So, You’ve Got Buck Fever
I’d Rather Be Working…Yeah, Right
No one’s ever driven a truck with a bumper sticker that reads, “I’d rather be working.” Anyone from Texas or Minnesota knows that the best way to relax after a long week of work is to go out into the woods and look down the sight of a rifle for a few hours.
Hunting for deer can be a solo undertaking or something that is done with your closest friends. Just grab your favorite camouflage and a bright fluorescent hat or vest before you head to the woods. You can choose to stay out there for a few hours or a few days. If you have a camp you can head to, it will make it even easier to make a fun trip out of it.
Especially if you plan on actually taking down a buck, you need a place where you can field dress. Otherwise, you’re going to lose all of that venison meat.
Since you’ve already established that you’d rather be hunting, plan on staying out in the woods. Grab a couple of your hunting buddies and make a weekend out of it. If you outfit your camp with enough of the necessities, you can even clean up the meat and get it right into a freezer. Then, head into a shower and rinse yourself off. You might have to drown out your human scent again, but you also don’t want the bucks smelling their relatives on you. It’s the decent thing to do.
I like Big Bucks and I Cannot Lie
If you’re going to go out in search of a buck, get ready to make an investment. You’ll need a firearm, proper clothes, a hunting license, a sturdy knife, binoculars, a rangefinder, deer calls, deer scents, a seat (or better yet, a tree seat), and the list goes on.
The same equipment is required for you to take down a 70-pound white-tailed deer or a 300-pound mule deer. This is definitely an instance where you want to go big or go home. Why not go ahead and go for the bigger bucks? You other brothers can’t deny that when a buck struts in with a 20-point antler and a surprised look on their face, you get sprung. So, you want to pull up tough? The only way that’s going to happen is if you’re already staring at that buck through your sights and your finger is flexing on the trigger.
There’s nothing quite like spotting an impressive buck. The bigger the antlers, the more attitude the buck has. It’s as if they’re taunting you. “Excuse me, ladies, my eyes are down here.” Don’t be rude. You shouldn’t be staring at their rack, counting the points before you even pull the trigger. Where are your manners?
Of course, if you do get a big buck, you have bragging rights. The first shot of the season amongst your friends sets the bar. Someone bags a 10-point? You have to get a 12-point buck, at the very least, or don’t even bother sharing. And, if you’re the guy who shot the 47-point buck a few years ago, you get bragging rights for life.
Get Closer to Nature (and Further from Idiots)
Have you ever noticed that the closer you move to nature, the further you get from idiots? Part of it has to do with removing yourself from the larger populations. As you head into the woods, there are fewer people shoving stupid opinions in your direction. You get to listen to more of your internal dialogue. Suddenly, you can be the smartest person around. Even if you’re the only person around, it still counts.
Where you go is up to you. There’s plenty of bluff country throughout southeast Minnesota where you may want to set up camp. There are also 10,000-acre private ranches throughout Texas Hill Country and beyond that you might want to explore.
It all depends on what you want to eat. You’ll find plenty of white-tailed deer in the north. As you make your way south, you’ll also find mule deer. If you want axis deer, an exotic species originally from India, you’ll find it in the Texas Hill Country. It was introduced to the area in the 1930s for purposes of game, and it’s said to be the most delicious of all the venison varieties.
Go as far into the woods as you wish. Trek through 20 acres or 200 acres. Just be sure that you know your way home. It’s why having a camp is such a good idea. It gives you a place to lay your head when you’re tired. It also gives you a place to spend some time that isn’t the cold, lonely woods.
Set Up a Permanent Camp
If you’re going to do something about your buck fever, you have to be where the deer are. Rather than taking a drive into the woods every day, you can set up a deer camp at the edge of the woods. It ensures that you can duck into the woods day or night in order to secure your shot.
Practice makes perfect, and when you can take down a 10-point or 20-point buck, you’ve got yourself an impressive trophy. It’s not only the trophy, though. Think about what you can do with 50 (or more) pounds of lean, delicious venison meat. Stew, meatballs, burgers, and more will be well worth the effort to set up a camp.
“Vegetarian” shouldn’t be in your vocabulary. It’s an old Indian word for bad hunter. This means that you should be working to take at least one deer for the season. If you can take two, even better.
Since you don’t want to become a vegetarian, investing in a pole barn can ensure you have a great place to go in the heart of deer hunting country. Maybe you have a ranch sitting on property that spans thousands of acres. You can’t possibly walk from one end of your property to the other in a single day. By placing a camp in the middle of the land, you get a place to stay.
When you have a pole barn outfitted with all of the modern amenities, you’re going to be the most popular one in your circle of friends. Just invite everyone out so they can spend the weekend with you. It’ll be a great place for you to store your hunting gear when deer season is over, too.
At Sherman Pole Buildings, we know a thing or two about buck fever. With over 40 years of craftsmanship under our belt, we can customize a pole barn that allows you to have the hunting cabin you’ve always wanted. Just as the size of a buck matters, so does the size of the building you wish to build. We’ll show you how this can be an affordable way to take hunting season to the next level.
