My Favorite Hunting Shelter

[Swede]

Some hunters camp under a tarp and some bring along a 32-foot Holiday Rambler. Both have their place and their advantages and disadvantages. My favorite shelter is my 12' X 14' white A wall tent. It is less portable than a tarp for sure, but far easier than a travel trailer. It is large enough for two or three people to spread out, but I can set it up by myself in a few minutes. With a good wood stove, or Mr. Heater propane furnace, it stays nice and warm on cold days in archery season. I have a separate awning to cook under and another tent if I need more space or if I need additional sleeping space. Those little one or two person tents or tarps are alright for a backpack hunt or weekend outing, but the A wall is just right for a long hunt.
All of that said I know we all have different hunts and travel from many and diverse places to get to where we want to camp. So, what is your favorite hunting shelter?

[7mmfan]

Like you said, it varies.

On long hunts where we stay in base camp, our 15x18 Davis Tent with stove can't be beat. That dry heat and room to spread out and dry out after cold wet days sure is a luxury.

During late summer/early fall backpack hunts I prefer my 2-man backpacking tent. It weighs barely over 2# so I don't even notice it, and it keeps the bugs off me.

On later season backpack hunts, I like my 4-man silnylon floorless teepee with titanium woodstove. It's a palace for 2 men in the mountains. With a 10' 6" square footprint though, it can sometimes be difficult to find a large enough flat spot to set it up.

If I'm doing a solo short weekend hunt somewhere, I frequently will just sleep in the back of my truck with the canopy. It's arguably much bigger than my backpacking tent, and with a buddy heater lit in the morning, it heats up nicely to get moving.

This next October, I am likely going to embark on our first ever family hunting trip with my wife and two sons to Idaho. We will take the travel trailer on this one.

[wawhitey]

This is the view from my favorite hunting shelter
Ive since cut up and burned that dead spruce that fell across my shooting lane.
Its a pretty fancy blind. Got a woodstove, toilet, shower, kitchen, the works.
Ive taken a lion, a bobcat, 2 bucks and i dont know how many coyotes from this base camp hunting shelter.

[Lefty]

I would have stayed longer in my Montana camp if I had a wall tent on the greasy mountian side could have been a wild ride
I have grown to love washing or showering nightly in my camper. Ive been camped twice this year places others won't go. Short trailer, larger wheels, and driving slow..
Ive spent hundreds of nights in a tent, back of a truck, on the ground,,,,,, heat and a mattress are wonderful

I do the same thing when bear hunting, ease my way in,, While I have stayed in some Motels while on the hunt, its nice to pull over, and park. and turn the heat on wherever I am.

Easy to camp where I am
This year over 80 nights hunting, snow geese, ducks elk,

Stuck in SD. Just turn the gas on, turn on the heat,,, lift the dog into the bunk and were ready for the night.

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[Lefty]

This is the view from my favorite hunting shelter
Ive since cut up and burned that dead spruce that fell across my shooting lane.
Its a pretty fancy blind. Got a woodstove, toilet, shower, kitchen, the works.
Ive taken a lion, a bobcat, 2 bucks and i dont know how many coyotes from this base camp hunting shelter.

Im envious ,,, but my wife won't go for it..

[Elkhunttoo]

If I am by myself I love camping right inside of my pickup or suv. Super easy and moble.

[wawhitey]

If I am by myself I love camping right inside of my pickup or suv. Super easy and moble.

Good as it gets. Got a canopy, a bed rug mat, pillows, and a couple -20°f sleeping bags in the bed of my truck. Ready to rock.

[Swede]

I have overnight camped in my pickup, but without good insulation underneath, it is cold. When I say "good insulation"; I am not referring to just a blanket or quilt under my sleeping bag. If it is not raining or snowing out, I would rather sleep on the ground. Just my opinion.

[WapitiTalk1]

GREAT thread John.

[wawhitey]

I have overnight camped in my pickup, but without good insulation underneath, it is cold. When I say "good insulation"; I am not referring to just a blanket or quilt under my sleeping bag. If it is not raining or snowing out, I would rather sleep on the ground. Just my opinion.

Did you have a canopy? In september i sleep in the bed of my truck and barely use a light sleeping bag. And i sleep back there nice and cozy in the winter, with the windows cracked, with a memory foam pad and a couple sleeping bags. Bed of my truck is the spoiled princess camping. Im not sleeping in a tent on the ground anymore unless i have a really good reason. Like a 180" buck living several miles from a spot i can park my truck. The hotel le chevrolet is luxurious.

[saddlesore]

All time favorite is a 12 x 15 wall tent with a good wood stove at least five miles from a trailhead . As I aged, I ventured toward more comfort. Now it is a pop up slide in truck camper. No shower, but stove, refrigerator, heater. Comfortable mattress and I can lay in bed and reach over and turn the heater on.

If I was physically able though , I would retrnn to the wall tent in a minute

[Swede]

When I was getting cold it was freezing outside and I had no foam under my sleeping bag. The bag was ample for freezing conditions when I slept on the ground, but not in the truck. I would have liked to have tried the memory foam and a good pad underneath.
Like Saddlesore, I do not shower in my tent or elsewhere. I heat some water and wet a washcloth. I soap it up then scrub my bod. After that I remove the soap. The water I have in a small basin stays soap free. After washing my bod, I moisten my hair, wash it and rinse the same as I do on my hide.

[7mmfan]

Truck bed camping with a foam pad and warm bag is about as easy as it gets. Add in a small buddy heater and it's dang near luxurious.

[Tigger]

Love truck bed camping! Mine is a Hotel le Ford, but very similar to wawhitey's Hotel Le Chevrolet except better. You can tell because of the way it is.

I have a rubber mat and use a 3" air pad and if it is really cold, a wool blanket under the sleeping bag. Oh man, that is good sleeping. In fact, I spent part of my honeymoon with that sleeping arrangement in Yellowstone!

[>>>---WW---->]

I'm lucky enough to have only a short drive to my hunting area. So home sweet home is my camp. Plus I have a wonderful wife of over50 years to look forward to when I get home every evening.

[Lefty]

If I am by myself I love camping right inside of my pickup or SUV. Super easy and mobile.

Good as it gets. Got a canopy, a bed rug mat, pillows, and a couple -20°f sleeping bags in the bed of my truck. Ready to rock.

I've done a lot of it, My wife even stayed in the pickup under a shell. teens, 20's, and 30's.
I made sure she was comfortable. some high tech closed cell foam with a true R-value of 11, The Cabelas Outfitter 2.5" self-inflating pad supposedly R9 Realistically 2-6, maybe, Costco memory foam Bed sheet, Sometimes blankets But cold trips she has a -5 Big Johnson I have a Plus 5 Big Piney ( at one time same company) then a cheapo bag or blanket to toss over us.
I use to winter camp with Boy Scouts Always some closed cell pad first then maybe scrap carpet or rugs then what ever piece of junk pad their parents sent along

[Lefty]

One of my most successful shelters, 500 geese in 4 years

I thinn my daughters killed more geese out of this pit box than I did.

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2 bears and two bucks in 13 months

[Lefty]

Likely hunted this 92" x30 pit more than any other, easily 20 days that were -15 So maybe my favorite "shelter" sliding lids, occasionally heat

A morning in the blind "shelter "

And since we purchased the little toy hauler I have spent a lot of cooler nights outdoors

[Billy Goat]

great thread. I've stayed in cabins, bunkhouses, a trailer, and several tents. overall, my favorite has been a 16x16 army tent, though we sold those this off season and are transitioning to traditional canvas wall tents because they are lighter and easier to deploy.

[Swede]

Billy Goat: Here are some unsolicited thoughts for what they are worth.
As I am sure you know, there are several ways to reduce the tent weight you deal with. These include 1. a smaller tent(s), 2. lighter material than canvas, or 3. lighter weight canvas. You can have the same space as your 16X16 tent by having multiple tents.
Are you reducing weight because you do not need the space or just trying to get something easier to set up? I went with a 12X14 A wall tent because I could set it up by myself. I think I could have set up a little larger one on my own, but for me 12X14 is heavy enough to handle, carry and load. If you need more space than a 12X14 tent, I recommend getting two.

[Lefty]

My hunting shelters have changed over the years . Much had to to with the amount of time available to hunt . For big game, I was generally 1-3 hour drive to the hunt location, friday night hunt, them sleep overnight and Saturday hunt. All that was needed was a warm place to sleep,, a pickup cap or tent. The whole day otherwise was just hunting.. none of this hunt camp stuff,,, just hunt. I had all week to prep,,, so every waking moment I could hunt
Goose hunting a layout is a shelter. Yesterday was a good example 10-30 mph winds waiting on geese ( that never showed) and snow... Most guys sat in their trucks

Like may guys a bit of ADD /HD I had a hard time sitting. a pop-up ground blind solves that if I need to stay in one place,

But overnights: generally my self and my dog,, I love the RV,, a more relaxed and les effort staying the duration.

I was complimented this year: "You're the crazy mother at the top with the little RV"

Yep I can sit on my cooler and be hunting.

[Lefty]

This is the view from my favorite hunting shelter

It's a pretty fancy blind. Got a woodstove, toilet, shower, kitchen, the works.
Ive taken a lion, a bobcat, 2 bucks and i dont know how many coyotes from this base camp hunting shelter.

Always thought I would have something similar, Im quite jealous.

Three of my close friends each developed their property as big food plots.
Tim got a pic Christmas eve of 5 wolves and a fisher at his place in Minnesota.
Todd doesn't have much acrage but has the back yard set up to kill the blacktails from the bedroom
Larry goes though a lot of deer and turkey food.