Hunters...a dying breed.

[savagedasher]

56 years ago I got my first gun and my first buck.I hunted with my Great Grand Pa who was 93 he got his last one I got my first. I had many of friend I hunted with 6 for many years. Saturday I was going take my old gun again. The other 6 were in the happy hunting grounds.Thursday night i got a call from my 9 year old grand son Grandpa take me hunting. I have 2 Grandsons 2 Granddaughters I was with the all on the first hunt.
This is why our sport is dying. We have to pass it on. Good Shooting Larry

 

[moorepower]

I was farm raised in central Nebraska, and could tell you a bunch more reasons why farmers are not letting folks hunt. But my beef is an ordeal that one of my friends had hunting in the panhandle. His group of 3-4 guys would go out 1 week ahead of the season and call coyotes on a couple of ranches and always shot a bunch of them. The last year he went out, the rancher told him next year a doe would cost $400 and a buck would cost $650. He told them he was going to hire a plane/shooter the next year for coyote control. Do you really think the rancher came out ahead??? Out here between the Crane trust, DU, pheasants forever, Cabelas and a bunch of other groups of Dr.'s and liers leasing out land, it is getting real $$$$$ to hunt. I still have a few places to hunt, and my farm background really helps, but for everyone else it is getting real tough.

 

[areaone]

A few years ago I was in SD for Prairie Dogs, the rancher mentioned that he had tried to poison them out but it was just too expensive, so for $$$ per day I could shoot them and help eradicate the pests. Well we negotiated the fee to what we thought was fair, when we broke out the grill and drinks at lunch time we could not get rid of the Rancher and three "helpers", they ate us out of three days of food in one meal to say nothing of the drinks. The next year he would not negotiate the fee so we moved on to another spot. I guess because we drive hundreds of miles, spend $$ on gas, food and lodging it HAS become too pricey for some family guys to Hunt. I can spend the $$ now, but it does put a financial strain on the younger generation. Family guys can and will spend their budget money at Disneyland with the Family but it is difficult to explain a hunt budget to your Spouse, There is no free lunch, but it seems that the Lunch is getting more and more expensive. The "guided" hunt for Pheasants(most are pen raised, but do not tell anyone) in SD now appraches $500.00 per day, of course they feed you real well., all this for three pheasants. Just my thoughts on how everything has changed in our sport over the 40 yrs., but then what hasn't taken a big change, and normally for the worse.

 

[people]

I would never pay to shoot PD. I have had a few ranchers ask for a fee. I just thank them and move on. What many think is shooting can truly make a dent in the population of a PD field. That is just a joke. I have been on towns that have been poisoned for a few years but the rancher stopped and within three years it went back into one of the best places to shoot dogs I have ever been. Many 1,000rd+ day have happened there. That one field only once gave me a day of less than 500rds. I still shot 200 to 300rds.

Those PD are an invasive species. If you do not want to fix the problem I will not pay to shoot them.

I have only seen one town in my life shot out. Two brothers built a house next to the field and shot every day they could. In about two years they got them. I was told there was still some to be shot but they were hard to get.

 

[langenc]

Here in N MI one can hunt 4 or 5 days at the start of rifle season and maybe see a deer. Tags, for residents, are still pretty cheap but not seeing anything has many discouraged.

Going out of state is still done but much less w/ very high non-res tags and nearly $4 gas to get there.

In 1967 I went to Alaska and hunted w/ an Army buddy. Tags for moose, nr license, fishing, trapping and hunting was $88. Today Id bet 250 or more.

I just noticed a couple threads below that someone 'gt his wolf tag'. MI is going to do wolf tags--$100.. hunt or trap but not both for $100.

Some western states have wolf for NR same as res-and less than $25. I guess they want to stimulate the economy and get rid of some wolves.