old stomping grounds.

[Bull Nutria]

When I was about 8 my grandpa had about 3-4 acres in the country about 5 miles from town (New Iberia), along LA 14 in SWLA. there was a large drain ditch that had spoil banks that were like small hills to a boy along the east border of his property. We would shoot 22s ( Rem Model 41 single shot) down into the ditch as it was a safe to shoot down into it! I shot my first squirrel in a live oak in the barnyard with my well used 20 ga SxS Fox Sterlingworth. Hunted all along that drainage canal for miles in both directions with my retriever, it was vegetated with large 40 year old water oaks, hackberries, willows, and other trees. For about the next 6 years, I hunted that place and adjacent pastures and ag fields, shot doves, rabbits, squirrels.

My grandpa passed away when I was 13 and the local gov't decided to clean out the drain ditch. they took out every tree and spoil pile and leveled the place barren as a pool table. To add more insult to injury the highway dept took about 100 ft from LA 14 to make it 4 lane. My uncles sold the land and a fellow parked a house trailer on it and recently, I passed and notice another house trailer. The only thing that remains as it was it the Live oak I shot my first squirrel in 58 years ago!

Nothing stays the same and If you go back it wont be the same!!

Bull

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

Yeah I've never been to Oklahoma or Texas but from what I read it's feast or famine down there with water...

Yep, we lived there for about 9 years before moving up here to Kansas. During one of the dry years an old timer told me that when they talk about it raining for "40 days and 40 nights", Oklahoma got an inch...

 

[MCgunner]

No shortage of water here. Good water, too. I'm not REAL sure how deep my well is. Houston, 100 miles to the east, is more known for its floods than droughts.

Now, when we were looking at the south western hill country, it was apparent that drilling a well would cost more'n building a house.

 

[jim in Anchorage]

Lol Jim, I was poking fun at your typo. Of COURSE I know about the dust bowl, I have lived in Oklahoma for about 32 years now

32 years? Again kids today.

 

[SoonerMedic]

32 years? Again kids today.

lol I don't always feel like a kid...my back will beg to differ in the mornings and after long shifts of lifting people.

 

[MedWheeler]

SoonerMedic writes:

I don't always feel like a kid...my back will beg to differ in the mornings and after long shifts of lifting people.

That doesn't get any better. I'm missing work this week due to a back strain which, unfortunately, didn't even happen at work. But 25+ years of lifting people played a part, I'm sure.

 

[MidRoad]

Up here near albany ny ,the area is booming,especially with the nanotech program at u albany, and businesses like GE and regeneron. Lots and lots of developement. everything is expensive as hell. One acre ranged from 2k for crap land you cant build on to 50k is the desirable areas. Taxes for a 250k house on an acre depending on school districts and county range from 4k to 8k a year.

Even with the high cost of living people are still flocking to the area buyingg up property and putting up developements that used to be good hunting . And to further that since we are about a 3 hour drive from nyc,there are TONS of people from nyc,jersey and connecticut buy up houses and land for second homes and posting the hell out of property that used to be available to hunters.

We lost a prime turkey hunting spot a few year back. Along with a deer hunting grounds that my family hunted for 25years. Not only did we loose access to that property ,but that property boreded a state park with thousands of acres, so we lost that access too. the forester who booted us gave is permision to hunt an old loggin plot in petersburg two years ago. Bow season was fine but rifle season was a damn zoo. My brother had a teen walk withing 50 yards of him. My brother waved his hat and made his presence know. The kid waved back, unfolded his lawn chair and sat right down on the trail ,not even in cover, with his rifle facing my direction (I was about 300 yards away and couldnt see him). That was the last straw. Luckily we were able to join a local hunting club in stephantown, with access to 1200 acres. But its sad to see all this development.

 

[SoonerMedic]

SoonerMedic writes:



That doesn't get any better. I'm missing work this week due to a back strain which, unfortunately, didn't even happen at work. But 25+ years of lifting people played a part, I'm sure.

I'm sorry to hear that! I will be applying for an oil refinery on Monday and hopefully in January will be hired on. I'm not going to get my hopes too high though, there will probably be a thousand or more applicants for maybe 20 jobs. BUT, if I am able to land it, I'll be making six figures within a year or so.