Campfires? Do You Use Them?

[overton]

Who here at MM likes actual campfires when outdoors hunting, fishing, scouting and other outdoor activities? I think of the campfire before I ever get to the camp spot. I use a cabover camper so it's not really for warmth or cooking it's for my soul to speak. During a slow day of hunting I think about the evenings campfire. Standing around and talking and BSing with friends and family. My brother is even more of a nut about them as if we stop and rest while hunting more than say 5 minutes out comes the lighter, a real pyro I guess.
Those who stay in town at motels are missing out IMO.
And yes I have stayed in motels.


Ransom

 

[ClorideRUS]

Ya, we like camp fires, BIG camp fires. Little known factiod: If your fire is hot enough you can burn your beer cans that way you don't have haul them all out! Learned that one from my bud Al Gore.

RUS

 

[overton]

>Ya, we like camp fires, BIG
>camp fires. Little known factiod:
>If your fire is hot
>enough you can burn your
>beer cans that way you
>don't have haul them all
>out! Learned that one from
>my bud Al Gore.
>
>RUS

Little know fact: ALgore is a southerner, crap!

There is an old Indian adage that goes like this: Indian build small fire and cook food, white man builds big fire and cooks self. I'm more white than Indian so.....


Ransom

 

[lymanboy]

haha, the campfire is a must...we stay in a cabin most of the time in WA, but outta state the good ol wall tent..the campfire is the best part of the trip...

 

[gb22]

When my son goes, we usually build a campfire, for all those "attitudinal" and fun reasons that have been mentioned.

When I really go after a deer, I often go by myself and I almost NEVER build a fire.

 

[TripleK]

LAST EDITED ON Nov-13-07 AT 11:32AM (MST)[p]Are you kidding? The campfire is the heart and soul of any good hunting/camping trip! That's where we gather at any time of day, but especially at night. I remember as a kid I couldn't WAIT to get around that campfire as soon as I got to camp. "IS there a fire goin?", was always our first question as we rolled up into camp and it usually was. My grandpa used to get the fire going so big and so hot we'd have to stand back about 10 feet. Those were great fires(yes, Rus..beer can burners. LOL). He had a buddy who camped clear across the canyon from us and we could see their fire from ours at night. They had a running joke about who built the bigger fire.

Gathering wood was fun, too. It was a chance for us, as young teenagers, to get to drive and go somewhere on our own
(only out in the Book Cliffs though). It used to piss me off when we were out looking for deer though and my dad would stop the truck short and say, "OOOhh! Look at that one!" and I thought he was talking about a big buck or something and all he was looking at was some stump that would make a big fire. LOL

Now that I'm older (I'm not grown up so I'm not saying I'm a grown up yet...lol), I can't WAIT to put the kids to bed so I can go enjoy the fun around the campfire. Camping and hunting kinda sucks w/out the fire.

Jenn

 

[TripleK]

LAST EDITED ON Nov-13-07 AT 12:15PM (MST)[p]Now that we're older, my cousins and I just rehash all those best campfire memories too. Our dads, grandparents and uncles sure left us some good stuff to talk about.

We always listened to the World Series on the radio around the campfire, too. And had a betting pool. The best was the joke telling though. My uncle was full of great jokes. I probably shouldn't have heard half of them. LOL

In fact...we love our campfires so much, a friend has immortalized one for us. This hangs on my wall. That stump in the background w/the cow skull on it was named Joe. He made a grand fire. Joe was good...Joe was warm. LOL

Jenn

 

[nickman]

Why would you go camp somewhere and not have a fire?

I almost always have an old washing machine tub, a half 50 gal drum, or some kind of fire container along. You can cook over them, boil water to bathe with (after the 4th day, of course)and they give you something to rest your feet on so you can melt your boots.

Generally, we leave the container at the campsite when we leave, providing it is a well used campsite.

Too many years as a fireman, I guess. An open fire is not a good idea, so we try to get people to use a container.

 

[huntindude]

Ransom, why do you pick such controversial subjects all the time?

Did the whitecoats pick 202 up at last? he hasn't posted anything stupid for us to argue about for a while now. getting dull around here and I have a week before I head to AZ.

Oh yeah, campfires are essential to a camp unless the fire danger is too high. then you put a flashlight in a red bag and sit around it.

 

[overton]

>Ransom, why do you pick such
>controversial subjects all the time?
>
>
> Did the whitecoats pick 202
>up at last? he hasn't
>posted anything stupid for us
>to argue about for a
>while now. getting dull around
>here and I have a
>week before I head to
>AZ.
>
> Oh yeah, campfires are essential
>to a camp unless the
>fire danger is too high.
>then you put a flashlight
>in a red bag and
>sit around it.
>
>
>

Dude

Just trying to find middle gound. When I debate with you the ground is always slippery and tilted.
Good luck on your hunt.


Ransom

 

[TripleK]

>
> Oh yeah, campfires are essential
>to a camp unless the
>fire danger is too high.
>then you put a flashlight
>in a red bag and
>sit around it.
>
LOL Flashlight in a red bag. JUst ain't the same ambience is it? lol

Most times in the summer on the Forest around here campfires are banned except for fires in campground pits. So, in summer- we usually go w/out a fire when we camp or hunt.

I'm talking a Book Cliffs fall fire though. The fire danger usually isn't too extreme in late October and through November when we're out there and there is usually snow on the ground in November out there, too.


Jenn

 

[AndymanSavage]

Didn't have one for the first time on this deer hunt. Every time I got back to camp I was too tired, so it was straight into the camper to sleep. Seemed like more fun when I was younger.

Andy

-----------------------------------------------
http://www.trophyblogger.com/Andymansavage

 

[BuckSnort]

Heck yeah! gotta have a fire. Post #5 pretty much took the words outta my mouth.

Here's a nice one after a long hard day of back packing. Dont mind the beer cans (or duck call)

 

[jmcenulty]

There ain't nothing like a good campfire. Here is a picture from one of our scouting trips in August.

We didn't even wait until dark to get her going and notice the dutch oven. You can't forget the dutch oven.

 

[TripleK]

>
>and
>notice the dutch oven. You
>can't forget the dutch oven.
>
Check! got one in my pic too. LOL

 

[RACKMASTER]

only to warm up bessy's butt cheeks!
rm

 

[jmcenulty]

>>
>>and
>>notice the dutch oven. You
>>can't forget the dutch oven.
>>
>Check! got one in my pic
>too. LOL


I see it. Way to go.
Tk I don't know if you have made this but here is a recipe for monkey bread. I usually make if for breakfast time permitting and the kids love it.
Line the pan with aluminum paper. Cut up biscuits in fourths and drop them in the pan. Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon over the top. Cut up a stick of butter and spread the pieces over the brown sugar. Cook about 40 minutes depending on how many coals you use.

 

[TripleK]

> here
>is a recipe for monkey
>bread.

Oooo...thanks! I'm going to try this the day after Thanksgiving(we spend the whole holiday out in the Book Cliffs). It's my day to cook breakfast and I wanted to do something different. This will be perfect!

Jenn

 

[hogliver]

It's all about the fire. We hunted this year early archery in Nevada area 10. The Forest Service kiboshed all fires. I am not going to say the hunt sucked, because it was a good time. But the lack of a campfire definitely put a damper on the trip.

 

[MortgageMan]

We never have a fire on hunting trips. Only on rare occasions. This is just the way my dad is and the way it was for us growing up. But camping trips we usually always have a fire.

 

[BLooDTRaCKeR]

Yeah, I like fire too. In fact, this year during the elk hunt, I hunted 7 days before killing my elk and every day while out in the woods, I built a fire around lunch time to dry out and warm up. It sure gave me the boost I needed to get through the cold evenings. Having dry feet while watching the sun set on your favorite honey hole sure helps take the edge off those cold sunsets at 10,000 feet in October. never had a campfire back at camp this year because we had a trailer to warm up in and we would arise at 4:30 am and get back from hunting at 9:00 pm. No time or energy to build a fire and watch it burn, so I did that during the day to pass the slow time.

 

[elkantlers]

It isn't camping if you don't have a fire...

 

[CAelknuts]

As much as I love a good campfire, we never have one when archery hunting. When we're rifle hunting, yeah, I love a good campfire. I just won't do it when it's early season and we hope to be very close to elk.