Tradition is a huge part of the Minnesota deer hunting experience. Stories of big deer bagged and of missed bucks with giant racks that somehow get bigger every year. Ritual night-before-season meals. Who gets to use grandpa's gun and sit in his stand.
But there's a tradition going on at the McCabe family deer camp, in the woods just north of Duluth, that's extraordinary in its longevity and which shows little sign of fading.
Tom McCabe Sr. and Russ Allen have been getting together every November to hunt deer, in the same spot, since Dwight Eisenhower was president. Since "Gunsmoke" was a brand new show on TV. Since McDonald's sold its first hamburger.
"Most of my old hunting partners are pushing up daisies," said McCabe, 87. "But Russ and I are still going. We've been doing this since 1955."
On Saturday _ opening day of Minnesota's firearms deer season _ they were both out there again, on a cloudy but mild morning that was nearly calm in the woods. It was so still you could hear the hurried flapping of chickadees. Raven caws and red squirrel chatter seemed deafening.
A light dusting of snow speckled the ground overnight, but even that melted away by noon as skies grew brighter and the thermometer climbed into the 40s.
At least in this part of Minnesota, the forecast rain held off for most of the hunting day.
"It's not like the old days when we had snow and cold just about every season," said Russ Allen, 92.
Russ' son, Tim Allen (at 68, still referred to as one of the kids) helped his dad find the right boots and don the right clothes for the morning hunt, and then helped him into a side-by-side ATV for the ride out to what at the McCabe family deer camp known as the "Golden Anniversary Stand." It's an enclosed shack on stilts with steps _ not a ladder _ along with sliding windows and a door that can keep the elements out and warmth from a propane Mr. Heater Buddy in.
"We built it on our golden anniversary of hunting together," McCabe said. That was 2005, now they're up 63 seasons together.
Tim started the heater, loaded his dad's .25-06 rifle and left to find his own hunting spot a quarter mile away.
"How many shells do you want in there dad?" Tim asked. "It should only take one but I'll give you five."
