Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Check Out the Family and Farm















































































































































































Ownership in Alabama

Everybody needs to be a part of something. There are many worthy endeavors. Hunting and fishing being my passion, I took pride in the fact I have a lifetime Alabama hunting and fishing license bought for me by my father. One for my 16th birthday, the other for Christmas when I was 16. Both among the first 100 ever sold in Alabama. I had ownership. I was part of something. I was motivated. I supported the Advisory Board. I supported the Commisioner. I hunted, I fished. Public lands were mine and the waters a prized possession. Then one day at the hunting club, I heard a new Commisioner was in place and he intended on instating a buck limit. It was the first time I ever worried about my place in Alabama. Surely this wouldn't happen. Then one by one Advisory Board members that were true conservationist and hunters, who took care of me, began to be displaced by people that favored the limit and people who have their own agenda. Before you knew it, BAM! We have a buck limit. This morning I recieved a phone call from a friend. He recieved a letter from the Commissioner of the Department of Game and Freshwater Fisheries of Alabama asking him to renew his fishing license. Hey, I'm for it. It is a good reminder and I wish everyone in Alabama got the letter. But on the other hand I am a little confounded he would do this. I know the economy is bad. Everybody, at this point, can blame thier troubles on the economy. I'm sure it will happen in this case but but among other things, the buck limit caused a drastic decrease in license sales and land leases. This deepened the depression for those who lease us our land. In turn less equipment, shells, clothes, guns, and so on were bought in Alabama. That means we didn't recieve the tax dollars or the matching funds from the Government in turn causing millions in shortfalls for the Department of Game and Fish. This coming at a time of budget cuts in Alabama. "Will you please buy a fishing licence?" We, the rank and file, have no ownership. At one time I had a say. I was valued and my opinion weighed. So was yours. Investigate for yourselves how the Advisory Board unanimously passed a speed limit law that was so hotly rejected by the Alabama public that it didn't last two days. The Commisioner could not sign it due to public outcry. The problem in this case was not that the law was proposed. The problem was, it was a unanamous decision in favor of it, no decent. No one on that board is in touch with rank and file Alabama hunters and fishermen. Alabama didn't want it. They did it anyway. Fortunately, Alabama fought back this time. Am I being hard? My lifetime license...I am proud of it. I want to be proud of the Commisioner and the Board but our public beaches are being given away to millionaires to build condo's. Commercial fishermen banned from daylight fishing in the veiw of them. I want what is mine. The opportunity to freely hunt and fish using good judgement and conservation practices. An all for one attitude and what is best. Not an agenda of a Commissioner shoved at me to like or leave.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Where Is Your Trophy?


Everyone has his or her own definition concerning enjoyment of the outdoors. Whether it is just getting out in the woods for a stroll, hard-core trophy hunting, or those things that lie in between, it is still a valued opportunity we all seek and in Alabama, find. We are blessed with opportunity. We should all make the most of it especially when our youth are becoming interested. I am learning that first hand, as my eleven-year-old Hunter, begins to tag along with me. He is not searching for anything in particular; he just wants to be with me. Oh, he would love to kill a deer or squirrel but he is also interested in all the other wonders of this world. It is all new to him. As we have begun to explore the woods, he is easily side tracked from the hunt by a frog or a turtle. He asks questions and yes, many times he is too loud when he does it. He believes that surely, there are still Indians out here somewhere, and when we see one, what will we do? Personally, I feel I am at the height of my game when it comes to killing a trophy buck. I know the haunts of deer all across the state and I love to hunt them but that is not what drives me right now. Nothing compares to the psyche of youth. The mystery of the woods is burning in their minds. Often times however, these precious moments never happen because we begin to think only of that trophy with the antlers on its head. We put our youth off until tomorrow or tell them to wait until the weather is better never taking into account what is really being lost. If they are unable to foster a love for the outdoors with a mentor that goes before them, shaping their wondering minds and answering questions of the unknown, that trophy on your wall will be worth nothing. It has no meaning to them. The real trophies are the youth themselves. Those who will maintain what we love so much when we are gone. Are we teaching our youth that the antlers are the only thing that matters? I hope not. As my little boy drags his feet in the leaves announcing to all living creatures we are coming, I remember my dad looking back at me when I was a boy on my first squirrel hunt and saying quietly, “Walk like you are walking on eggs.” I turn to Hunter and say the same. Today, I still walk in the woods like I am walking on eggs and as I said; I am at the top of my game. In 30 years where will my little boy be?

Remembering

Remember
The progression of hunting from where we were then to where we are now, has been amazing and I never thought I would see this kind of accomplishment in my lifetime. I remember when Wilcox, Greene, Sumpter, and a few other counties were the only good places to hunt deer because there were so few everywhere else. I remember seeing a deer track in Jefferson County and not believing my own eyes. I just remember thinking how great a world it would be if that actually was a deer track and I could hunt deer in these woods. It really was a deer track but I couldn't grasp it because it just wasn't possible. That particular area was cut-over then, dirt and stumps. A few years ago standing on that same ridge, under the hardwoods, as the third buck of the season made its way into range, I remembered where I was then and where I am now. Everyone had the same thing in mind, conservation. It is how we got to where we are. Good leaders like Charles Kelly, and Charley Grimsley were conservationist. They knew the rank and file hunter because they were of the same accord. They believed to get what we all wanted it was the hunters who had to get us there. Not through regulations but by putting it in the hands of the people. The way it should be knowing Alabama hunters would protect, teach, and enforce if necessary conservation practices. It worked exceedingly well and created the second largest deer herd in the nation and number one by land area alone. I have lived in an era of conservation and I loved it. Sounds like I was using the past tense. That is because I was. Although conservation may still be the stated mission of our leadership, politics and overtones of tyranny have begun to ring in the halls. Public beaches, the beaches you and I use, are being given to the rich for condo's. A hunters knowledge of the land and what is right is now dictated to him and a snare of regulation tight around his neck. Where is the outcry? Where are the people? A few of the old gaurd are fighting, not for the old way but for what is right. Where are their children and students? I remember when a hunter killed a buck because he hunted, used his head, watched the weather and learned from the old buck masters. They hunted big bucks by two's and three's putting plans together and covering ground but today the industry and the products decide how individuals hunt. People angry because someone was within 40 acres of their ladder stand and doe urine, ruining their whole day. Laws enacted because one person don't like our way of hunting. People who know nothing about what we do. Don't kill that buck, I'll be back in a few weeks or next year or something. Rediculas notions. I fear the thought is you can regulate yourself a bigger buck. It is a shame but it is winning the war. I don't know what you call it when you sit in a ladderstand over a corn feeder that turns on at the same time everyday. Some have likened it to hunting but I don't see it. I want to fight against industry ideals and reinstate the little man but there are few troops and they are scattered. I guess we are to busy. Nobody knows their neighbors anymore. Nobody sits and talks. Nobody has time to hunt a big buck the way it should be done, you have to get back to the office. Conservation has turned from a love of the land to money driven, given into the hands of a few to make decisions. A few who don't know us. A few who see us, the hunter, as a cockroach. Unfortunately there has been no objections from the rank and file. It is a recipe for disaster. I take a moment,....pause,....and remember those good old days.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Dove Hunt 09

Looking forward to another good dove hunt in Walker County. Last year was awesome not only because it was my first annual hunt and birds were everywhere but because of the 19 people hunting, 8 of them were kids, all but one of the kids were on their first dove hunt. It was a war zone at times and I have to admit I hope this year can live up to the expectation. I plan to plant more land this year and hopefully open more of the field up for feeding birds. Those who hunted last year will have an automatic invitation to return. I am taking only a few more hunters by invitation only. I would request all hunters come as early as you can so we can enjoy the food, the company, and play "root the peg." Bring plenty of shells and drinks. I plan to build a few shooting stations for shade and comfort. If you hunted with me last year and cannot come let me know as soon as possible so I can fill your slot. I have a lot of people in mind and limited space. I was very thankful to have a successful hunt last year and pray this one will be enjoyable and safe. Thanks to all who came and I look forward to seeing you again.

Corn - Is It Bad For Alabama's Deer Hunter

Is the possiblity of legalizing corn a good thing for Alabama hunters? It seems a lot of people in the hunting world are excited about the possibility. Good arguments can be made for it. One idea is it is no different than planting a green field. Another is the fact it is currently legal to bait all year, you just can't hunt over it. Therefore if disease was a problem there is no real argument. I remember as a kid thinking how much I would love it and how I would put corn in all my favorite spots. I realize now there is another side to it. A friend of mine I hunt with in Georgia has a home and hunting property in North Caralina. In Georgia he always killed good deer and was an excellent hunter. Recently North Caralina legalized corn. Since that time my friend has had a long dry spell in Georgia. He and I were talking one afternoon about his troubles and he said,"I have forgotten how to hunt." I asked him what he meant. He said, "The only deer I hunt now in North Caralina are in the corn pile at the end of the driveway. I don't actually hunt anymore. I don't know how" Could this happen to you? It is possible? What do you think?