By Dick Harris, Deer & Deer Hunting subscriber

Ever since we purchased our deer hunting property and our family started hunting deer there during our state’s approximately week-long deer season, my wife, Karen, has made a menu and prepared all the meals for us. Some years that means making enough to feed 12, all family members of various ages. She does all the shopping ahead of time and gives us a set of instructions to go along with each meal on the menu.

Karen prepares every meal in foil pans so we don’t have to wash dishes. She puts yellow sticky notes on every dish with cooking directions, such as “put into crock pot before morning hunt.” We eat on paper plates and use plastic utensils. The fewer dishes, the better.

Some may think we’re spoiled, but I see it as a thoughtful extension of the basic fact that my wife likes to cook and prepare for family events. And we greatly appreciate it.

Now, about Thanksgiving…

The day before, my wife drives five hours up north to our cottage, sharing her two-door compact car with our labs, one of our daughters, a 20-pound turkey, succotash, potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberries and dessert for all. Her whole day is filled with cooking and preparations. All of it is delicious and much appreciated … we’re so full that I sometimes wonder how we manage to hunt the next day.

She always says she comes up to deer camp to  see wall-to-wall orange, total chaos, a dirty kitchen (despite our best efforts) and smelly men with beards. It’s amazing how she fixes everything and even persuades us to take a break from chasing deer to shower and shave.

Need some deer camp recipes? Click here for reader-approved meals.