THE LAST DEER CAMP – November 7 to 20, 2022

Following the passing of Jim Bamford, our deer camp’s mentor, we celebrated a last deer hunt in accordance with his wishes. In attendance were, in alphabetical order, Barry Austin, Deryk and his son Anthony Gilpin, Gary Kerton, Barney Moorhouse, Mike O’Leary, Johnny Salvalagio, and Alan Wheeler.

As is often the case the weather during week one was mild. The snow and colder weather (-6C) arrived on Tuesday of week two. The heavy snows arrived on Saturday November 19. Buffalo received three days of accumulation approaching 6 feet. We received our ‘fair share’. I can only imagine the drive home Saturday for Gary, Johnny, Mike, Roger Legate and Barry Silk who joined us on Thursday. (As a footnote of sorts one week later the Saturday weather in Batawa was 10 degrees C and sunshine. All snow had vanished.) 

Barry Austin, at age 80, of course is the ‘old fart’ having known Jim since the age of three. From what l could glean in conversation, and actually if not accurately remember, Jim and Barry began deer hunting at Robinson Lake (1962) where they were subsequently joined by Johnny, Deryk and Al Wheeler who said he arrived in 1968. In 1997 Jim bought The Ranch (this is not meant to refer in any way to a flight term) off the Ridge Road at Coe Hill hamlet and first built his house followed by a new square log hunt camp that housed 8 hunters upstairs and three down. From 1997 to 2001 the hunters stayed in the old Nicholson farm house that featured a kitchen floor in which one could roll a can of pop from one end to the other. Gary said he joined the camp in 2001 and stayed in the old farmhouse for just one year. I joined in 2002 and stayed in the new camp. I believe Freymond Lumber (my former deer camp) milled the timbers. Perhaps a long-time member will chronicle the many years beyond my ken. Mike, by way of the Clemson deer camp on the Hackamatac road and then Haliburton joined us in 2008. By the way, who knew that there is a Micheal O’Leary school in Bracebridge?

By this camp’s conclusion five deer – two bucks and three does – graced our presence. Of interest the largest buck dressed out at 159 pounds but the others weren’t far off that mark. All were taken from tree stands by Johnny in Bear Valley and Gary near the beginning of Gino’s or Tommy’s Trail, as I knew it. (I just wrote that the IGFA all-tackle world record for Lake Sturgeon is 168 lbs., caught in Georgian Bay, 1982. FYI.)

The May 21 derecho wind storm inflicted unimaginable damage to the forest habitat and no doubt impacted the behaviour of the deer. Of interest weather folk have explained that a derecho is a horizontal wind but if you were to look at Layne Moore’s you would of course see the missing barn. Or, more precisely, where it had been before the storm. However, immediately standing before that barn is another large barn that should have been in the derecho’s direct path. Why is it unscathed?

The members who cleared the trails in preparation for the last hunt did a more than remarkable job.

A parting thought. A finer group of men one could not wish to meet. If upon reading this you can think of omissions they may have been purposeful for, to paraphrase a cliché, “what happens at the camp stays in the camp.” Feel free to add your thoughts.

I wish you the very best.

Barney

ney