Family traditions at deer camp run deep

BALSAM TOWNSHIP — For Aaron Brown, deer hunting season is not just bagging a buck. Food, family and reading in the deer stand are equally important.

In a recent conversation on the KAXE Morning Show, the author, teacher, Minnesota Star Tribune columnist and Minnesota North College instructor shared how his family’s deer camp rituals extend beyond venison for supper.

"I think our family qualifies very much as the cultural hunting family, evidenced by the first weekend at our camp," he said.

The Brown family followed his 90-year-old grandfather's lead and moved the gravel in the first light of the morning. "We're at the shack, we're playing with expensive equipment and making a lot of noise."

Aaron said his family’s version of deer camp includes tables full of snacks, stacking firewood, reading a good book, and most importantly, enjoying a sauna at the end of the day.

“Real hunters know that the opening day is one of your best chances to get a deer," he said.

Hunting wasn't Aaron's interest growing up, describing himself as a reader and a writer. “My dad didn’t push hunting on me,” Aaron said. “It was there if I wanted it, but it was never something I was pressured to do.”

This openness allowed Aaron to find his own place in deer camp, eventually bringing his own kids into the mix.

One of the Brown hunting camp’s more meaningful aspects, according to Aaron, is time he gets to spend with his grandfather — a man of few words.

"He's a stoic presence at all family gatherings," Aaron said. "But at Deer Camp, he tells you stories and he tells you about the past."

Contributed

In his recent Minnesota Star Tribune column, Aaron explains how heading to his local store to buy his license is a ritual he’s come to love and will miss in the future. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced changes beginning in 2025 to move to an electronic license system.

“Hunting’s always been evolving,” Aaron said. “The places change, people come and go, and even the reasons we hunt shift over time. But those small rituals — like that stop at the Balsam store — they’re part of what keeps the tradition alive.”

Aaron has a knack for connecting the past with the future, even when it comes to changes. He described a time in the 1920s when a game warden would write out a license for a person on a little scrap of paper. “You'd pay him the license fee and the game warden got to keep it, because that was the only way he got paid," he said.

But Aaron thinks the culture of hunting really is changing overall, with fewer people growing up with those traditions. Even though his personal interests didn’t include hunting, the Brown tradition still continues.

“I’ve got three boys that are completely different than me and from each other, and I tried to let them follow their interests, which, fascinatingly, are very similar to my father's interests. And so he's thrilled that he's had a chance to have that experience with my kids that he didn't have with me.”

Got a hunting tradition to share? Let us know!