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Hatfield Camp - 2008
Please note: Hunt reports are posted in reverse order. The first hunt of the season is found at the bottom of the page. The most recent hunt is posted at the top.
Also note: click on a photo to enlarge it and to get more information
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Hunt 2 Dec. 20-22
When sportsmen are determined to go hunting with their kids, all manner of obstacles can be overcome to make it happen.
Such was the case with Lawrence Bryan and son, Jonathan from Red Bank, NJ together with Lawrence's old and dear friend, Jon Issacs (for whom Jonathan is named). Jon, who lives in Greenwood Village, CO brought along his nephew, Nick Isaacs who happens to reside in San Mateo, CA. So from coast-to-coast, the hunters descended on the Hatfield Camp shortly before Christmas.
With the kids just getting out of school for the holidays, the logistics and timing involved were nothing short of a moon-shot. From two different directions, both pairs arrived in camp way in the night, or better said, very early in the morning. Having hunted with Murry Hatfield before, they all knew their hardships would be worth their efforts, and never mind the hassle factor.
With but a couple hours sleep, they hit the ground running, and for the next three days, they collected six dandy bucks and several does, to boot.
It was downright cold for a couple of the hunting days. The strong north wind exacerbated the chill factor, but maybe the weather turned out to be a blessing for the deer movement.
Both Lawrence and Jon have vast hunting experience from Africa to all-over. They consistently do well at the Hatfield Camp, and it is always a treat to see both of them.
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Hunt 1 Nov. 12-16
Four hunters took four bucks on the 2008 kickoff hunt at the Hatfield Camp. It's hard to do better than that.
Two of the hunters, Mike Barrett and Jim Fitzgerald, live near Winchester, VA. The other two hunters, Tom Shelhamer and John Tabler, live right up Interstate 81 near Martinsburg, WV. So despite the fact that they hail from two states, they are all neighbors.
The hunt got underway at noon on Wednesday, and until Friday afternoon when the wind swung around to the north, the weather was mild and decent. The dry front increased the wind speed on Saturday and by Sunday morning, it was downright cold.
Deer movement under these conditions was o.k. but not great. The other camps in our Adobe Lodge group were dealing with similar conditions.
The first buck of the 2008 season was taken by Mike Barrett - a twelve-pointer, about 17 inches wide - which set the bar kind of high for the rest of the group. As has been mentioned elsewhere on this website, the challenge of hunting here is to determine when you are looking at the largest buck you will see during your stay. Most hunters will see multiple bucks and decisions on whether or not to shoot are the hunter's eternal dilemma.
Upon his arrival back home, Mike Barrett sent us an e-mail which best describes the group's stay at Murry Hatfield's camp:
" Just wanted to take a minute to let you know how much we all enjoyed our hunt with Murry last week. It was as relaxed and comfortable there as I have been on any trips I have taken. Four shots and four nice deer and no tracking." Can't beat that. Great people, great food, great accommodations adn a huge amount of deer to choose from."
So when a report such as this comes in, you have to say the hunt was a success and nevermind the wind and the weather.
Posted below are the photos of the bucks taken on the hunt.
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