Camp Abahati: A Place, A Destination, A State of Mind

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Camp Abahati - book excerpt

Chapter 1

We Must Be Doing Something Right

or

Hannah Jo’s Speech

As my Mom, and millions of moms,  used to say….”The proof is in the pudding.” 

When you hear or read something like the following speech, you know you are doing something right.  We (the Camp Elders) had firsthand knowledge that we were instilling the “right stuff” in our own kids.  We had that direct parent to child relationship so we could watch them grow and mature.  We knew we were doing something right. 

But was that enough?  Were our traditions going to get passed on down the line?  Would our grandkids even want to come to camp?  Would they hunt?

 Hannah Jo,  Clint’s daughter and Elder Darryl’s granddaughter  gave this speech and won district competition with it and went  to the State of Nebraska Speech Contest and finished fourth in state.  Obviously we think she should have placed first, no matter what the other speeches were.

What follows is a seventeen year old girls perspective on deer hunting and more importantly, on Deer Camp.

“Picture this: it's five-something in the morning. I drag myself out of bed, knowing I only get a few days like this each year.  I grab my gear and head out the door with my best friend, my dad.  Next thing I know, my boots are crunching through the frozen wheat stubble as we head to our blind. I patiently wait and say a prayer  for the day while I see the   world come to life. I listen to the bullfrogs in the creek, I watch squirrels chase each other from tree to tree, and I feel the cool air begin to warm.  After a short time that seems like forever, we hear a rush in the bushes. We see gray shadows emerging from the trees.  The chill that dives through my spine as my heart starts to race takes the November  cold from my limbs  and it is my favorite feeling in the  world.

When I was a little girl, every year I looked forward to hunting season. From scouting for deer with my dad after football practice  to staying at the lodge on opening weekend with all of our hunting family, I couldn't get enough of hunting and everything that goes with it. As it turns out, not much has changed since then. Hunting has had a huge impact on me by teaching me good morals, responsibility and how to enjoy the outdoors.   I  can't imagine what  life would  be  like without  it.

However, I know that not everyone thinks that this sport is as great as I do. Hunting has caused many controversial arguments in America and today I would like to explain  why hunting doesn't deserve the bad reputation society has given  it. Hunting is a positive conservation management tool because it is great for the environment, it helps to raise money for many important organizations,  and it teaches many life values.

     First, let's discuss the environmental impact of hunting. The process of hunting is good for the environment in many ways. It is especially important to the species that you are hunting. Most people think killing animals is cruel and inhumane, but have you ever thought about what would happen if we didn't?  Without hunting, species  become overpopulated which results in starvation and diseases such as rabies, and in some cases these diseases  can  spread  to  other species, even humans. Land and crop damage comes from overpopulation;  which  also results  in lack of  food  supply for other  animals.   Starvation  is  a  far  more  torturous  death  than that brought upon by hunters. Overpopulation can also cause a danger to humans. As a herd of animals grows, individuals  get pushed into cities and onto highways. According to The North America n  Model  of Wildlife  Conservation website,  deer collisions  kill  more than 200 motorists  and  cost $10 billion dollars  a  year.   For  every  deer  hit  by  a  motorist,  causing damage and inju ry, a hunter can safely harvest six deer. On the other  end  of  the  spectrum,  many  precautions  are taken  to  be sure  animal  species  don't become  endangered.  Things  that prevent this from happening are laws and limits on how many permits  can be  sold  for a  certain  hunting  season.  Wildlife

management organizations know how many animals are in the area by counting and monitoring herds. This is how they know how many permits to sell and what bag limits will be set for the season.

Hunting is a great way to control the population of a herd of animals, but it is also a wonderful method of helping  our human population. Fundraising is done regularly through organizations that support hunting. Donations to groups like Ducks Unlimited raised $440 million dollars a year to conservation efforts. This money can be used to improve the environment and educate young hunters about how to safely participate in the sport. Altogether, hunters pay more than $1.6 billion dollars a year towards conservation methods. Donations are not the only way conservation is receiving money. State licenses and fees are mandatory for every hunter  in our country; together this sums up about $796 million  dollars a year. So, where does all this money go?  A large portion of the money received from permits goes towards preservation of wildlife habitats all around the nation. This money also helps to support 680,000 jobs nationwide. These jobs  are often with groups such as Pheasa nts Forever, and cover a wide range of jobs for people of all ages, from game wardens  to biologists.

One of the biggest benefits to hunting is the many life skills that is has taught me. Hunting is pretty common in my community, and it brings people together each year during the various seasons. Hunting has helped teach me about self­ confidence, preparation, and diligence. It has taught me lessons about the value of life. In today's society people spend so much time caught up in media and technology that we forget that life is important and sacred. I believe there is no greater way to learn about life than sitting on the creek bottoms, watching it firsthand.  Learning to hunt has taught me responsibility. Working my way up from carrying a stick to now a 243 mil. rifle, I have experienced this firsthand.

Experiencing what it means to take an animal's life can change   a person for the better. Our ancestors had a great appreciation for life because of their dependence on nature to survive; they understood the cost and the work that is involved. I think that all people need this lesson as well.  Memories made  while hunting with my family will be ones I will carry with me for a lifetime, and I hope that someday I  can  make  a positive  impact on  my  children's  life  through  passing  on  these traditions.

As you can see my life has definitely been improved through the tradition of hunting. The environment has also been improved by hunting. Without it, we would have overpopulations of many animal species resulting in animal suffering, more unwanted animals on our highways and land, and no wildlife management support in our area. I hope to have made an impact on your opinion of hunting today by informing you that hunting is great conservation  tool,  an important factor in maintaining the environment, and a great method of teaching people how to value life.”

Chapter 2 - “Camp Abahati”

I would imagine you are curious about the name of our camp and the title of this book.  Unless you are a Robert Ruark fan you may have never heard the word “Abahati”.   Abahati is a Swahili word that means “Happy Camp” or “Lucky Camp”.

My brother  Camp Elder Larry re-introduced me to Robert Ruark’s writing back in the 1980’s.  I remembered reading his “Old Man and The Boy” series in “Field and Stream”  back when I was in high school but I never realized  he had written so many great books, and I had not read any of them.

I started searching for his books and collected all of them.  The first one I read was  his classic book “Horn of the Hunter”.  A non-fiction book about one of his safari’s to Africa.   That is where the “Camp Abahati” name comes from.  We stole it!  It fits!

“Deer Camp” didn’t start out as Camp Abahati.  It was “Mervyn and Jo’s place”.  Jo is  Camp Elder Darryl’s big sister.  Darryl and his sister Jo are distant cousins of ours and Darryl and Larry went to school together from fifth  grade to graduation.   That is some ancient history as those two old goats are long in the tooth and well into their 70s today!  They do tell some entertaining stories at camp.   But what is said at camp stays at camp!  There is an entire chapter devoted to that very subject.

There is no possible way for us to ever repay Mervyn and Jo for all the years of hunting and more importantly all the years of friendship.  We have eaten meals with them, slept in their home, showered in their home when the going and the odors just got too rough even for us, shot the pheasants, quail, deer and turkeys that they have raised and all for a “Thank You”.  At least for many years that was all.  The last few years we started taking up a free will offering from everyone at camp to give to them.  It is always hard to get them to accept it.  There have been times when we just stuffed the envelope in Mervyn’s bib overalls and quickly left the house. 

So one more time, Merv and Jo, Thank you so much for all the years of hunting, the meals, especially the showers and the friendship.

Jo and Mervyn put together a great ranch/farm over the years.  They raised kids, Charolais cattle, milo, corn and wheat for years.   For many years it was all dryland farming, then along came center pivots, and now back to dryland on most of it.  Along with that the creek bottom ground was very fertile and raised some quality crops.  It also raised some quality deer, turkey, and quail. 

 Darryl has hunted here the longest.  Larry and I started coming out to hunt pheasants  and quail in the early 1960’s.  It was phenomenal hunting in those early years for upland game.  It was not unusual to walk the creek bottom and put up five or six covey of quail in a morning.  Then we’d hunt the singles walking back in the hills up in the pasture.  We would then go “up top” and pheasant hunt the ditches and row crop edges.  No one has really come up with a good answer as to why we lost those birds,  but we did.  The good news is that they do appear to be making a slow comeback. 

In 1965 I was in my first year of college and I really didn’t have much interest in deer hunting at that time.  I didn’t own a rifle, and I couldn’t afford one. And  I was afflicted with a strange condition.  I was in love.  Her name is Candy and I’m still afflicted.  We’ll celebrate 50 years of wedded bliss in 2017.

But Larry and our very good friend and hunting buddy Rod Falldorf put in for that first season in 1965 and both drew permits.  That hunt is detailed in the chapter “First Kills”.

And here we are, over  fifty years later.  Sadly, Rod passed away in 2010 but he killed his share of deer and  pheasants and turkeys over the years.  Rod fell in love with spring turkey hunting.  He was a great caller and enjoyed the thrill of working birds into the decoys. 

Camp wasn’t named “Abahati”  until around 1990…almost twenty five years after the first recorded kill by one of our Camp Elders, Larry.  And 25 years ago as I write this.  That adds up to over fifty years of hunting the same creek bottom and pastures.  Fifty Years!

I always capitalize the words” Camp Elder”.  The Camp Elders are very important to the life of Camp Abahati.  Not only did they start it but they continue in its life today.  They help pass on the traditions to their own children and now their grandchildren, the other Camp Elder’s grandchildren, a few friends and of course they do most of the cooking and, thank God, only some of the cleaning.  The “youngsters” (not capitalized intentionally) have gotten involved in the cleaning, mostly in self defense.  After all, we do clean once a year and sometimes twice and I know Larry and I did pay more attention and used more Ammonia water in our bedroom than in theirs. The “youngsters” are getting a bit grey around the edges and as that has occurred they have taken on more duties and responsibilities.  It’s mighty nice to see that. 

Some day  Larry and I might hand over the cooking chores but I don’t see that happening for a few more years.  Larry has been known as either “Cookie” or “Wishbone” for as long as most of us can remember.   Wishbone was the camp cook on the TV series Rawhide back in the 1960’s.  Other than being taller than Wishbone, Larry even looks like him.  A little bit.

Author’s note

This story is true. Not even the names have been changed. I may end up being kicked out of camp for telling “what happens at camp”, but it’s a risk I am willing to take. After all, I’m innocent! 

Our deer camp, Camp Abahati, started in 1965. Since then we are in our 51st year of hunting the same piece of ground. Not many deer camps can lay claim to that. And two of the three original hunters are still hunting there. You would have to look hard to find that at any other camp. The group has grown over those 51 years to include two more Camp Elders, including yours truly, and their offspring which now numbers 15 children and grandchildren. All of whom have killed their first deer on that property or in the surrounding area. 

There are stories that will excite you. Stories that will make you laugh. Stories that will make you shake your head and think, “did they REALLY do that?” 

The foreword to the book was written by a good friend and outstanding writer, Daniel Lamoreux. Daniel and I have shared a lot over the years. A few hunts, some fishing trips, some fine cigars and some great whiskey. He is a friend tried and true, and his foreword is worth the price of this book. 

If you are a deer hunter I know you will enjoy reading this tale. If you aren’t a deer hunter the stories of family and friends makes for some great reading. It’s not about the killing; it’s about the hunting, the friendship, and the camaraderie!