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Took a trip out to my deer lease today with my daughter to work on my Whelen Lean-to Tarp experiment, have some lunch, and knock out the Twig Fire task for Bushclass.
We left around 10.30, arrived around 11, and after a short walk, got to my semi-permanant camp. it was about 60, windy, clear, dry, and beautiful. my plan for the camp has been to provide a temporary stopping place for lunch (or even an overnight) when i'm out scouting, hunting, or just feel like a quick trip. i have other places to camp, but they're closer to 45 minutes away and on state land. this is owned by a timber company, and as long as you don't touch a pine tree, you're pretty much good to go.
I hadn't seen a deer since October or early november, hadn't heard one since november, and no tracks since way early in the season. last saturday was the last day of gun season. saw a track this past wednesday (of course) and saw a deer (way off at the edge of visibility, through the brush) today, when i didn't have my deer rifle (of course!)
i have a 5 gallon bucket on site. my intent is to keep a grill, hatchet, TP, fire starters, lighter, small kettle, small tarp, and a cast iron pot (for breads) there. a bow saw and grill pipes will also be a permanant fixture. i had built a framework for the tarp a few weeks ago, but that didn't work out so well. we've had some recent posts on the whelen lean-to, and i decided to make one out of a larger 10 x 20 tarp i had. daughter and i cut it out, taped the edges, and put in the grommets yesterday.
to set up the Whelen, i just made two tripods and hung a long branch between them. it's a little off the ground, partly because i didn't think to make sod clothes when i cut it out, partly because i've got bungi cords holding it to the stakes, and partly because the tripods aren't adjusted quite right yet. but it's good enough.
after it was up, we made a small cookfire in my nimblewill nomad stove, and boiled a little water for tea and soup with lunch. i was trying to cook some bacon over a green wood latice, but that didn't go so well. sitting there hungrily looking at my bacon, i noticed the cast iron pot lid. i flipped it over, handle down, onto the stove, and soon had my bacon frying on the lid.
after that, we went for a long walk, checked on my ladder stand, and did a little squirrel hunting. they must know it's their season... they were all over my stand during the deer season. now, they're all gone. that's ok... someday, they will be mine.
after we got back, my daughter wanted cocoa, so i gathered my wood for the Twig Fire. It takes a lot more than i thought to get 3x what you need... but i did have enough left over for next time, and was able to cover it all to keep it dry on a woodpile off to the right of the pics. i made my twig fire, then used it to heat up some more water, for cocoa and soup this time.
i have moved the reflector for the fire over a bit (from where my original lean-to plan needed it). i re-stacked the wooden back logs and then tied the two stakes together with wire. they lean against two pieces of conduit. the front stakes are wooden. so it's different now than in the picture.
i had also brought out a set of fire/grill pipes that i made from 1/2" and 3/4" conduit. you mash one end of each of the 4 pieces, and then the smaller fits into the larger, and you have a pair that will span 2'-3' as needed, and adjusts to almost any weird angle you get from whatever you're supporting it on (usually logs and rocks). i have no rocks, and just rotten logs, but will be bringing a couple building bricks out for supports, one at a time. might even make a concrete block reflector wall.
After we were all done, we repacked the bucket and hid it off to the side, tidied up the firewood pile and covered it with the small tarp, and rolled up the Whelen Lean-To and stashed it next to the bucket. I still have to tweak the ridgeline and corner tieouts some, but i think i've got it figured out. i'll do that next time.
That's about it. overall, a nice day, and you can't ask for much more than that.
We left around 10.30, arrived around 11, and after a short walk, got to my semi-permanant camp. it was about 60, windy, clear, dry, and beautiful. my plan for the camp has been to provide a temporary stopping place for lunch (or even an overnight) when i'm out scouting, hunting, or just feel like a quick trip. i have other places to camp, but they're closer to 45 minutes away and on state land. this is owned by a timber company, and as long as you don't touch a pine tree, you're pretty much good to go.
I hadn't seen a deer since October or early november, hadn't heard one since november, and no tracks since way early in the season. last saturday was the last day of gun season. saw a track this past wednesday (of course) and saw a deer (way off at the edge of visibility, through the brush) today, when i didn't have my deer rifle (of course!)
i have a 5 gallon bucket on site. my intent is to keep a grill, hatchet, TP, fire starters, lighter, small kettle, small tarp, and a cast iron pot (for breads) there. a bow saw and grill pipes will also be a permanant fixture. i had built a framework for the tarp a few weeks ago, but that didn't work out so well. we've had some recent posts on the whelen lean-to, and i decided to make one out of a larger 10 x 20 tarp i had. daughter and i cut it out, taped the edges, and put in the grommets yesterday.
to set up the Whelen, i just made two tripods and hung a long branch between them. it's a little off the ground, partly because i didn't think to make sod clothes when i cut it out, partly because i've got bungi cords holding it to the stakes, and partly because the tripods aren't adjusted quite right yet. but it's good enough.
after it was up, we made a small cookfire in my nimblewill nomad stove, and boiled a little water for tea and soup with lunch. i was trying to cook some bacon over a green wood latice, but that didn't go so well. sitting there hungrily looking at my bacon, i noticed the cast iron pot lid. i flipped it over, handle down, onto the stove, and soon had my bacon frying on the lid.
after that, we went for a long walk, checked on my ladder stand, and did a little squirrel hunting. they must know it's their season... they were all over my stand during the deer season. now, they're all gone. that's ok... someday, they will be mine.
after we got back, my daughter wanted cocoa, so i gathered my wood for the Twig Fire. It takes a lot more than i thought to get 3x what you need... but i did have enough left over for next time, and was able to cover it all to keep it dry on a woodpile off to the right of the pics. i made my twig fire, then used it to heat up some more water, for cocoa and soup this time.
i have moved the reflector for the fire over a bit (from where my original lean-to plan needed it). i re-stacked the wooden back logs and then tied the two stakes together with wire. they lean against two pieces of conduit. the front stakes are wooden. so it's different now than in the picture.
i had also brought out a set of fire/grill pipes that i made from 1/2" and 3/4" conduit. you mash one end of each of the 4 pieces, and then the smaller fits into the larger, and you have a pair that will span 2'-3' as needed, and adjusts to almost any weird angle you get from whatever you're supporting it on (usually logs and rocks). i have no rocks, and just rotten logs, but will be bringing a couple building bricks out for supports, one at a time. might even make a concrete block reflector wall.
After we were all done, we repacked the bucket and hid it off to the side, tidied up the firewood pile and covered it with the small tarp, and rolled up the Whelen Lean-To and stashed it next to the bucket. I still have to tweak the ridgeline and corner tieouts some, but i think i've got it figured out. i'll do that next time.
That's about it. overall, a nice day, and you can't ask for much more than that.
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