Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Where is hunting headed???

This is wonderfully eloquent and insightful.
Huge +1.

I learned a new word tonight. That is always a highlight for me.

Hmmm...not really seeing a downside with that, apart from the minor irritation of not being able to afford it.

I'm not a writer, but I have to reply. Largely, because of my past command status with TXDPS, I have been invited to hunt out of some world class lodges, with chefs and wait staff on site. Needless to say those hunts were a pleasure, but a hunt none the less. Other than for birds, I don't recall ever firing a shot at one of those, past the rifle range.

In the same hunting season, I have slept in cheaply constructed shacks, old run down ranch houses, even in a leaky surplus semi-trailer. The hunts were quality because of the comradery and/or the game. In the seventies, a friend and I used to hunt and fish from a tent camp. That gets to be work, but we were younger and enjoyed ourselves. ,

In the eighties, we were a little more prosperous. Cousin and I had a year round exclusive lease and a junky trailer house on a small ranch. Our families enjoyed this a lot. Wife and I lived about an hour out and cousin and family were about the same time out via his private plane. No 180 class deer, but lots of fun and not budget bustingly expensive. We later hauled our junk trailer to a larger spread.

For about twenty years, we hunted desert mule deer and scaled quail in the Trans-Pecos, on up to 900 sections of ranches owned and or leased by Sisters employer. This was usually a three day hunt beginning the day after Thanksgiving. Actually, we hunted quail and the deer were incidental. I killed four deer in that time period and passed on dozens. Our camp was a decent, but primitive ranch house. Running water, but no electricity. Good food, great comradery. I really enjoyed Sister's boss, an older gentleman, and some of his cronies. There were enough of us younger guys, at the time, to chase quail and do a bit of heavy lifting.

I am now the older guy in my hunting circle. I have a S-I-L in the Texas Panhandle who farms and ranches. He and his family have lots of hunting opportunity available to me. In that, I am fortunate.

Other S-I-L and daughter and a partner bought a small ranch with a "lodge" already in place. The lodge was a metal barn with a bath, small kitchen, and a bunk room upstairs. The trio have added another bunk room, a bath, and a commercial kitchen downstairs. The place sleeps fourteen comfortabally. It is a great place for extended family functions. Game wise, quail, dove, and fishing are the impitious, with a chance for decent deer and hogs. Again, I am fortunate that the old man gets invited along.

These places to hunt are nothing like OP described. Even at the "lodge", there is lots of work to a hunt. No servant exists to retrieve my game from the food plot, and I still field dress, skin, and butcher my own game. Then someone has to cook, clean, wash dishes, and haul trash.

I'm 78 and I do not apologize for the way I hunt. I generally hunt either from or use a Kawasaki Mule to get to my hunting spots, usually overlooking a game trail or food plot. Again, I am fortunate in land access and in owning a Mule, but life is not as depicted on TV.

Good hunting,

Jack

^^^^^^This^^^^^^

I don't care who you are, that there is funny stuff. Almost shot CC out my nose on that one.

I feel that it will probably continue its current path based on the philosophy of "I've got mine; screw you for not getting yours" instead of being concerned about making hunting available to all.

5sdad, public hunting lands are rare in Texas. Parks and Wildlife has a few places available by draws, and a few places for birds.

Other than those, you are on your own to find places to hunt. Even with a year round lease, you can get screwed. Cousin hand I had a place leased. The rancher patterned our hunts, then day leased the property at times when he was pretty sure we would not be there. I caught him by deciding to burn some vacation time in the middle of the week. We were already on to him as there was brass here and there of caliber(s) that we did not use.

I have been lucky. I have lots of family and a bunch of friends that have access to good hunting statewide. Frankly, most times, hunts that I paid for were a disappointment. Surprisingly, I have had pretty good success by simply asking landowners for permission. I was surprised how many folks in central Kansas allowed us to hunt pheasant, after our original destination proved to be already over hunted.

Best,

Jack