Hunting traditions have been a part of the great sport of hunting for as long as man has hunted. The cave man had to hunt for survival and the tradition was for him to kill the large beasts before they killed him. They also made for large steaks! The early native American Indians used hunting to mark a young braves manhood, for he was not a man until he had harvested an animal for his family. The early hunters did not have game laws to control their hunting habits, but through traditions, they only hunted certain times of the year. Just as each tribes of cave men or Indians had their traditions, today each hunting camp practices certain traditions. No one can tell you when some started or why they still continue and almost none are written down anywhere, but it is a way of life. At Wilderness Calls we have several traditions that are practiced. The one tradition that was started when the camp was founded, was each year before hunting season, the television will be moved into the yard by the camp fire with the extension cord dragging behind back up to the cabin. Then everyone gathers around and pays close attention to the famous hunting video "Gargantuan Bucks" by the hunting legends TK and Mike. We refer to it as a hunting training video, for all you need to know about hunting is in the training video. The new hunters are required to watch it and pay close attention to the details. The older hunters can be caught speaking the words of the video as it plays along. The one thing that you can count on is that everyone will break out in laughter at one point or another. We feel this eases the anticipation of the first day of hunting season, or it might just be an excuse to set by the camp fire and drink refreshments and watch something about hunting. No matter the reason, it is a tradition and we do not plan to mess with something that has been working for so long. We feel this surely does enhance the hunt! There are a few other traditions that we honor at Wilderness Calls to please the hunting gods more than anything else. If a hunter attempts a shot, at a hog or deer and misses, their shirt tail is cut and placed on the "wall of shame" as a reminder to practice more next year. I believe that almost everyone that has hunted at the camp more then a few times has contributed to the wall of shame at one time or another. I will say that we have harvested a lot more then we have missed, but from time to time even the best of us fail to hit our mark. Another tradition that is honored at Wilderness Calls was also put into place in order not to offend the hunting god. When a new hunter visit's the camp and harvests their first deer or hog, blood from the animal is placed on their face to mark such a glorious occasion. This tradition has been passed down for hundreds of years and I do not know about you, but the last thing we plan to do is upset the hunting god! There are other traditions we practice, but for hunting season these are the three most important. I am sure that every camp has traditions and if you like, feel free to share them with us.
