:yeah:
You know there is always the critic in the crowd. Such was the guy who ran the one and only two pump service station in town. I recall him making an economic annalist of the cost of deer meat by the pound. He did not like hunting and could not understand why anybody else did. Of course it was good that he stayed home to protect the town, because everybody and their dog was out hunting.
While we disagreed on hunting, he was a nice guy with a different opinion. Of course I was right. I am a much different hunter today then I was 45 years ago. Back then we got together with a couple of neighbors and set out to make a deer camp in the area of choice. Our gear was a couple of gas lanterns, flashlights, milk cans of fresh water, food, a grill to go over the campfire, and miscellaneous pots and pans. In those days we used cowboy rolls. Blankets inside a canvas rap. (okay, my rifle was a M94 or later M99)
But things have changed for me. No I do not have a big Fifth-Wheel trailer. It would be destroyed getting to my base camp. I am in four wheel drive as soon as I leave a poorly paved road. I still camp out in a tent, use a large plastic tarp to create a fly over the cooking and eating area. I even have a couple of gas lamps. But they may not get used.
During hunting season I camp for one reason, to facilitate my hunting. So I can get the most out of the hunting season. I do not want to spend all my time driving. I have a little 2500 watt generator that does a lot of things for me. Two to four strings of clear christmas lights, light up the campsite. A flood light might be used to assist when skinning out game in the dark. When there are three or more coffee drinkers in camp a coffee pot goes on the stove and this great electric coffee maker that was originally made for the military comes into action. ( I am sure the good ole boy from the gas station could go on for hours about my generator while pouring down my coffee.)
A lot of times we get into camp late and it is rather frosty at high elevation. We cook a meal, and head for bed so that we can be up early the next morning. The old electric coffee maker starts as soon as the generator starts. Allowing me to attend to other duties. While I have thought of an electric frying pan I have never taken one.
While I have a 12v. to 110v. converter for my laptop and printer, I would rather use the generator. While I pre-print some topo maps before going out we might suddenly change locations during a two week period. We have shifted camp to the West a hundred miles to take advantage of storm system coming in off the Pacific. Many times one topo software will show a feature that the others do not. We seemed to pick them up easier on the screen then off paper. We can then create a waypoint for the feature of interest in our gps units. I normally use rechargeable batteries in my gps, portable radio, and flashlight. They all use AA batteries and can be recharged with the generator while it is doing other jobs. If we are going to do some driving we can charge the batteries with a 12v. charger.
This whole thing has me thinking about those very cold nights at high elevation. Many people think about building a campfire but cold and dry air go together. I rather doubt that campfires outside of campgrounds will be allowed this year. Plus I rather not build a fire. I do not like smelling of strong smoke. I'll have to check with the wife and see what she did with that old electic blanket. Just think about a pre-heated sleeping bag. Just a half-hour of pre-heating could make it toasty.
While I have mention the portable radio, I always check the weather forcast. If they predict heavy rain and snow for a week I will drop down in elevation. The area I hunt in is subject to strong winds during major storms. I do not want to be in the woods during a "blow down situation."
I have thought about building a shower using a 12v. fish pump for pressuer.
The generator has a USDA approved spark arrestor on it.
At times we have cold camp out from our base camp.
We have had cellphones for years. While service is limited in some areas it is impossiable in other. But that means we have more batteries to maintain.
What electronic toys will you have in camp this year?
P.S. I should count my home computer and the internet. I have been tracking weather patterns for the opener.
