Day hunting is something that everyone has done, but some hunting will require camping of some sort for most hunters. To make camping easier or more pleasant, here are a few tips that will make your experience much more comfortable.
First, will you be camping close to a water source? The benefits of this are extra water for cleaning and bathing, and for filtering if you don’t want to carry your own drinking water. However, the flip side is that being close to water may increase obnoxious insects such as mosquitos or biting flies. Knowing this beforehand will help you prepare for your trip. If you are not near water, plan on bringing a lot of extra water outside of your planned drinking water. If you are near water bring extra bug repellent, etc.
Next, consider the terrain of your campsite. Level is always good, and free of rocks and debris under your tent, but have you ever considered wind? Camping near a natural windbreak is a good tip to make your stay more comfortable. Trees, a hill, or a rocky outcropping will break the wind, provide shade and secure at least one side from animal attacks.
Another consideration is accessibility. Is your camp easy to access so you can set up easily for your hunt? This is a difficult one to balance because if you are like me, you don’t want to be on top of a bunch of other hunters, but you still want to be somewhere that’s in easy reach of your vehicle. To balance this, check your terrain again, look for places that don’t look well used, or are difficult to see.
Are you going to have a fire? Hunting takes place in the fall generally, and that means colder temperatures and the need for warm food and drink. When choosing a campsite, look for a place you can have a fire. Is it brush free? Can you contain the fire? Is it legal to have a fire in your area? These are all questions to ask when looking for a place to camp.
One fun and useful tip is to create what I like to call a “meat pole.” This is simply a pole strung high between two trees. You can use it for a multitude of items. You can throw a tarp over it for shelter, you can hang lanterns for light, you can use it to put food up high away from bears, and you can hang water from it for easy access or showering.
Hopefully, some of these tips will help to make your hunting/camping trip easier and more comfortable. For fun tips on how to turn household items in easy camping appliances see: http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2013/05/25-tips-for-making-camping-easier-more-fun.html.
