Family Hunting Camps: Carrying on the Tradition
By: Trevor J Hubbs
For generations, mule deer hunting has been about far more than filling a tag. The stories, the landscapes, the family bonds forged around a fire or on a frosty ridge line are what keep our traditions alive. At the Mule Deer Foundation, many of our staff first learned the meaning of stewardship and respect for the animal in family hunting camps, and today they’re raising the next generation to carry it on.
Here are three of their stories.
Michael Buchanan: Montana Mountains and a Father’s Legacy
For Michael Buchanan, hunting has always been about family. As a boy, he followed his father into the snow-dusted mountains of western Montana, where every glassing knob and every pack trail was a lesson. His dad taught him not only how to hunt but how to be present in the wild, to watch the way mule deer filter across a ridgeline, to listen to the quiet.
Now Michael looks forward to sharing those same lessons with his young son when the time is right. Just as his father once held him by the shoulders and pointed out deer drifting through the timber, he dreams of one day doing the same, carrying the family tradition into another generation of Montana hunters.
Jackson Miller: Dust, Stone, and the Nevada Desert
Jackson Miller’s family has hunted mule deer in the desert mountains of southern Nevada for as long as he can remember. Those camps weren’t just about deer; they were about endurance. His earliest memories are of wiping dust from his eyes in the relentless wind, of watching his uncles and cousins return to camp weathered but smiling after long days climbing rocky ridges.
For Jackson, the desert mule deer is part of his family’s identity. Their reverence for that rugged country and the deer that inhabit it has been passed down generation after generation. It is a place where perseverance is valued, where success is celebrated, and where family comes together under a wide Nevada sky to live out the hunting tradition.
Eric Martinez: Lessons on the Eastern Slope
On the eastern slope of Colorado’s Rockies, Eric Martinez grew up in a family where hunting was more than an activity, it was a way of understanding the land and the animals that sustained them. His uncles and father taught him that every hunt is an exchange, one that requires respect and gratitude.
Those camps instilled in Eric a deep sense of responsibility. It wasn’t enough to just hunt mule deer, he wanted to ensure their future. That calling led him to pursue a career in conservation with the Mule Deer Foundation, where he now helps protect the very resource that shaped him.
Carrying It Forward
Michael, Jackson, and Eric’s stories are just three of countless examples of how family hunting camps pass down skills, values, and traditions. Every campfire, every early morning start, every long pack out is an opportunity to strengthen bonds and ignite a passion for the outdoors.
This season, we encourage you to take someone new hunting. A son or daughter. A niece or nephew. A neighbor who has never had the chance. You never know, one day they may tell the story of their first deer, or even choose a life dedicated to conservation, because you shared your time with them in the field.
Hunting is a tradition worth carrying forward. Let’s make sure it never fades.
Good Luck!
As always, good luck this fall everyone and remember to send any success pictures or stories from the field to [email protected] and you could be featured on our website or in our magazine. If this article or any of our articles have helped you become a better hunter or conservation steward, consider becoming a member of the Mule Deer Foundation for only $35 dollars a year. Click here to join: https://muledeer.org/product-category/membership/
Trevor Hubbs
Trevor is the Communications Manager and Editor for the Mule Deer Foundation and Blacktail Deer Foundation. He grew up hunting and fishing the Ozark Mountains for quail, ducks, and bucks. Now he goes west for mule deer as often as he can draw a tag.
