Time for change? (Terribly long winded)

Eric Patterson

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Staff member
I'm home today still feeling the effects of Friday's surgery and want to share some thoughts that I've been having over the past few months. Thanks for listening.

I've spoken to some of you privately about issues at the private property I am able to hunt. Basically my employer allows me full access to some of the land he owns and to land that he has exclusive hunting rights to, over 400 acres total. I do a lot of the maintenance like prepare blinds, bush hog, clear trails, plant food plots, etc.. It is a lot of work and I bought the needed equipment (tractor, trailer, disc, spray rig, etc.) out of my own pocket. I assume many expenses but have 100% access whenever I want. I gladly take my employer and his family members whenever they wish and like it when they come but most of the time it's me and Thomas and sometimes a guest. Thomas and I have gotten a lot of pleasure out of the work and the hunts over the past 6 year. But with that said we've been in constant conflict with the farmer (he is not the landowner but has farming rights to the land my employer does not own). Specifically he has gone out of his way to tear out roads, and rip out our water control structures depriving of us water. For the past two seasons we've had no water meaning all the work we did putting in food plots was for nothing. This is just one example of many vindictive actions on his part. I have never spoken to him but he evidently has an issue with my employer and is doing his best to keep us from hunting. When my employer obtained exclusive hunting rights the farmer and his buddies lost them and I think that may be part of it. My employer has hired a lawyer to sue the farmer for harassment but I don't know what our chances are. I fear he can claim his actions were all done as part of his faming operations.

The above covers the issues I've had on private property. Public hunting has issues too. Specifically I enjoy WMAs on weekday afternoons when the crowds are the thinnest and save the private property for weekends. This allows me the most enjoyable hunting I can come up with in North Alabama. Now the state has decided to change the regs on our WMAs closing hunting tue-thur and no longer allowing motors in some of the areas I like. The new regs really limit me. Further, I have lost my taste for hunting the lake. It is crowded and too much commotion. I've grown too old to put up with it given limited success rates and hunter traffic. Some things just lose their appeal over time and this is an example for me.

So with the above I am considering a complete change in the way I have hunted ducks since 1982. That being joining a club in Arkansas and maybe a little freelancing on Black River. I'll drop from about 30 days a year to just a few weekends. It is a big change. If I go through with it I'll sell my tractor and equipment, Broadbill, and Black Brant and buy a 4 wheeler. Maybe in a year or two Thomas and I will do a father-son Cackler build. That is my wish. It's just such a big change I'm having a hard time going through with it, but something has to give. I only hunted 6 times this past season. I can't remember hunting less than 30 times a season.

Thomas (turned 18 Saturday) has a group of friends that hunt quite a bit and I think he's hit that time in his life where he's too independent to hunt with me all the time. Plus I don't have the desire to do the 3:00 am public hunts like him. I think he'd join me some in Arkansas but will continue to mostly hunt around here with his friends. He won't be happy with me selling most of the hunting items. I could keep the Brant until the Cackler.

Sorry for the rambling thoughts, I'm just working through the aspects before I make any long term decisions. Simply put things have changed, now I guess it's time for me to make some changes too.

Eric
 
Eric, I too know how u feel. Hunting in my normal haunts have become so difficult and crowed it just doesn't seem worth the effort most days. I have just about given up hunting at home. I am fortunate that I'm retired, so I take off in late Sept. and go to Canada and stay until the weather chases me home. It's not easy to make those decisions.
 
Sounds like it is time for a change. I hear you loud and clear on the conflict with the farmer and the public land hunting issues - what a bummer. I'm at some similar crossroads, but I'm waiting to see what happens with Gus as he is starting hunting and we will see where his interests take us (or don't).

For sure keep the brant around for Thomas to borrow!
 
Eric,


Welcome to the wonderful thing we know of as life. As you are already aware, life is never static, always changing. You are doing well to take this time to reflect and ponder your needs and goals as they relate to your present situation. I feel you will make an intelligent decision which works for you.


I too have made priority changes along life's journey. Did I make all the right choices, perhaps or perhaps not. Either way I don't regret any of them. Yes some things (given other choices) might have been different yet that does not mean they would have been better, just different.


Again, I feel you will make a choice that is best for you. I'll be thinking of you and If you ever feel a need to discuss any issues, you have my number. I may not be able to offer any good advice but I can offer you a chance to talk things thru. The best advice I can offer right now is; don't be depressed that you feel a need for change. Look upon this as an opportunity for change.
 
Eric, you aren't the only one facing this challenge. Recently a number of the articles and debates going on in the waterfowl world have been about access. I have long ascribed to the biggest drivers in retaining, recruiting and reactivating hunters are access, age and competing priorities. Even though hunter numbers are half of what they were in 1970 and duck populations are above historic averages and regulations are more liberal than 50 years ago, we are loosing hunters. They have no place to easily hunt and in general are getting older while younger hunters are busy with competing priorities (kids sports/ballet/etc.) to a much greater extent than 1970. So you aren't alone.

On a more personal note, I hope you spring back from your surgery quickly and get back to work in the shop and enjoying your time with Thomas. I can't believe how fast he has grown up. Seems like just a few years ago that you were posting pictures of him with a popgun as he accompanied you. Those were great pictures and I'll bet very fond memories. I hope you still have the brochure from Turnbill Refuge starring Thomas.
 
One thing about getting older is the sense not to put up with bull carp ! I think you can have a lot of enjoyment out of a club if it is the right guys. Years ago unless I killed 6 ducks, the hunt was less than a success. Now 3 birds and a visit to see some friends is a great day. I think you are on the right track and in a few years Thomas will be looking to hunt with you again. Simplify and don't sweat it. One thing may lead to another
 
Eric,

Keep noodling on your choices and pretty soon all will be clear. Follow your heart and belly and if change is in the air embrace it. New adventures are waiting.

All the best will your recovery.
 
I bet many of us go through something similar Eric. I know I have. I used to have a place hat I could hunt almost any weekday morning and be by myself and be assured of seeing ducks and geese. Over time, this place has become all too popular for me as there are hunters out there at all times of the week and weekend. I do two things. I hunt the general vicinity knowing I won't get the same opportunities and knowing that going in, it isn't too bad. I switched over to lightweight carry in everything small creek hunting. No one hunts the small creeks and waterways and I am typically by myself. I don't see near as many birds but still enjoy being outside and away from here (work). Guess it all depends upon why you hunt.


Sorry about the landowner. Can you get DU or some other organization involved? How a CO that can scare the guy a little?


Mark W
 
Being older gives you more freedom to do what you want, when you want. 2-3am public or not, waterfowl hunts are in the past, where they belong. Killing is not the priority, the experience is, no matter if it's going to Canada, or a Wood Duck hunt over your own decoys close to home.

In my younger days I belonged to clubs to hunt Canada geese and mallards, almost every day of the season. With good members it works just fine. As hunters we evolve from gotta go everyday, to a more casual and enjoyable pace. You hunt the birds when they are there, not when you want them there.

I often look back on all the years and seasons and wonder. Did I waste my time/life being a waterfowl fanatic? Yet I really don't know what else I would have done to keep myself alive and out of trouble. Plus I got to see some awesome sunrises in many different places.

You'll do fine Eric. It's all good.
 
Eric, I'm in a little different position, but I share your confusion. I love to hunt more than any other pastime, but my haunts are becoming overcrowded and unproductive. I moved to more secluded waters, but they were very unproductive. I'm fine with a lighter bag at the end of the day, but the ignorant competition sure makes things frustrating. I can't let go of waterfowling...try as I may. My brain tells me that it's no longer worth it, but my heart is more stubborn.

I remember Thomas' age. I wanted to hunt with my buddies. Now, I realize that my most memorable hunts were with my uncle (he was a major father figure in my life). Give Thomas a few years--he'll come around. Good luck with your recovery. Get well soon!
 
Eric,

Sorry to hear of all the elements that are getting in the way of you being able to have some consistent options. I well recall all the posts describing the sweat equity that went into trying to make that private access a productive place to hunt. That sure must be discouraging. I guess you can only hope the landowner is successful in trying to resolve in the harassment action.

Just remember that you have a wealth of experience and know-how that will enable you to find solutions - and keep exploring and evaluating the ones that seem most promising. Best of luck.
Bob
 
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Eric-I have changed hunting spots/leases several times now. The reasons for the changes were different, but it was time to move on even though I didn't always want to. Routines get routines, and places go in and out of popularity and productivity over time. And sometimes you just have a bad neighbor or the land you were hunting has a change. Good opportunity to finding something new. You never know, you might like it better. I know that where I am now is more fun than anywhere I ever was before. Good luck and enjoy the journey, there is something out there for you.
 
Eric,

I understand that feeling. The change in duck hunting here in Tallahassee is huuuuuuuuuuuge compared to what I was used to in east central FL. There, I could get away from crowds (I've never particularly cared for the crowds in duck hunting but in good areas with lots of teal, I wouldn't have heartburn about it) with reasonable effort by walking, canoeing or riding my bike in somewhere and I was perfectly happy with teal hunts. They're one of my favorites. Out here, there are lakes to hunt but in Leon County there are HP restrictions and you're only allowed to hunt certain days because of the sheer number of duck hunters here. There are some smaller management areas around here that offer opportunities to hunt, when they don't get inundated with salt water. There are of course woodduck holes to hunt but my experience with that is the little boogers change where they roost and spend the day because of the amount of pressure they tend to get and because they're woodducks so those are crap shoots. But then there is the Gulf and diver hunting. That can be lots of fun but I'm not equipped to go out on the Gulf.

But, the turkey hunting is a lot better over here (at least in my experience, I'm not sure Steve would agree with that statement after the season we've been having). And though they're not outstanding opportunities, there are upland opportunities to be had here in this area. This year we spent more time upland hunting, as much because Steve now has B but also because the ducks and coots never really showed up here this year in FL until the very very end. Even on the Gulf. So, we spent a lot of time upland hunting and chasing woodcock and quail. One of the places we hunt has a lot of little ponds so there were days that we could get into woodcock and woodducks and it's those hunts that saved our duck season.

Nothing wrong with change sometimes, even if it's sucky (and as far as I'm concerned duck hunting wise, it's a huge sucky change for me to live in this part of FL, but I'm adapting). As someone else said, you might find that you like the change lots better.

On the part about Thomas, I can't believe he's 18 already. Lordy time flies (and yeah, yeah, yeah I get I'm not as old as some of y'all and heck thinking about it, I've been hanging out with y'all for almost 15 years now).

Dani
 
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Eric, hard for me to relate, coming from a state with a long-standing ethic of access to private land for hunting and fishing. For a discussion of this in a different context in Maine--foraging for wild plants--see yesterday's Wall Street Journal--front page! (Subscription required, unfortunately.)

https://www.wsj.com/articles/hey-you-stop-eating-my-yard-1491157430

The only piece of this I will comment on is the state's implementation of motor restrictions. While I understand this has an impact on those who have traditionally used motors for access, I think this may be the single most effective way to deal with overcrowding. My primary context on this is on wild brook trout ponds. The difference between a pond with a trailered boat launch, a pond with easy carry-in access, and a pond with a 1/2 mile or longer walk is like day/twilight/midnight in terms of angling pressue.

Since I am basically a misanthrope, I'll trade more difficult access for solitude any day. And I say that as a 50 year old overweight guy with a fused ankle, a crooked left arm and a cranky hip. Those make it a lot harder for me to get around when I was younger and before a bad car accident. Nothing gets me madder than people advocating for better roads and more motorized access in the name of "the elderly and handicapped". There is a place for easy access for those populations, but it is not the backcountry.
 
Eric, I can sympathize with your predicament. I have gone through the same type of thing. The one truism for me is that times change things change and people change. You will have to adapt or drop out.
I recommend adapting. For instance i now hunt with a pointing dog not a retriever mainly because our duck numbers have dropped off and the presence of other hunters. I go to the pay to hunt places and have a lot of fun and i am back home at night.

The weather has been against me for the last two duck seasons with the river too high to hunt, thus the pheasant hunting. But i haven't given up on waterfowl and am looking forward to this coming season with major changes to my boat, better concealment and more comfort. Not to mention making decoys and improving decoys.

Switching to deer bow hunting and spring and fall turkey hunting has taken up a lot of time especially with the food plot work.

Your idea of a hunt club membership sounds solid to me i know there can be draw backs but overall there are benefits. I don't like to travel great distances but am considering a few guided duck hunts in state to "scratch the itch".

Finally if possible i would consider buying your own piece of hunting land. That is what i have done,it is not waterfowl land but offers other opportunities from pond fishing,field and woods hunting to dog training and shooting ranges.

I will turn 74 this month and don't intend to quit, just change and adapt as best i can. Sorry for the rambling.
Bill.
 
Am I to understand that all of this happened and you still have not spoken to the farmer?
I would cross that bridge before I decided on a life altering change.
 
Eric you have been at it longer than I have, but as you know I travel for 75% of my hunting. I can't even describe how much it has changed my views much less opened my eyes to what is out there. Granted I will hunt North Alabama until the day I die (I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment...LOL), but getting to experience all the different styles of hunting and all the different species has been worth every penny. I am nowhere near as successful as I use to be around here, but I can still get out and get trophy birds once or twice a year. I agree and disagree with what they are trying to do with the WMA's. Something has to be done to allow the birds around here to rest, but I guess we will see what happens. I stopped hunting the WMA's because they got as bad if not worse than the river and lakes. If you do decide to sell your boats, let's talk before you do! There's a lot of history in those, and you are one of the few that can be admired around North Alabama for what you have done.
 
Wow, thank you all for the words of support, wisdom, empathy, and advice. Some really interesting perspectives and insight in this thread. I am truly among caring friends.

Jeff Reardon brought up the motor restriction and his liking of it in his area. I can see his point but want to let you know that one of the two areas now closed to motors is some of the hardest water to navigate, even with a motor. All gates are closed making for lengthy walks (upwards of 2 miles) and the water varies in depth from inches to feet making wading to the more remote spots nearly impossible. It is choked with invasive weeds, woody vegetation, and submerged logs. I find it unlikely a hunter can paddle to the more remote areas, especially with the new no launching before 4 am reg. There won't be many willing to walk it either. I can foresee there being trespassing problems for those who look for "shortcuts". This area (North of Hwy 117 for those familiar with Raccoon Creek WMA) is the least utilized of all the dewatering areas. You hardly ever see a hunter deep in there now, even with mud motors. Eliminating motors will push the few that do use it into the more crowded areas adding to the problem. Hunters need to spread out, not jam up for Christ's sake. I have written the state about this and got a very nice response from the State Biologist, Keith Gauldin. When I get back to the office I can share his response. I disagree with him but did appreciate his taking the time. But suffice to say this one reg isn't the singular reason for me ready to leave the state. It's a whole lot more as I indicated above.

Paul Mc asked why I had not talked to the farmer. Fair question. I have spoken to my employer who both owns some of the land and holds exclusive hunting rights to the land the farmer has harassed us on. As a guest it is not my position to take up issues with the farmer (who is not the landowner by the way). My employer has had conversations with the farmer, the landowner, and others tied to the area. Simply put the farmer is going out of his way to deprive us of using the land as he did when he hunted it. But proving that in court won't be easy. Until that day comes I won't do any more work or spend a dime down there and have discussed this with my employer. He agrees with me. When I look at the money and space in my shop occupied by the tractor and associated equipment it makes sense to me to get rid of it and use the funds and space for less aggravating things, especially like building a new boat that Thomas could use for bowfishing and duck hunting.

My mind isn't fully made up but the direction I'm leaning is to move on. I think Thomas will join me if I find the right set up in Arkansas, Mississippi, etc.. I don't see me doing the 30+ days afield in the near future, but do want to enjoy myself when I go. This past season was entirely lacking, and that's putting it politely.

Eric
 
Eric, One more thought. We are certainly in different places, and I can't possibly know exactly what's most important to you. That said, as I have aged and lost hunting partners, it has become obvious to me that the quality, not the quantity of hunts has become far more important to me. I have given up on places I could legally hunt as a result of harassment from neighbors who believed it was their responsibility to call the police every time a gunshot was heard (welcome to NJ), but I have also given up hunting places that I once hunted with great friends who have passed. In the end, you will certainly choose the best path for you, and I'm sure the thought of quality will aid you in your decision. All my best!! Scott
 
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