Running Manhunt at summer camp and with scout troops
Manhunt is a classic camp night game. Run it in a part of camp everyone knows, with counselors at jail and on the edges, a whistle recall signal the campers practice first, and cabin or patrol buddies. Short rounds of team or flashlight Manhunt keep a whole cabin group playing, and a headcount by cabin ends every round.
Key facts
- Recall signal: three long whistle blasts bring everyone to jail. Practice it in daylight before the first game.
- Buddies: campers hide in cabin or patrol pairs and are caught together.
- Where: a known, mapped area of camp with the waterfront, roads, cabins and the woods beyond the trail out of bounds.
- Rounds: 10 to 15 minutes, with a headcount by cabin after each.
- No phones needed. The game works with a whistle and a watch.
On this page
Every camp has its own name for it, but the game is the same: a field after dinner, a counselor counting at the flagpole, and a whole cabin group vanishing into the dark. Here’s how counselors and scout leaders keep the game everyone remembers and add the few things that make a camp night game safe. Everything builds on the usual Manhunt rules.
Before the first night
- Map the area. Pick a part of camp every camper has walked in daylight. Mark the waterfront, roads, cabins, the maintenance area and the woods beyond the trail as out of bounds.
- Practice the recall. Three long whistle blasts means stop, turn on your light if you have one, and walk to jail. Practice it once in daylight.
- Set the buddies. Cabin or patrol pairs hide together and are caught together.
- Brief the counselors. Who’s the referee, who’s on which edge, who holds the cabin list.
- Check the ground. Walk it for holes, stumps, poison ivy and anything else your camp’s staff knows about.
Night-game safety at camp
- Lights at jail and on the edges, and a flashlight for every counselor.
- Walk, don’t sprint, off the open field. Chases happen on the lawn, not in the trees.
- No hiding in cabins, buildings, boats, vehicles or anywhere locked.
- Headcount by cabin after every round, before anything else.
- Tick and plant checks after the game if your area has them, following your camp’s usual routine.
For more on night play, see how to play Manhunt at night.
Three camp versions
Cabin vs cabin. Two teams, two jails, one on each half of the field. You can only tag on your own half, and a teammate frees prisoners by reaching the other team’s jail untagged. Built for 20 to 30 campers, and closest to the old game of ringolevio. More in Jailbreak rules.
Counselor hunt. Counselors are the hunters and every camper is a runner. Campers love hunting the staff for a change, and counselors control the pace. Freed campers must go back through jail so counselors can count them.
Flashlight capture. Counselors hunt with flashlights and catch campers by holding the beam on them and calling their name. The gentlest night version, and the best for younger cabins. Full rules: Flashlight Manhunt.
Scout troops
Scouts already know the buddy system, so use it: patrol pairs hide together, and a patrol leader can serve as a boundary marshal with a light. Adult leaders take the referee and first-aid jobs at jail. On a campout, play in the area around the campsite that the troop has already walked, never near the water or the road in, and finish with a patrol-by-patrol headcount.
Printable rules
Print the one-page Manhunt rules and pin them up at the dining hall or on the counselor board, so every cabin plays by the same rules all summer.
Questions counselors ask
Is Manhunt a good summer camp game?
Yes. It's one of the most-requested camp night games: no equipment, any group size, and it burns off energy before bed. It needs a known area, counselors on the edges, a recall signal and a headcount after every round.
How do you play Manhunt with a scout troop?
Use the buddy system scouts already know: patrol pairs hide together and are caught together. Patrol leaders can serve as boundary marshals, and adult leaders run the referee and first-aid jobs at jail.
What's a good recall signal for night games?
Three long whistle blasts, repeated, meaning everyone walks back to jail now. Practice it in daylight so every camper recognizes it, and make it the same signal for every night game.
How do you stop campers from leaving the boundary?
Pick boundaries that are visible at night (a lit path, the edge of the field, a rope line), post counselors on the edges nearest the waterfront and roads, and treat stepping out as being caught.