Bayou Bucks Magazine — July 2012
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Words With Warren
Hunting Camp On Wheels
It was during the 1983-84 hunting season when I first made the commitment to use my vehicle for overnight parking while hunting public land.
To hunt consecutive days, I had to have a place to spend the nights. From experience, I knew that tent camping left a lot to be desired. I owned a small travel trailer but didn’t want the burden of having to pull it from one camping area to another while constantly changing hunting locations.
Even though my 1974 Ford Bronco was short for my 6’ 3” frame, I was able to come up with some modifications that created a place to comfortably spend nights during multi-day hunts. Mobility and selfcontainment are two of the major benefits of overnight parking in a vehicle. Having my “camp,” with all of my gear, with me all the time was a huge improvement over having to return to a permanent or semipermanent spot. I loved the freedom that it gave me.
The next season, being a confirmed overnight parker, I graduated to a new fourwheel- drive 1985 Ford F-150 pickup truck. I put a camper on it, laid carpet covered plywood in the truck bed, and mounted two 12 volt lights in the camper. One light was mounted at the head of my bed for a reading light, and the other one was installed at the foot of my bed for a tailgate light. Curtains hung across the windows to provide privacy as well as security for gear. And, most importantly, a solid bed frame supported an excellent mattress to ensure a good night’s sleep after a hard day of hunting.
That old truck took me on a lot of memorable hunts, and I made it through some very cold nights using two sleeping bags. During 14 years of deer and turkey hunting, I actually spent over 1100 nights in it. I’m now on my second vehicle since that ’85 Ford, and it’s set up exactly like the ones before it.
When you’re inside the camper, no matter where you’re parked or what direction your vehicle is pointed, it’s always the same. I fi nd it very comfortable and even when hunting as a guest at a real camp I spend the night in my truck. My hunting vehicles have not only been a way to get where I was going, but they have been my home away from home.
Warren Womack, of Clinton, Louisiana, killed his first deer in 1968, and since that time has amassed an astounding total of 365 recovered deer kills; 175 by compound bow; 96 by traditional bow, and 94 by gun. Adamant about hunting active feed trees, Womack has kept full records for all of his several thousand hunts, and correlates much of his success to relentless scouting and a thorough understanding of the moon’s infl uence on deer movement.
Questions for Warren can be sent to Warren@BayouBucks.com
It was during the 1983-84 hunting season when I first made the commitment to use my vehicle for overnight parking while hunting public land.
To hunt consecutive days, I had to have a place to spend the nights. From experience, I knew that tent camping left a lot to be desired. I owned a small travel trailer but didn’t want the burden of having to pull it from one camping area to another while constantly changing hunting locations.
Even though my 1974 Ford Bronco was short for my 6’ 3” frame, I was able to come up with some modifications that created a place to comfortably spend nights during multi-day hunts. Mobility and selfcontainment are two of the major benefits of overnight parking in a vehicle. Having my “camp,” with all of my gear, with me all the time was a huge improvement over having to return to a permanent or semipermanent spot. I loved the freedom that it gave me.
The next season, being a confirmed overnight parker, I graduated to a new fourwheel- drive 1985 Ford F-150 pickup truck. I put a camper on it, laid carpet covered plywood in the truck bed, and mounted two 12 volt lights in the camper. One light was mounted at the head of my bed for a reading light, and the other one was installed at the foot of my bed for a tailgate light. Curtains hung across the windows to provide privacy as well as security for gear. And, most importantly, a solid bed frame supported an excellent mattress to ensure a good night’s sleep after a hard day of hunting.
That old truck took me on a lot of memorable hunts, and I made it through some very cold nights using two sleeping bags. During 14 years of deer and turkey hunting, I actually spent over 1100 nights in it. I’m now on my second vehicle since that ’85 Ford, and it’s set up exactly like the ones before it.
When you’re inside the camper, no matter where you’re parked or what direction your vehicle is pointed, it’s always the same. I fi nd it very comfortable and even when hunting as a guest at a real camp I spend the night in my truck. My hunting vehicles have not only been a way to get where I was going, but they have been my home away from home.
Warren Womack, of Clinton, Louisiana, killed his first deer in 1968, and since that time has amassed an astounding total of 365 recovered deer kills; 175 by compound bow; 96 by traditional bow, and 94 by gun. Adamant about hunting active feed trees, Womack has kept full records for all of his several thousand hunts, and correlates much of his success to relentless scouting and a thorough understanding of the moon’s infl uence on deer movement.
Questions for Warren can be sent to Warren@BayouBucks.com
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