Why Deer Camp Traditions Are Important For Youth Hunters

The author recounts how his first trip to deer camp gave him an experience that helped mold his life.

By Alex Comstock – North American Whitetail

There are certain experiences in life that determine the type of person you become. An occurrence you don’t think much of at the time can become one of the most important moments in your life. This story revolves around one of those experiences for me: deer camp.

I was a sophomore in high school, 15 years old and going through a difficult period of my life. At this time my parents had just gotten divorced, and trying to help my younger brothers understand the situation better was difficult. Enter deer camp, something I had never been to before. I had deer hunted here and there in the past, but I had never experienced a true deer camp.

That fall, my best friend, Kale, brought me to the deer camp he attended for Minnesota’s rifle opener. He went with his dad, Terry, to a cabin owned by Drew Frielund. I figured I was just going for a weekend to hang out with Kale, maybe do a little hunting and I’d never be back. Little did I know, those few days would have a life-changing impact on me.

Upon arriving to deer camp, the camaraderie blew me away. There were maybe 15 to 20 guys there, all hanging out and enjoying everyone’s company while bonding over one thing: deer. I spent the weekend enjoying myself more than I had in a long time. There was something special about the people I was around, and I could not care less how the actual hunting was. I had such a good time I even took Monday off school to hunt an extra day. And that Monday was about to be the day that sold me on deer hunting more than I could have ever imagined. CLICK HERE TO READ FULL STORY