food and garbage should be properly stored, campfires should never be left unattended, and neighboring hunters, landowners and others using public land deserve the same consideration you would expect from them.
Just as important is leaving the woods in good condition when camp is over. Our guide to Leave No Trace for hunters and anglers reminds you that shell casings, food wrappers, temporary equipment and other debris don’t belong in the woods. Use existing campsites when possible, minimize campfire impacts, respect wildlife and pack out what you pack in. The same basic courtesies apply anytime you’re enjoying Arkansas outdoors.
There are also the unwritten rules of camp. Pitch in when there is work to be done, respect the traditions of the people who invited you and leave things ready for the next person. Most importantly, don’t be the person who sleeps late, shows up when breakfast is ready, and disappears when it’s time to wash the dishes.
The Reason They Keep Coming Back
Arkansas has plenty of hunting traditions, but deer camp may be one of the most enduring because it doesn’t depend entirely on a successful hunt. Kids grow up, and the youngest hunter eventually becomes the experienced one, showing someone else how it’s done. Friends move away but find their way back for opening weekend. New spouses and children join the group. Camp locations may change, and old campers may be replaced, but the tradition carries on.
When I asked people about deer camp, they certainly remembered the big deer. They remembered the first deer, unusual hunts and seasons when everything seemed to go right. But those stories quickly gave way to stories about people. They remembered the meals, practical jokes, early mornings and late nights. They remembered grandparents who aren’t there anymore and friends they’ve known most of their lives.
Perhaps that’s why people’s faces change when you ask them about deer camp. They aren’t simply remembering a place they went hunting. They are remembering being a kid walking into the woods beside a parent or grandparent. Or they are remembering the people waiting back at camp when they brought in their first deer. They’re remembering a fire, a meal and the same stories told one more time.
The hunt may put deer camp on the calendar each year, but the people keep everyone coming back.
We do the work.
You check your email.
Sign up for our weekly e-news.
Get stories sent straight to your inbox!
Like this story? Read more from Julie Kohl
The teacher in me is always looking for ways to sneak a little learning...
Walk through almost any old cemetery in Arkansas and it is easy to focus...
Tennessee and Mississippi get most of the attention when people talk...
Join the Conversation
Leave a Comment