Onion Pickers Deer Camp 2019

Onion Pickers Deer Camp 2019

[@colinbrown7528]

Definitely a dying breed. Old school deer camps like this are sadly becoming a thing of the past. Where I hunt In northern Wisconsin many of the deer camps that were around our camp when I was younger are now abandoned. My family still runs and old school deer camp in Wisconsin’s northwoods. I’ll be hunting out of that camp until I die and I’ll do my best to pass the tradition along to my children.

[@sciencetube150]

We have a few years left on our odometers. But, yes, an empty cabin on Opening Day is definitely a concern.

[@BlackCobra331]

Amen! What county you in?

[@colinbrown7528]

Kyle Kolpacki our camp is in Northern Oconto County.

[@gregoryhunts3006]

Watching you drive that road into camp really makes me appreciate my 10 minute drive on a paved road to my 85 acres of hunting land. Man that's a rough road.

[@sciencetube150]

10 minute drive? Paved Road? Oh! GoFkYerself! Gregory!

[@talltimber4577]

That drive into camp is what makes it so special. I would take that drive over a 10 minute paved road any day.

[@brianhuber4124]

Glad too see the jeep and chevy still breaking trail! Love the videos. Wish I had a deer camp like this

[@sciencetube150]

The Jeep and the Chevy star for us every deer camp. I think they are going to outlast us.

[@Timr45_70]

I've been checking for days to see when you post this video , You guys are celebrities in my books ! Hope your hunt was as fun as the video made it look ! Cheers till next year !

[@sciencetube150]

Thanks. We saw plenty of healthy does which is good news for the future. But old age is short. I saw a button buck and other guys saw healthy bucks but at a distance. It's our deer camp. We are not going anywhere. The paucity of bucks may be coming to an end. We are hoping that this changes in our favor. It's a race against time. But - more importantly - our deer camp is a tradition that dates back to WWII guys who are now ghosts watching over us in real time. Abandoning our deer camp would be like abandoning them. Our cabin is our sacred church.

[@cabotbluegill]

i look foward to this every year

[@sciencetube150]

Thank you, Cabotbluegill. The guys look forward to your comments. It means a lot. We know that we are the last of a dying breed. And we choose to return in the spirit of camaraderie and also to honor our forefathers who founded our deer camp.

[@sciencetube150]

@W TF? We have taken 3 deer in the past 6 years that I have been with the group. But the last 2 years have been bone dry.

[@cabotbluegill]

@@sciencetube150 that happens but its the experence of a old time deer camp that counts

[@sciencetube150]

@@cabotbluegill The experience is everything. The friendships even more. A deer would be nice and exciting. Maybe next year. White Sox fans know this 'hope-despair-hope' routine by heart.

[@sarahnephew2055]

Any chance of a deer camp video for the 2023 deer season

[@stephenhesse536]

My favorite time of the year! Its like Christmas with guns!

[@sciencetube150]

Like! "Like Christmas with guns."

[@sciencetube150]

I'm the photographer and I had back surgery. Also, I am a junior meteorologist and I warned the guys that horrific snow storms were coming. . Like all he-men warrior types, they went. Opening Day was fine. But the snow piled up to the point the he-men started crying our of fear for their lives. (I just made that up) They broke camp early and drove out with the help of an Argo. True story.

[@Timr45_70]

Ahhhh Come on , its almost Christmas , I'm checking two or three times a day to see if the 2020 hunt is on here yet ! I look forward to your great video of the traditions and friends getting together each year. Hope everyone was able to make it and had a great time like you guys always do . Merry Christmas and happy New Year to you and all your family's .

[@sciencetube150]

Oh, Tim'r. In 11 months you will get your long-delayed wish. A good man like you should never be deprived of the adventures of the Onion Pickers. 2020 should be stricken from the history books. 'Twenty-twenty' should never be uttered by any human ever again. Even if it pertains to eyesight. Our deer friend, Rod, has learned that all he has to do is to sit in his rocking chair at home with his cellphone on Opening Day. Somebody is going to call him on his cellphone and tell him they have a wounded buck in their backyard. Rod, being a true hunter/gentleman, will leap into his truck. That's how he bags his bucks these days. True story. Myself, I sat all alone in my blind and froze my ass off. Not a creature was stirring. Not even a mouse. The other Onion Pickers mourned the loss of Deer Camp 2020 with Scotch. One caught Covid-19. Happily he survived and you will see his truly ugly face in 11 months. Next year I will have new and improved camera and equipment. Keep yourself alive. We need good guys like you.

[@Timr45_70]

@@sciencetube150 It saddens me to read that you didn't get to enjoy deer camp this year., We kept the tradition alive at my camp with everyone (4 of us ) getting checked prior. Covid aside it was a strange year even in the woods. Really hope you guys get to enjoy your camp and mother nature together in 2021 ! I keep watching your hunts of years gone by always trying to gain every bit of knowledge I can from them. You fellas truly are gentlemen in the woods , thanks for the inspirations with your videos.

[@sciencetube150]

@@Timr45_70 The Onion Pickers will be back, Tim'r. You can count on that. Let's have the greatest 2021 ever (after our vaccinations). But, for now , love the one you're with. Love the one you're with.

[@Timr45_70]

@@sciencetube150 I truly hope you guys made it to deer camp this year, and that everyone is well. Always look forward to watching you guys and seeing your camp . Happy New Years , hope you are all well.

[@sciencetube150]

@@Timr45_70 Thanks Tim'r . The olde guys are doing fine. Even more ornery and cantankerous. Being olde guys they earn the right to be grumpy. Don got a buck, as usual. The rest of us got skunked, as usual. The camaraderie was great, as usual.

[@mountaintenhuntingclub7484]

I look forward to this video every year! Looks like you guys had a great time. Our deer camp in PA starts this Friday and watching this gets me even more excited.

[@sciencetube150]

You saw how rough it was to get into deer camp. I didn't video the scenes getting out because I was too exhausted to film. I will leave it to your imagination. I, for one, am too old for this shit.

[@russellfraser9826]

Reminds me of Deer camp in Utah, We didn't have a cabin, Tents only @ 6,000+ altitude with horses. We hunted at timberline @ about 9,000 feet. Takes a couple of days to acclimate to altitude. My friend and I were the young bucks in our early 40's. The elders were late 60's and 70's. They are gone now, but we're tough Hunter's and taught us a lot of skills hunting the high lonesome. We were the newbies and had to take care of camp chores, Cut, split, firewood. Keep the fire going 24-7, Tend to the horses, feed, water, pack out mule deer back to camp. We had a large deer down at dusk but light was fading fast by the time I got up there with the horse. They hiked back to the trail head. We hung the deer and I stayed on the mountain that night .Too treacherous to pack through timber so I hobbled the horse and stayed the night. Mountain lions frequent the area, so we decided that was best. We carried a small survival pack for this reason. Pretty much on your own in the back country. Loved every hunt with them boys, Good memories, and learned a lot of knowledge being around them. Spread the ashes of one in the high country where he liked too glass a ridge line. Ten hour trip up and back. His eternal watch. Made me a better man!!!

[@sciencetube150]

Great story. Russell. I will party with the guys on New Years Eve. I will show them your post. God bless.

[@ryanbrand3946]

Wow, how a little tree can cause such a big dilemma.

[@sciencetube150]

And you only saw a snippet of the whole conversation. Deer camp is like that. And you know what? The tree fell precisely on the 'X.'

[@bearclawbill8064]

why are you reluctant to do a follow up video on the onion pickers......we would like to know if all our still alive......wondering if they disbarred you from the group...

[@sciencetube150]

Sorry I didn't respond to you earlier, BearClaw. We are all still alive and I will be at deer camp again. Sorry about the hiatus, too. I smacked my snowmobile into a Yoooper tree the previous January 2020. I sort of messed up my innards. Worse, my SkiDoo 1200 was last seen smoking against the tree. I had one last look at the greatest snowmobile in the history of mankind on earth as I was leaving it behind inside the emergency sled. I waved it goodbye. By the time I got out of the hospital it was already dissected into spare parts. Never gave it a proper burial with a minister or even pall bearers. Anyway, I'm back.

[@thalleshoward3962]

There is nothing like deer camp.

[@SuperSlappy25]

Is this the upper peninsula?

[@sciencetube150]

Thalles Howard Deer camp is sacred

[@thalleshoward3962]

@@sciencetube150 Amen brother

[@sciencetube150]

@@SuperSlappy25 Yes, we are near Lake Superior between Ontonagon and Houghton.

[@joenagy5929]

If everyone spent one wk.end at deer camp , know the feeling .

[@CrabbyBill]

Looks like a great camp, thanks for sharing

[@talltimber4577]

No deer camp for 2020?

[@sciencetube150]

We are more disappointed than you. Even my annual snowmobile event (different set of guys) was canceled. Both due to Covid. We will be back - vaccinated and well, alive.

[@carolsiedell7349]

OMG, once again, as the only member of the Academy you know, I must insist on a title modification for it ever to be seen at Cannes: MUST mention glorious shocks of white hair.

[@sciencetube150]

This would hurt Carl's feelings since he has no hair. And he might be insulted by a powdered wig. But thanks for the suggestion. However, we are looking for an albino hunter who would be invisible in the snow.

[@400magnum9]

Any new videos of the Onion Pickers coming soon? Enjoy watching!

[@sciencetube150]

I believe I will be invited to the Onion Picker Deer Camp for opening day. So, yes, there will be a video this year.

[@btwarner2124]

I have some free stone for the driveway 😁

[@sciencetube150]

You're a good man, BT Warner. And we appreciate your kind thought. Question: Do you deliver? You're offer is generous and I just won a Christmas gift tonight, namely a box of Crown Royale. It's all yours in exchange for laying enough stone to stretch the 5-mile distance into our deer camp. Merry Christmas.

[@matthewlavigne2328]

Where's the 2020 video

[@1648jim]

You guys are doing it right!

[@sciencetube150]

Us guys could all pitch in equally and buy a helicopter to take us into our deer camp. But that would ruin the fun.

[@brandonlee5051]

Love the content, staying true to the hunting roots of your ancestors...my brother and I started a deer camp ladt year in hopes of having a camp like this every year with good family and friends... hope your surgery goes well for you today sir!

[@johnvincekjr437]

Will we ever see a onion pickers deer camp featured again?

[@sciencetube150]

After a two-year absence, I will be back to the Onion Pickers deer camp with even better video cameras this year.

[@gerritstell6248]

Nice camp. Would love to hunt with you folks.

[@sciencetube150]

We love our camp.

[@normankaster917]

LoL I haven't made it all the way yet.... But something tells me the new kid is going to be sleeping on the floor LoL.... Silly City boy

[@sciencetube150]

Tough kid. He slept in that tent. Sometimes the nighttime temperature got down to the high teens.

[@michaelhaulotte689]

Been waiting for this . What a awesome crew. Glad the cheese balls made it. Why didn’t you eat them ? Happy Thanksgiving to you all . Michigan was tough this year only saw 4 does.12 days in the woods and 4 does. I’m thankful for my family and hunting camp crew. They make it great. I did kill a bottle of Grey Goose.

[@sciencetube150]

The cheese balls were stale, I heard. Next year I am bringing to camp an inflatable 12-point Rubber Buckie to photograph. We saw lots of does. But we did get word that there is a buck about the size of an elk roaming our area. Hope springs eternal.

[@daisyladybug]

you guys better get some younger guys involved so your scared tradition doesn't fade out.

[@sciencetube150]

kevin janke Quite true.

[@sciencetube150]

We need more young hunters.

[@daisyladybug]

agreed. i have watched my hunting group slowly dwindle over the years.

[@matthewlavigne2328]

Any news on when the new deer camp video will be up!!!

[@sciencetube150]

The videographer is recovering from a hip replacement. Ear surgery tomorrow at 11 am. A few thoughts would be nice as I am the videographer

[@matthewlavigne2328]

Hoping all goes well for you and that you have a speedy recovery! 🙏

[@bearclawbill8064]

did the deer camp die////

[@sciencetube150]

One of our guys, Don, got a nice buck on the very last day. I'm still working on the video.

[@davepratt5456]

the drive in is always the best part....hahaha

[@sciencetube150]

You should have been with us for the drive out. Still not as grueling as the 2014 adventure.

[@kevinrmack44]

Love the video! You guys are my heros! We hunt south of you near Amasa. Fairly new tradition for us. Hoping make it generational.

[@sciencetube150]

Thanks, Kevin M. Sure, I go down 141 so I know Amassa. How's the hunting down there? Deer or no deer, we have fun in keeping with a tradition that goes back 65 years when the Ancient Ones discovered this empty logger's cabin shortly after WWII. True story.

[@johnkendall6962]

I hate cutting dead trees. They are so unpredictable and dangerous. Usually no good way to make a hinge .

[@sciencetube150]

As you can see, these guys are real pros. The tree landed precisely on the X. Besides: no tree, no firewood. No firewood, no fire. No fire, freeze our asses off.

[@jenerway7078]

I love this. It reminds me of a bunch boys enjoying a club house! So cool to continue to enjoy tradition year after year. Good luck fellas!

[@sciencetube150]

We have a sign on the side door that says "No Gurls.

[@reginaldwinsor2759]

Long may your big jib draw guys. Not my kind of hunting though.

[@terryporche8745]

You don’t need a deer killing with a crew like this. Look forward for their video each year. The Onion Pickers! What a motley crew. Love it. See y’all next year.

[@sciencetube150]

We are a bit short on good looks. But we eat well and nothing can break up our friendships.

[@CharleyThePlumber]

theres a few years of hunting experience in that group

[@sciencetube150]

Every buck we have taken dropped almost immediately. Sadly, two of our guys had to chase down a doe that was hit by an arrow prior to Opening Day, during bow season. They were summoned to take care of some hunter's bad aim with a bow. The doe must have suffered a lot. But I have also been inside a hog slaughterhouse, too. And I have seen terror upfront. The deer we harvested avoided a death by old age, disease, extreme winter weather, starvation or - in many cases in the UP - wolves.

[@jamesswick7534]

Why is this called onion pickers? What significance does that have? Just curious

[@sciencetube150]

The post WWII guys who founded this deer camp were really onion farmers in Grant, MI. I believe the 2014 Deer Pickers video was the one where I interviewed the last survivor, Dick Mouthan. Dick passed away last year.

[@djkingdwayne]

had to watch this again on nov 15th 2020,and just waiting for the 2020 deer camp..

[@sciencetube150]

We had to cancel deer camp this year, the first time probably going back to the 1950s when the Elders founded the camp. Too many insurmountable problems, especially pre-existing health issues and COVID among the oldsters (including myself). That doesn't mean I'm not going hunting. Tomorrow, in fact.

[@djkingdwayne]

@@sciencetube150 thats great good luck,and i know health issues real well..lol..stroke,cancer n use a walker..so your videos make my day,again good luck my friend,dwayne in ne ohio

[@denzerjeremy]

The big discussion after the hand was over is SOOOO Wisconsin.

[@sciencetube150]

These guys yammer over every nuance of every poker round. Bunch of old ladies, if you ask me. As for myself, I just sweep the pot immediately towards me after winning. I don't take any chances. Not with this sewing circle.

[@markv151]

Good times for the Onion Pickers ! Looks like ya got a Dylan fan in camp I hear ?

[@sciencetube150]

Always good times when the Sons of the Onion Pickers get to reassemble for our beloved deer camp

[@huntwisejdr793]

Boy that was some serious s*** you boys were all through to get into camp

[@sciencetube150]

What you saw was "getting into camp." Need I tell you what we went through "getting outta camp?"

[@jikrukowski8649]

Does Joe not hunt with you guys anymore?

[@djkingdwayne]

alrite boys been waiting a year for this...lol have a awesome holidays you all

[@sciencetube150]

Dwayne Woods ‘ppreciate your devotion to us Onion Pickers

[@tfishercanadianeh8738]

how old is the guy on the camera

[@sciencetube150]

Older than Father Time.

[@chasesullivan9055]

Lots of wolves in the U.P.

[@sciencetube150]

Michigan’s wolf population has remained relatively stable over the past four wolf surveys, the most recent of which occurred this past winter, Michigan DNR Wildlife Division officials said in a news release Thursday, June 14. DNR wildlife biologists estimate there was a minimum of 662 wolves found among 139 packs across the Upper Peninsula this past winter. The 2016 minimum population estimate was 618 wolves. “Based on our latest minimum population estimate, it is clear wolf numbers in Michigan remain viable and robust,” said Russ Mason, chief of the DNR’s wildlife division. “A similar trend is apparent in Wisconsin and Minnesota. The western Great Lakes states’ wolf population is thriving and has recovered.” Fifteen more wolf packs were found during this past winter’s survey than in 2016, but pack size has decreased slightly and now averages less than five wolves. The survey was conducted from December through April, before wolves had produced pups, and when the population is at its lowest point in the annual cycle. “As the wolf population in the Upper Peninsula has grown and spread out across the region, packs are situated closer together,” said Dean Beyer, a DNR wildlife research biologist who organizes the sampling and generates the wolf population estimate for the biannual survey. “This makes it harder to determine which pack made the tracks that were observed in adjacent areas. “Movement information we collect from GPS-collared wolves helps us interpret the track count results, because these data allow us to identify territorial boundaries. The minimum population estimate we generate is a conservative estimate, which takes these factors into account.” The wolf survey is completed by DNR Wildlife Division and U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services staff who search specific survey areas for wolf tracks and other signs of wolf activity, such as territorial marking or indications of breeding. In 2017-2018, approximately 63 percent of the Upper Peninsula was surveyed. After wolves returned naturally to the U.P. through migration from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ontario in the 1980s, the population rebounded remarkably over time. The pronounced long-term increase in wolf abundance is evident, despite human cause-specific mortality, such as poaching. However, over the past few years, Michigan’s minimum estimate has hovered between 600 and 700 wolves, which could be indicative of a stabilizing population. “Research suggests prey availability and the geographical area of the U.P. are the key limiting factors of wolf population expansion,” said Kevin Swanson, a wildlife management specialist with the DNR’s Bear and Wolf Program in Marquette. “This is proving to be true.” Since the winter of 1993-94, combined wolf numbers in Michigan and Wisconsin have surpassed 100, meeting federally established goals for population recovery. The Michigan recovery goal of a minimum sustainable population of 200 wolves for five consecutive years was achieved in 2004. Wolves in Michigan remain a federally-protected species which may only be killed legally in defense of human life.

[@airdrop1670]

Anyone bring a gun or just cards LOL

[@sciencetube150]

Gun? Gun? What gun? Maybe that's the reason why we left camp deerless.

[@airdrop1670]

@@sciencetube150 Lets see sleeping on couch , cutting down tree , playing cards and of course eating , when did you have time for deer lol , better luck next time ;)

[@bs431980]

No deer this time?? Beautiful photography

[@sciencetube150]

bs431980 If it was up to me I’d prefer more deer and less beautiful photography

[@bs431980]

sciencetube150 lol yep

[@talltimber4577]

No deer this year?

[@sciencetube150]

We saw a lot of does. Bill had a 10-pointer peer around a tree then took off before he could raise his 30.06. I saw a button buck (I think). I also saw a 6-pointer on my way back home in Wisconsin. What a beautiful specimen. Our deer camp. The tradition going back to WWII is far more important. It's darn near sacred.

[@talltimber4577]

I love your deer camp and look forward to your videos every year. I was raised in a deer camp in PA. It is long gone all the members passed away and it came up for sale when I was in the Army so I didn’t get a chance to buy it. I wouldn’t have been able to afford it at that time in my life. It was sad to hear the news that the camp had been sold. The original owner started the camp in the 20’s .The deer are just a bonus the deer camp is what makes it special. I will be watching for 2020!

[@markscott7554]

You guys are great, can relate for sure. Thanks from Tug Hill NY.

[@sciencetube150]

Mark Scott I hope it was entertaining for you

[@77bustoff]

I can only imagine the stories that camp has made all the way from ww2 . Keep it going onion pickers 👍