Price too high, rules too stringent

[buck460XVR]

Well said, it is all about desire and making your own opportunities.

......and IMHO, what the Op's opening post was about. Folks are here criticizing and belittling his choices. First it was that he was poor and could not afford to do the things he wanted because of the poor choices he made earlier in life. Once folks found out that he could well afford it, the chastising again focused on poor choices. But poor to whom? Just as folks were quick to assume the OP was trailer trash, they now are quick to say choosing between hunting and something else is a poor decision. Without knowing anything else about him but that he cannot justify paying big bucks for a Texas lease. I for one would have loved for my kids to enjoy everything there was in life......but time and monies dictated that not to be. So we did everything we could in the time we had and our within our budget. That's where I see the OP at. If he truly valued hunting in Texas at $2500 for a lease, I'm thinkin' he would. It seems he rather pay that and hunt somewhere else. I spend monies every year for food plots, planting trees and habitat enhancement for deer/turkey hunting. For what I spend, I could probably go to Canada every year and easily shoot a much larger buck from a blind some outfitter put up out in the boonies and baited all year for hunters. Some will tell me it's a poor choice in life, because I can't justify the Canada thing. So be it. My choices....not theirs.

 

[taylorce1]

and IMHO, what the Op's opening post was about. Folks are here criticizing and belittling his choices. First it was that he was poor and could not afford to do the things he wanted because of the poor choices he made earlier in life. Once folks found out that he could well afford it, the chastising again focused on poor choices. But poor to whom? 

I don't think I ever criticized the OP, for his choices. I did offer a suggestion. However, all he did was continue his rant so I pretty much stayed out of it. The OP has to decide how important it is to him to get his kids in to deer hunting, and that is all I'm saying.

 

[Roamin_Wade]

Look, I grew up going to my fathers deer lease that was PROPERLY ran. By that I mean that the deer stands were kept in good shape by everyone going up there in September of every year and making sure that they were safe. I don’t like this BS where you have YOUR stand and you have a lock on it and nobody else can hunt it. The stands were decided by a hand of poker or if necessary, a flip of a coin. This “new” way cuts down from having, say, a thousand acres collectively, to having just five acres.
As far as affording these huge prices, that’s why I have a boat. It’s a 1973 Boston Whaler, 13 feet long with a 35 Evinrude, that is in decent shape. I enjoy fishing and it’s affordable. Having children, I was hoping that by the time in their life that they could hunt, I’d be able to afford something to take them hunting but life has dealt me a hand that is preventing that because I don’t make near the money I used to. I could very easily file for disability but I can’t stand the thought of that so now I work at a retail place making very little and RIGHT NOW is the time that the kids can hunt and I just can’t afford it right now. I’m not going to sell my boat to go hunting. The Corvette cost as much as a new Honda Accord, I paid around $24,000 for it.
The price of hunting like it is right now is a joke. I could take them on a “canned hunt” but that’s really not hunting as much as it is just choosing which deer out of 20 that are high fenced in to a place.
As I supposed in the beginning, it’s just aggravating but, alas, so is life. Like I said, I just wanted to vent. I guess some folks are so tense that when they see a post like this they can’t help themselves from critiquing the thing so whatever.

Thanks to those that were understanding and not judgemental towards me...

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Well thank God at least you weren't judgemental toward Texas property owners, the people of Houston and surrounding countries, or the 'dumbass rednecks' beyond those boundaries. Entitlement is a burden to bear.

 

[stagpanther]

Well thank God at least you weren't judgemental toward Texas property owners, the people of Houston and surrounding countries, or the 'dumbass rednecks' beyond those boundaries. Entitlement is a burden to bear.

I lived in Texas for a while--left cause the banjo music started bothering me.

 

[jfruser]

I don't care how you build a fence, it won't stop hogs. They'll root under the bottom barbed-wire strand of sheep-and-goat fence. And all it takes is a gully-washer rain to give them a freebie.

A guy I shoot with did it, but he has more time and money than he has sense.

Or is it just a matter of...priorities?

======================

Plenty of other states raise hogs, yet have no feral hog infestation.
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ou...rational-activities/feral-swine/sa-fs-history

Looks like the problem started in the southernmost states and has been steadily moving northward.

Also looks like some counties that had infestation, managed to eliminate them in the 2004-2016 time frame. This may be a result of small numbers of hogs and random chance, though. Or politics that reward not finding feral hogs. "No, siree Bob, no feral hogs wolves mountain lions invasive or inconvenient critters here."

And fencing, while not a cure-all, is the #1 means suggested to control feral hogs
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ou...l-activities/feral-swine/fs-manage-the-damage

Fencing can be installed to exclude feral swine from crops; electric fencing has proven effective in some cases, but may become cost prohibitive for fencing large areas. Traditional fencing paired with habitat modification (clearing of underbrush along fence line) can also be an effective means for excluding feral swine. However, feral swine are strong, clever, and if motivated or agitated can destroy most fences, which should be considered during construction.

Pretty much what my new-ish neighbor from E Texas told me. He saw the hotwire I ran on the inside of my fence to keep the dogs and and we started chatting. He used hogwire+several hotwires to keep them off his land and keep his animals on the right side of the fence. He kept them up and the brush off them. He laughed a bit at my solar-powered charger and said he used a big ol' AC-powered unit.

 

[thallub]

The state of Oklahoma went from having few or no hogs in 1982 to being totally infested with hogs today. That happened because:

1. The introduction of Eurasian boars.

2. The deliberate relocation of hogs into previously hog free areas.

3. The proliferation of non fenced/inadequately hog hunting "ranches".

 

[stagpanther]

Lots of "hog hunt gone wild" businesses played their part in the spread as well--maybe even a primary role.

 

[taylorce1]

RIGHT NOW is the time that the kids can hunt and I just can’t afford it right now. I’m not going to sell my boat to go hunting. The Corvette cost as much as a new Honda Accord, I paid around $24,000 for it. 

There are a lot of different types of leases in TX, you're going to have to shop around. You do realize that Corvette is almost 10 years worth of deer lease at $2500 a gun from your OP. So I got to ask is it more important to keep a car that isn't practical for your family or build memories with your kids?

Keeping the boat I can understand spending time fishing with your family, but the car is for you. If you were thinking of your family you would have bought a Honda Accord. It isn't like you can hitch up your boat to a Corvette and load the family up for a day of fishing. If you want to take the kids deer hunting, it is something only you are capable of doing for them.

I can understand where you're coming from as I had a short term disability from a very serious injury back in 2015-16, but I didn't have a paycheck for a full year. That was a tough year, we lived on savings and finally I had to pull from my retirement. I'm back to work now, but I'll never be 100% luckily my injury doesn't affect my work much. My family and I had to make tough decisions and do without a lot of things, it's just something you do in that situation.

 

[thallub]

Lots of "hog hunt gone wild" businesses played their part in the spread as well--maybe even a primary role.

Yes, they did. Shady hog doggers and pay to hunt outfits bought hogs at stock sales and turned them loose. i trapped and hunted down dozens of younger hogs that looked like dirty show pigs.

 

[Blindstitch]

Bet the OP didn't expect this thread to get derailed so much. So the guy has a $24,000 car. Don't you think the guys wife mentioned hey pork chops are on sale for $1.79 a pound right now. Sell the corvette and we can buy over 13,000 pounds of meat.

Then who cares about hunting and take your kids and a uhaul with you and bond over loading meat.

Oh wait that's a dumb idea. Maybe we can find other suggestions for how the guy might pass on the hunting tradition.

 

[Art Eatman]

Ehh...Seems like enough drifting and grumping for one thread.