Making Camp

I didn't grow up a hunter.  I didn't grow up against it, but (other than squirrels and rabbits as a youth) my dad didn't hunt and it is rarely something you just fall into.

About 10 years ago after several years of prodding, I finally accepted an invite from my father-in-law to head down to his deer lease in central Texas.  Unlike previous years, my wife was instrumental in me going as she didn't want her dad heading out alone (a decision she would later regret).

 This was shortly after Christmas, and it was colder than normal in Texas for that time of year.  We'd had snow maybe a week before and there were still pockets left on the ground where drifts had blown.  I was woefully under-equipped for the conditions, just having a  pair of thermal underwear and an old coat.  My father-in-law lent me his Marlin 30-30.  I would later discover that the scope was so far out of zero I would have been lucky to have hit the broad side of a barn.

My father-in-law had a tiny two-bed trailer sitting on about 200 acres that he shared with two other guys.  He spent a total of $250 a year for the privilege of hunting the place, which I would later discover was unbelievably cheap.  I took several shots that weekend (not hitting anything), cooked steaks on the campfire and generally froze my ass off.  It was both miserable and exhilarating, and I was hooked. 

Since those meager beginnings, we've changed leases due to the property being sold and discovered that most leases in Texas are MUCH higher than $250 a year.  With gas, processing fees, weapons, camo etc. hunting can be a very expensive hobby, so anywhere you can do it yourself or cut corners can come in handy.  We, like many hunters, have always built our own blinds.  It's a lot of fun, but some of the other things are what I would prefer to highlight here.  I have a few projects in the works, and as they complete plan on posting details and pictures.  I'm sure other topics will pop up as well.