An Outdoorsman‛s Journal

by Mark Walters

Return of the Red Brush Gang Hello friends: Due to the fact that my father, the late Robert Walters, created an annual fishing trip to the Flambeau Flowage, the Mississippi River for ducks, and The Meadow Valley Wildlife Area/ Necedah National Wildlife Refuge for deer, all while attending UW-Madison back in the mid 1950s, I love these places. This week’s column is in honor of a great man, Robert Walters, as friends and family who call themselves The Red Brush Gang return to set up camp.

I also spent a significant amount of time at camp before the opener of Wisconsin’s 9-day deer gun season.

Saturday, Nov. 8 High 48, low 27 Sixteen of us met near Necedah pulling empty trailers that would soon be loaded with what I honestly believe is at least a semi load of what would soon be an 18x36 foot pole barn, 10 sets of bunk beds, two woodstoves, propane tanks, and tables to go down the middle of the shack. Everyone knows that we have

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to focus until the job is done and we are fighting the sun clock the entire time. We build camp on public land near Mather and if for some reason you cannot make it, you owe the camp three cases of beer.

Shortly after dark camp was built, there was a dart tournament that everyone gets into, good food was cooked, there was a rather brutal wrestling match and The Red Brush Gang was home.

I have watched the sun come up for 48 deer gun openers in this neck of the woods and so far have not found a good enough reason to miss.

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