How to Pack for Deer Camp in the Michigan North Woods

I come from a long family bloodline of avid deer hunters. I've have lived in Michigan my entire life and feel that some of the best hunting spots are right here in the Great Lake state.

The easy part is finding your favorite place to set up deer camp and then returning to the same spot year after year. The hard part is remembering all of the essentials of what to pack for your trip.

Typically most hunters take off a week or seven days to venture up north and set up their camp.

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan in some areas can be quite desolate with stores and supply outlet's scarce for many miles in between. Making sure to pack everything you need is very important.

I've put together a list of some of the essentials that you will need to pack to make your trip as stress free as possible:

Sleeping Bags- Bring the warmest sleeping bags and blankets you have. It is easy to strip down in layers but harder to get warmed up if you don't have more layers to add on.

Space Heater- This may be necessary if your camper has no heat. Please use caution when using a small space heater, they have been known to start fires if left unattended.

Firestarter and Kinling- Firestarters are essential to keeping the camp up and running. A small collection of kinling is a good idea to have on hand to get your fire started. Letting the fire die out is not a good idea. Try to keep some small embers going at all times. Be sure to remember proper fire safety tips when handling flames and flammable items.

Axe- A handy tool for cutting wood.

Extra Large Cooler and ice- Keep a large cooler filled with ice to keep certain items cold. Most likely it is cold outdoors anyway, but you should have a designated cooler available to keep food items from spoiling.

First Aid Kit- Having an up to date First Aid Kit is good to have in case of accident or injury at the camp. It could take a while for help to arrive so being prepared is important.

Flares- Important to have in case you have an emergency and need someone to find and locate you due to getting lost or poor weather conditions.