Changing Times
- Thread starter fredhorace77
- Start date
I know exactly how you feel! We had a lease that was roughly 350ac with a 26ac watershed lake on it. It had been in my family for over 50 yrs, my Dad was raised there. For all those years we dealt with the owners personally, who had moved to to the west coast, so no problems. They even said we were the only people they would lease too. After they both passed on the Indian Agency took it over and it went to auction. So, What was a $2000/yr lease went to $7500/yr lease and it came back up last spring and starting bid was $9250/yr!! All of this because of "good ol' neighbors"! Too rich for my blood. I can understand a family helping to make land payments. But this has been nothing but greed on both sides. I guess like the saying goes, if you want play, you have to pay!
6MMsteve
Gold $$ Contributor
Move down here in Ky you can hunt plenty of land down here
hogpatrol
Gold $$ Contributor
Talk about times changing. Growing up in a new development with the bunch of other boomers, we used to leave the doors to our house open and unlocked with just the screen doors shut and they were unlocked too. Now we've got locked doors, alarm systems, video cameras on the sides of houses, lighting on timers, home defense shotguns, and concealed carry permits.
Hunting is a privilege, not a Right. Whether you pay the government, corporation or a private individual for the use of their land, it is a fact of life nothing is free anymore. Many corporations, and large land holders make a substantial portion of their income from hunting, and fishing leases. I grew up on a farm and had free range of the neighboring farms. Due to property damage and liability laws many corporations and land owners have closed their properties to public hunting. The land owner where I lease land for hunting requires that I have liability insurance, do gate, road maintance, and demarking of the boundaries.
jds holler
Gold $$ Contributor
Around here, we've got huge amounts of BLM land that has been gated and restricted from all but foot travel because idiots with pick-ups and guns have hauled their broken down appliances out to the boonies and proceeded to shoot them to smithereens, leaving all the mess for someone else to deal with.
We can all discourage this behavior when we see it, and for smaller messes, it isn't so hard to carry a garbage bag of someone elses mess away from the scene.
I have become a self avowed member of the "rat fink club" and now carry the numbers of a couple of cops who are hard on this issue. Got a couple of busts to my credit, and will do more if I get the chance. After losing a couple of my favorite shooting spots, I've got no sense of humor about it any more. jd
Back in 1965 my dad bought 5 acres from 2 old brother bachelor brothers to build a house for our family. It was attached to their farm of amour 140 acres I believe. I was 7 years old. Those old brothers were about as American Faemer as anyone could ever be. No electricity or running water. But they were about as " good old boy" as you could ever want. I had fre reign of their land. I "explored " every day after school...weekends...all summer. I would take to the woods with an old hatchet....or hunting knife...or machete. Build forts....climb trees....lay in the grass and look at the sky...teas the heard of cows...then run like hell for the nearest cover to keep from getting trampled or horned...but it never happened....got pretty close though...lol. I got pretty good at picking a good climbing tree on the run and scampering up it. My mother used to take the old Mosberg .410 bolt action back and get a few squirrels in the fall. Mother ( her name was IMa) grew up down in the Ozarks of Missouri. From a family of 14 children. During the depression. Grandpa ( Elza) pronounced Elzy had a small sawmill that he and my uncles ran. But his passion was being a professional bird guide. Quail hunting was his speacialty. He guided rich men from Kansas City. But to his family everybody seemed rich. Feeding 14 children took all they could muster up. But any way mother met my dad at ft Leonard Wood Mo. He was from Northern Wisconsin....dairy farmer. Never hunted or had any interest. They married and settled in West central Illinois. And bought these 5 acres 9 years later. Back to story ...sorry. So growing up on 140 acres like Imowned it was wonderful. In the spring we hunted mushrooms ( morel ) and the summer it was blackberries and gooseberries. Ant fishing trips to,the local creeks . Mostly with mother. She instilled the outdoors in my sister and I. I still retain it. As I grew into my early teens I got to carry the fun out and hunt. I could ask any neighbor in the mild block area and be allowed to hunt small game. Deer were few and far between. Life was grand as a child growing up in the country. But as I grew...I also grew away from my roots. Got married in 1976. Joined the army and landed in Kansas for 3years. Got back in to hunting some. Pheasant and coyote. No deer population to speak of. But every rancher always said yes to hunting....just the way it was. My wife and I returned home in 1980 . Dad had boughten another 11 acres from the brothers. They were in poor health...and aging rapidly. We put in electricity for them. Kind of looked after them. A nephew moved in with them and took care of them and the place. And I lost my privileges to the ground. It was discouraging to say the least. And I really lost my roots..... Bought me a HaD motorcycle...grew my hair long.... acquired to many BAD habits...sold all my long guns ...and waisted 10years of my life. Then one day that ALL changed and I started re-acquiring some long guns and hunting those 15 acres. Fore several years. Lots of rabbits and squirrel. Then mother passed in 1992 and the place became ghostly. I couldn't go there without ending up crying and wanting out of there. Dad remarried someone my sisters age....making it even worse. Joined a local range just for somewhere to shoot. Didn't want anything to do with the home place. The marriage didn't last. But the uncomfortable feeling did. The old brothers Nels and Art both passed away and the nephew turned the land into a landfill. There were hundreds of thousands of tone of concrete and debris on the old farm. Such an eyesore. He had an old dozer that he pushed some with. His plan was to incur enough of a bill towards the farm as he could take it over. But unfortunately he died before that could happen. He was a nice man and became my friend. But saved the hunting rights for his cousins. Well low and behold my dad always wanted to be a farmer. In 2003 that place came up for sale dad was 73 years old. Said he had always wanted a farm and to be a farmer. His lifelong dream. The place went to auction. Drew in a large crowd. The sectioned it off into 3 parcels. The prime farm ground, the concrete wasteland (19 acres 6ft high) and the hunting land attached mostly attached to dads 15 acres. I couldn't even (9. I was so discouraged. My son went. My son called me and let me know that dad had boughten the whole farm. He was now a farmer. Bought all the ground I had grown up on roaming. We took to some food plotting. And discovered that the original 15 acres we called the "home ground" was now the major bedding area of the area. We only go there now maybe 1time a year so as not to disturb. I remember when my son killed a 165inch 13pt there....a few 150 class deer. I personally have a 157 9pt on the wall that has 5 1/2 bases and weighed 312lbs. 5-1/2 year old and a 178" 12pt that is only a 3year old. So in my situation I stand to inherit the family farm....that has really been mine to play on even though I couldn't always hunt it....most of my life. And many of the newer neighbors who wouldn't let us hunt anymore have approached my dad for hunting privileges. He politely tells them " no my son and grandson are the only ones who hunt the property" . He has multiple calls from outfitters yearly and gives them the same answer. So in my case. Times did change...and are still changing. But every time I set foot on that property I feel like I am 12 years old again.
Thank You God
And Thank You Dad for this gift
And Thank You Mother in Heaven for instilling the "outdoors" in me
Thank You God
And Thank You Dad for this gift
And Thank You Mother in Heaven for instilling the "outdoors" in me
Thank You Very Much JoshbGreat way to join the forum! Nice story! You're welcome to the forum is given with a "bro hug", for your good fortune. Keep paying the taxes and enjoy!
jds holler
Gold $$ Contributor
And Hey!! If ya want to get back to the western theme, I just watched one last night that goes along with the changing times thing. "Monte Walsh", starring Tom Sellick. Also, Robert Carridine. jd
I have it on disk and it is GREAT! Also I have "Crossfire Trail" and "Last Stand at Saber River".. AND if you like Robert Duval, try "Broken Trail".. It is excellent!
jds holler
Gold $$ Contributor
Yeah Buddy! Just watched "Crossfire Trail" about a week ago. Read the book about thirty years ago. jd
Yall should see Mississippi. The places I grew up hunting are 500,000 to over a Million buy in with 5-10k in dues every year. Lease prices are higher than Iowa and don't have one 130" deer on them but people that can afford it still pay it because there is no other option. Camp dues with a good opportunity at killing a mature deer are 4000$ and up. This has pushed 80% of in state hunters to our public land and there is literally someone behind every tree in the woods, I've seen over 50 trucks in parking lots before. I personally saw 3x the amount of people while setting on the stand than I did deer this year. If you duck hunt you can expect to pay 10k for a decent spot at a minimum. When we have ducks on the Ms river you have to get in the hole before 3am or someone else will be there and sometimes they sleep in the boat all night. I love to hunt but it's not worth it to me any more, I'll just save my money and go on a pay hunt once every 5 or so years, for the most part, the days of an enjoyable/socializing hunting club with decent hunting opportunities are over in the South unless your a millionaire.
I think I am going to go to the local butcher tonight and buy the best cut of prime rib in the store, sit back and reminisce about the good old days and let all these people with that much money enjoy chewing up their 5,000 dollar, 130 inch testerone filled buck they shot last year! These prices that I hear are just inconceivable to me. My son and I each pay $110 a year here in north western Pennsylvania to hunt 700 acres, and realize that is a good deal.I realize I am not that well traveled but that is pretty expensive roast duck you guys are eating!
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This is the reward for our growth over the years in population and the unprecedented growth of technology. When I was a kid we thought 1 1/2" was a good enough group to kill a deer. Now everyone expects "dime size groups".
Inflation and loss of habitat has shrunk the lands available to hunt on. Then there is the ever increasing number of slob hunters and poachers that population increase brings.
There are many reasons for the high price of hunting but as always the price of wild game will forever remain a large premium over the price of domestic meat. It's getting more expensive every year.
Joe
Inflation and loss of habitat has shrunk the lands available to hunt on. Then there is the ever increasing number of slob hunters and poachers that population increase brings.
There are many reasons for the high price of hunting but as always the price of wild game will forever remain a large premium over the price of domestic meat. It's getting more expensive every year.
Joe
riverwolf1
Silver $$ Contributor
I like the way our state deals with private land as in ranches and farms.
There is a permission slip in our hunting Reg's ranchers and farmers that sign up with fish and game to allow hunter access, you take the permission slip to the rancher/farmer and if he gives you permission you both sign the slip and he sends it into fish and game and they pay him for allowing access. The ranches and farmers that sign up to provide this service are published so you know who to ask! The money paid to the rancher is paid for as part of our license cost.
There is a permission slip in our hunting Reg's ranchers and farmers that sign up with fish and game to allow hunter access, you take the permission slip to the rancher/farmer and if he gives you permission you both sign the slip and he sends it into fish and game and they pay him for allowing access. The ranches and farmers that sign up to provide this service are published so you know who to ask! The money paid to the rancher is paid for as part of our license cost.
TheOtherZilla
Pull my finger
Not a big Bonanza fan, but watch it once in a while. Gunsmoke is more my style, and Rifleman... I think I have em all recorded on the DVD thingy..
Times ARE a-changin'. Why I remember back when guys would actually ask before they decided to trespass on my land and hunt while I'm working. I remember when the pond that the rest of the world fishes in wasn't there, because I hadn't dug it yet, and the fish weren't in it, because I hadn't yet bought them and put them there.
If you want to hunt on my place, what's in it for me? Are you going to bring me some produce form your garden? Maybe share some of the fish that you caught out of my pond? Bring me a few of the ducks you decided to waste because you're too lazy to clean them? Don't believe in sharing? Well, my land is my investment. What your investment, and how do you share your investment with me in return for me sharing mine with you? Guitar lessons for the kiddos? Math tutoring? How about inviting me and my family over to your house for supper - you know, since you've gotten all the benefits of owning my land without any of the burdens? If you don't do any of those for the "miser" who won't let you "hunt" on his private property, consider starting. And pick up your soda cans, snuff cans, shotgun hulls, beef jerky wrappers, etc.
In case you can't tell, I definitely have an axe to grind. I don't mind sharing as long as I'm asked - not ordered, and I should be asked BEFORE, not AFTER you've decided to help yourself to anything of mine.
God bless America
Scarface 26
If you want to hunt on my place, what's in it for me? Are you going to bring me some produce form your garden? Maybe share some of the fish that you caught out of my pond? Bring me a few of the ducks you decided to waste because you're too lazy to clean them? Don't believe in sharing? Well, my land is my investment. What your investment, and how do you share your investment with me in return for me sharing mine with you? Guitar lessons for the kiddos? Math tutoring? How about inviting me and my family over to your house for supper - you know, since you've gotten all the benefits of owning my land without any of the burdens? If you don't do any of those for the "miser" who won't let you "hunt" on his private property, consider starting. And pick up your soda cans, snuff cans, shotgun hulls, beef jerky wrappers, etc.
In case you can't tell, I definitely have an axe to grind. I don't mind sharing as long as I'm asked - not ordered, and I should be asked BEFORE, not AFTER you've decided to help yourself to anything of mine.
God bless America
Scarface 26
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