I have to admit, I’m a vagabond by heart. Family and work keeps me rooted in one place, but when the option arises you can bet I’m jumping into a overpacked truck and headed out to explore the unknown with bow in hand.

Hunting is riddled with variables, with unknowns. We thrive on it, we love it. We can’t wait to see what’s over the next ridge, what our e-scouting will produce and what that next sit in the stand will turn up. Leave consistency to bakers. Give us the adventure of the unexplored.

Mid August through the end of September usually finds me chasing elk, mule deer and pronghorn in the western states. For some this will be the end of their archery season, for the obsessed it’s only the warmup.

Luckily the Midwest has our back with their lengthy seasons when it comes to chasing whitetail. We can easily hunt until the end of the year, extending our season a great deal.

So when October hits, the cardinal direction of my compass 180’s and points me east. To the Midwest and the monsters that lurk in the woods.

A stud buck I took while roadtripping through the Midwest.

Simplifying

Now I’ll admit, this article is not for everyone. There are plenty of guys out there that have their hotels booked a year in advance or their locomotive sized RVs plopped down on where they plan to hunt. Good on ya, but for a lot of us we have no interest in this cumbersome (and expensive) way of hunting.

This is for the throw your gear in your rig, sleep in the back of your truck, stay as mobile as possible fellow dirtbag hunters. The ‘I ain’t taking on another mortgage for a house on wheels’ type of guy. Get in, get the job done and get out while still being as comfortable as possible.

I’ve spent more hours sleeping in the bed of my truck than I have in a lifetime of hotel visits. Call me cheap, call me what you will, but I can find a better way of spending $80+/night than sleeping in a dive motel.

With a few extras and a little pre-planning you can turn a miserable night cramped in the front seat of your truck into a four star hotel experience.

Where to Stay

This is what I love about the Midwest.Towns tend to be small, the people are nice and they set up their town parks to welcome travelers. With a little research online, you can look up the nearest town you’ll be hunting by and there’s a damn good chance that they’ll have a park that allows you to camp. Better yet most have electric hookups and bathrooms.

Prices vary from free to around $12. Not a bad deal when compared to the alternatives.

When the weather is fair, electric hookups aren’t really essential. Come to the colder days nearing the rut, they are almost a requirement to keep you sane.

King’s Luxuries at a Pauper’s Price

Here’s a list of gear that you may want to consider picking up in order to make these trips a good bit more comfortable. A truck with a topper is optimal, but not absolutely necessary.

Electric Heater - A game changer. A must. Don’t leave home without it. Plug this in while sleeping and it keeps those bitter cold temps manageable if not comfortable. An added bonus is that it dries out damp clothes in the process.
Extension Cord and Power Strip - We live in a world powered by electronics. Why fight it. Plug into power keep that electric heater humming, boot dryer chugging, the Ozonics performing and cell phone charged for the next day’s Angry Birds marathon in the tree stand.
Thick Bed Mat - Your truck camping, not hiking into the backcountry so why not go all out. I use a 3” inflatable sleeping pad and I sleep like the dead on that thing. Don’t forget to bring some pillows along as well. Teddy bear optional.
LED Light - Depending on your headlamp can get old. I throw in some rechargeable LED lights so I can read and cook without losing my eyesight.
Plastic Totes - The problem with living out of your truck is that it can look like a shanty town in no time. You’ve got to stay organized if you’re going to stay sane. I like using rigid plastic totes. I seperate food, clothes and tree stand gear into separate boxes and label them accordingly for easy identification.
Coffee Maker - Why screw around. If you’re a coffee fanatic and tend to fall asleep in the stand like I do, coffee isn’t a luxury, it’s as necessary as oxygen. Typically you’re only going to find gas station coffee in these little towns and unless you’re a huge fan of gut rot, I’d bring your own.
Boot Dryer - I don’t care how cold it is out there, my feet sweat. Especially in the heavy rubber boots used nowadays. Damp boots in the morning equals freezing feet. Get yourself some boot dryers and plug them in overnight. Some even come with ozone scent control as an added bonus.
Clothesline and Hangers - It’s usually easy to set up a clothesline off your truck to something in the park allowing you to hang your clothes overnight. We all know how important scent control is. Keep your clothes outside your truck and away from the after effects of that gas station burrito you slugged down for dinner.
Dust Brush - This ain’t the city people. You’re going to find yourself on plenty of dirt roads that will turn your sleeping area into the Sahara desert. A good brush down before laying out your sleeping gear will keep you from feeling like Pig-Pen in Charlie Brown.

The key here is to stay comfortable and enjoy the advantages of truck camping while not turning it into a hot mess. You want to be mobile. Winds change and areas get pressured. You want to be ready to move without having to call a moving company to help. Enough to keep you comfortable but not so much that you look like you’re having a garage sale everywhere you stop.

// Fred Bohm