How To Not Be “That Guy” During A Minnesota Deer Season

On the eve of Minnesota Deer Opener, I wanted to chime in on a couple of thoughts to help ensure you're not "that guy" at the deer shack.

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Who is "that guy"?  If you're asking that question, it unfortunately might be you.  Here are some pre-season thoughts to ponder before arriving at the deer shack:

Bring enough booze for deer opener weekend

Somehow adults who have been drinking for more than half of their lives are still incapable of knowing how much they can drink on a hunting weekend.  Be smart about the booze stock you bring so you're not having to run back to town on a beer run, and hopefully not be too drunk to do that.  If I had a dollar for every time someone that we were hunting with needed someone sober to drive them to the liquor store or needed to bum a beer 14 times, I'd have a lot of dollars.  Bring extra booze so you're not the mooch.

Contribute in some way to the deer camp you're hanging at

I mentioned not being a mooch up above.  My mama taught me if you get an invite somewhere to bring something to contribute.  At a Minnesota deer shack that might be a bottle or two of booze, meats to grill, cigars for everyone, leftover Halloween candy, or even five gallons of gas for the shack's generator.  The point is, if it's not your shack, bring something to show you appreciate them letting you hang there.

Be respectful of other people's things, like their ATV

Oftentimes at deer shacks everyone doesn't have a wheeler or side-by-side, and that's ok of course.  If you don't have your own and someone lets you take theirs to run to another shack for a visit, or out to your vehicle, or even to grab your deer, be respectful of it.  Especially with drinking usually involved during deer season, I've seen many wheelers get wrecked or pretty messed up and it's often not the owner of it.  If it's not yours and someone lets you use it, don't be a mutant and break their stuff.

Ask before bringing your dog to someone's deer shack

This shouldn't have to be said but some people get invited to a hunting shack and bring their dog that wasn't invited.  Now, I'm a dog person and if the puppers isn't a jerk around other dogs or people, I generally welcome them.  Hardcore hunters though can get hung up on dog scent impacting their ability to shoot a deer from 200 yards.  I think that's a bunch of baloney but I'm not a hardcore hunter.  Don't just show up with your dog without asking, and if they say no, respect that.

Those are a few of my suggestions on how to not be "that guy" at the deer shack, and a majority of it comes down to being respectful.  What would you add to the list?