Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Good Ole' Days Stories

That "that grapefruit thing nobody liked" was and still is Squirt and I love the stuff, the Ruby Red Squirt is even better.

I was growing up in Kissimmee Florida when I was in my youth. That was "Pre Mouse" Kissimmee. 2000 people, and 500,000 head of range cattle. The land around there was mostly open prairie, with cypress stands, lakes, bogs and swamps.
I can remember going off, at age 11, with two buddies for a no adults allowed camping trip. We would take horses and our gear, and be gone for up to 10 days.
We fished and hunted, camped out at night, cooked our own fish and rabbits.
It was all range land back then around Kissimmee. We would sometimes run into a cowboy who would relay a message from us back to our folks.
Today, even if kids were capable of fending for themselves in the wilderness, the parents would be arrested for 'child endnagerment' if they let boys go off with guns, and unsupervised, for a week.

Mannlicher - youre so right about what was deemed perfectly acceptable back then versus now. I think about all the independent trigger time I had as a youth with my .22 rifle. Now they lock down the school if a little kid showed up with with a tiny inch long plastic 'gun' from his GI Joe. "No tolerance", you know ! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> (Do they even sell GI Joes anymore ? Or are they 'politcally incorrect'?) - - -

Great post, I remember most all this stuff and I am not 50 yet. Man how fast time changes. I remember the first deer I killed and several people came by to "see it". Now if you don't kill at least one per year there is something wrong with you!

pullit - yeah I'm in my 40s and have these stories. Can't imagine how much change has occured for guys, such as my Dad and uncles, who grew up before the Baby Boomers. - - But one thing is true,- in general, game is much more plentiful than in the 'ole' days' - . The modern hunting/conservation movement who had Teddy Roosevelt as one of its early founders, has worked very well. - - Who knows how attitudes and the political climate will impact hunting in the future - but a guy would be wise to get as much hunting in as he can now - - cause for hunting these are the Good Ole' Days ! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Grandpa grew up on a farm outside Brecksville, Ohio. Nowadays, it's just part of the urban sprawl of Cleveland, but at the turn of the last century, it was a rural heaven on Earth.

Folks used to ask him, "Whitey, don't you wish you were a barefoot boy again?"

"Nope." said my Grandpa. "We kept turkeys."

(rimshot)

Another time I heard him talking to his pastor. The pastor was attempting to lecture Grandpa on the subject of temptation.

"Oh," he said. "I know all about temptation. I was raised around turkeys."

"Turkeys?" asked the minister. "How does that figure in?"

"Oh," said Grandpa, "You learn all about temptation when you loose your last wad of chewing gum coming across the turkey yard."

I remember going to my grandpa's when I was younger, they lived about 15 miles away. We (my dad and grandpa) would work around the farm all day, then we would eat supper. I would get my Saterday night bath, and we would set in front of the TV and watch the Flat and Scruggs show (That is Lester Flat and Earl Scruggs bluegrass show for you that did not know).
As soon as it was over we would head for home listening to the Grand ol Opry. Man does that take me back

TLee-
That's it! Squirt..I couldn't remember the name..and amongst the group of kids I hung out with, if that bottle was pulled, it was immediately dropped back in the water..only grownups drank it..I'm surprised to know it's still made..I haven't seen it in the stores here, or maybe my eyes have just gone bad..

Mannlicher, glad you have memories of Kissimmee before Mickey. Those will become unbelieveable to the next generation, if not already. Sorta like having a 7' boat with a 5 horse kicker on it, and being the only boat on the lake with a motor.

Yep, had a neighbor move up there from Okeechobee to work on a commercial dairy farm, said they were paying better than McArthur dairies down here.

Used to fish lake Okeechobee on the north side with a 14' aluminium row boat with a 10 horse Evenrude. Now they us those low slung Bass boats with at least 250 HP Mercs!