A few short weeks ago, I found myself in the middle of nowhere in Arnold, Nebraska, for the Arterburn Outdoors Beyond Hunter Education Camp. This life-changing hunting camp was designed to teach new hunters everything they needed to know for a Nebraska whitetail hunt, from hunter safety, shot placement, scouting, using technology to assist with hunting, field dressing, skinning, and meat processing, all the way to cooking wild game. Some great companies sponsored the camp, sending representatives to not just talk about products but also mentor the newer shooters and even be their hunting guides. Before even leaving for camp, I was outfitted with Sitka hunting clothing, Lady EuroLight Hunter 300 boots from Meindl, and Tetra hearing protection.

Epic Nebraska Whitetail Hunt

I have backpacked in the Smoky Mountains, hiked nationwide, and gone on dozens of camping trips with Girl Scouts growing up. I am used to one-person and small multi-person tents where I must duck my head to move around, so what I expected to sleep in differed from what I got. Joe Arterburn sets up luxurious, one-person apartment-sized tents where a tall, 6-foot person like me could comfortably stand without hitting my head on anything. Lion Energy rechargeable battery packs powered a light bulb in our tents.

We had the longest and most comfortable sleeping cots from Alps Mountaineering I’ve ever slept on, so no feet were dangling off the bed. The temperature swing in Nebraska went from the 30s at night to the 80s during the day, which was quite a shock for this Florida-born gal. We each received a large-sized Mummy Sleeping Bag from Klymit, rated for 0 degrees Fahrenheit. I am not kidding when I say I slept better in the clean, fresh outdoor air than at home on my Tempur-Pedic mattress.

Settling in at Camp

The community tent common area and kitchen setup proved unique. It reminded me of the enchanted tent from the Quidditch World Cup as seen in the “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” movie. The common area had a long dinner table and a full bar stocked with Pendleton Whiskey and copper mugs custom engraved with our names from Handlebend. There was a hanging gun rack, a rustic wood pellet-burning heater, a bookshelf with books, and a guestbook where everyone wrote about their hunting camp experience. 

The kitchen setup was better than most people have at home. Camp Chef is one brand that’s been a long-time supporter of these camps, and they bring in camping stove systems, cast iron skillets, Dutch ovens, all the seasonings you could want, griddle essential spatulas, and more. Brooks Hansen from Camp Chef not only cooked lunches, dinners, and desserts for us but also brought moose meat he had killed a week earlier in Canada, elk meat from another of his hunts, and taught us the proper way to cook fresh game. We were so spoiled from having Dometic refrigerators and freezers powered by Lion Energy that we ate apple crumble dessert topped off with vanilla ice cream.

“Venison can get a bad reputation for not tasting good,” said Brooks Hansen, Media Relations Manager for Camp Chef & Primos. “I have heard several complaints such as: ‘It tastes gamey,’ or ‘The meat is tough and muttony.’ All these stereo types can be fixed by how you take care of the animal after the harvest and how you cook it. Almost all the gamey flavor in venison comes from the fat and silver skin. If you take time to trim and remove it, this improves the flavor.”

Prepping for the Hunt

The biggest thing Arterburn Outdoors does that sets it apart from any other hunting camp is the education and preparation each hunter receives before stepping foot into a hunting blind. We spent an entire day getting mini lessons from each brand representative on what we needed to know about their product for a successful hunt.

One of my favorite lessons, because it was so new to me, was learning about the OnX Hunt app. This app shows public and private land boundaries, gives topical and aerial visuals, and shows local wind patterns and weather to recommend the best hunting spot that doesn’t blow your scent into the field. You can mark waypoints, hunting stands/blind locations, animal bedding areas, and more. I was able to mark my hunting blind location, the location where I spotted my doe and the location where I recovered her. Using these waypoints, you can calculate the distance of your shot, which mine ended up being 140 yards.

Seeing the Field

Game cameras are the best tools for hunters wanting to see what animal activity they have on their property. Technology has advanced trail cameras to capture and relay photos and videos instantly. The Moultrie cellular cameras can push these videos and pictures to an app on your cell phone so you can track activity for each hunting spot to find the best stand to sit in.

We each were assigned our own Benelli rifle to hunt with, topped off with a Maven Optics scope and compatible for mounting onto a Primos Hunting tripod. Gary from Hornady reviewed the 6mm Creedmoor Superformance 90-grain CX ammunition we would be using, and then we all hit the range to zero our guns. We had Maven Optics range finders, binoculars, and spotting scopes to zero at 100 yards. I didn’t expect us to be out hunting on day one of camp, but the next thing I knew, we were gearing up and heading out.

When Preparation Meets Opportunity

My guide, Buck, cameraman Rob, and I made it to the hunting blind around 5:00 pm, giving us until 7:39 pm to hunt legally. It wasn’t until 7:31 pm that I was the first to spot a deer that had just walked out and started grazing. My excitement built fast; I didn’t think I would see anything that evening. I got my gun on the Primos tripod, ensuring it was level, and whispered to my guide, Buck, that I had a deer in my crosshairs. I confirmed it was a whitetail and patiently waited for it to pop its head up to confirm whether it was a doe or a buck.

It’s funny thinking back about how hopeful I was that it would be a doe (and not a buck) since that was what I had a tag for. We didn’t have to wait long for it to pick its head up, as Buck and I quickly confirmed it was a doe.

Taking the Shot

I inhaled deeply, exhaled, and when I felt most steady, I slowly pulled the trigger back, making a well-placed lung shot. Keeping my eye looking through the scope, I watched her dive her head forward and down and disappear. I knew she didn’t go far as that 6mm Creedmoor 90-grain bullet had done its job. This was the first time I got to recover a deer in the dark and field dress it. Buck and I waited a few minutes before heading out in our Blaze Orange Hornady vests.

As we neared the original location of the doe, we found a pool of lung blood on the ground and took off in what ended up being the wrong direction. I remember a previous guide teaching me that deer tend to revert back the way they came and follow their normal trail or path. I chose to turn around on this instinct, and maybe 20 yards away, there she was, lying on the ground.

Tagged Out

When I dragged her out of the brush to a clearer area, I called Cameron, a guide for Hidden Valley Outfitters, who helped me punch my first Nebraska whitetail doe tag! As all hunters will tell you after you shoot a deer, “Now the work begins.” Benchmade gifted each of us a set of knives for the hunt: the Meatcrafter, Raghorn, and Mini Taggedout. As promised, I was taught how to field dress my deer using the Meatcrafter blade, and I am happy to report that no organs were punctured, and I never let go of the esophagus when pulling the guts out.

“The knowledge and experiences shared in these camps are fantastic,” said Nathan “Newt” Borowski, CEO/President, Stillwater PR. “We get to hear stories and tactics from hunters from all walks of life, and we can build up new hunters. It’s intimidating to step into just about any new hobby, especially with outdoor hobbies and hunting. There are different conservation agencies and regulations that make it hard to figure out where to go and when. A good hunting camp can teach folks about those things and, hopefully, remove some of that intimidation factor.

“You also get to hear about the screw-ups and mistakes of other hunters,” Borowski continued. “This can create a comfort level for new hunters by showing them that it’s okay to learn through trial and error. Additionally, every new hunter who buys a license and hunting gear helps contribute to conservation funds that protect wildlife, wildlife habitat, and the hunting way of life. So, the more new hunters we can build up, the better.”

Processing and Packing Up!

We were ready to skin and process our deer the following day using the same Meatcrafter knives. Skinning a deer is a straightforward process that I enjoy. Processing the meat is a different story. This step was the most intimidating because it isn’t something you master the first time. Every hunter who has attempted to process meat has made mistakes and learned from them. The entire hunting camp pitched in to help us butcher and pack up our meat. Yeti gifted us each an M30 Tote Soft Cooler to pack our 40 pounds of fresh, self-harvested venison to fly home with.

“These hunting camps started as a way to bring outdoor media together with top outdoor companies,” said Joe Arterburn, Arteburn Outdoors, LLC. “They allow media attendees to field-test sponsors’ products in semi-remote locations in an authentic hunting camp atmosphere. In camp, there are no outside distractions or influences, no restaurants, bars, lodges, or TVs in a motel room to divert attention from the task—and fun—at hand: hunting and hands-on in-the-field experience with sponsors’ products.

Deer School

“Our Beyond Hunter Education Camp was conceived in a grouse/waterfowl camp when an after-hunt conversation turned to hunter education and new-hunter recruitment,” Arterburn continued. “We’d heard that while hunter-ed courses provide a good foundation of hunting knowledge, students – young and adult alike – came out with no idea where or how to begin. And we knew among them were media members – writers, editors, influencers – who wanted to learn about hunting and providing food for their table and, importantly, that they would be able to communicate what they learned to their like-minded audiences.

“The best thing about these camps is the camaraderie among attendees. That and providing a new generation of media and sponsor attendees memorable hunting experiences. Many have said their favorite part of camp is just being there and listening to hunting stories, soaking in the atmosphere and conversation. It’s always a memorable shared experience. No matter what happens as we go our separate ways, borrowing a line from “Casablanca,” we can each say, ‘We’ll always have hunting camp.'”

Reflections

It was tough packing up camp that final day and leaving a place that had given me so much. I came out of that week a much more confident hunter with enough knowledge to one day guide someone else on their first hunt. The meat processing is something I’ll have to try a few more times before feeling bold enough to do it on my own. Ultimately, I left Nebraska with memories of a lifetime, a cooler full of meat I know where it came from, and new friendships I’ll cherish forever.