we are a dying breed

[gwdixon]

Re: we are a dyeing breed

There is a certain excitement and adrenalin rush to fishing and hunting. It seems to be an instinct in human nature to want to have that feeling. Heck, even golf can do that when you hit a particularly good shot or sink a long putt. But it takes time, equipment, special outfitting, persistence, practice, enduring a measure of discomfort (cold, windy, hot), and etc.

Kids today get that same stimulus from playing video games or phone games. This can be done in complete comfort in the house or in a car. The days of "being out in nature" or even observing the outdoors while in a car is not happening when one's nose is in a video game. Plus, when one tires of the game just hit "Save" and pick it up later. Hard to do out in the woods.

Admittedly, I have played "First Person Shooter" video games on my computer even at my advanced age of 66. It is usually when I'm ill or the outside weather is severely prohibitive. But there is still that thrill of the hunt.

My biggest concern is that the lack of interaction with nature will result in a misunderstanding of those that wish to hunt and fish. There will be laws prohibiting such activities in the future as those kids grow up, vote, and elect like-minded representatives.

I can tell you that here in California it is happening now. The voters in large cities that only see talking cows on TV and have a anthropomorphic view of animals are leading the demise of hunting and fishing in this state. $100 hunting license and $90 fishing license fees don't help one bit.

 

[ovrszd]

Re: we are a dyeing breed

I agree with Dan.

As my 31 year old Step Daughter says, we need to be stimulated. What??? I am stimulated by a quiet noontime lunch eaten in the solitude of my timber sitting on the ground leaning against a tree. That is NOT what she's talking about.

Sadly all of this starts in the toddler years. Just turn on your TV to a cartoon channel. If you can stand it for more than a couple minutes then you must be in the younger generation group (regardless of your age). Cartoons are simply loud noises and bright colors. So the toddler grows up expecting the World to be the same way. You don't get that type of "stimulation" fishing, hunting, spending time with nature.

Then when you look at us "adults", we are just as guilty. When was the last time you were involved in a group discussion with adults without someone having a Cell Phone in their hand?? Very sad.

As for the cost/fees part. In Missouri the Dept of Conservation is the richest segment of our government. They are constantly buying up tracts of land and limiting use. We have so many Deer that killing one takes only a couple hours in the timber or less if you aren't picky of size gender.. I'm not sure exactly how many I can legally kill but it would be close to ten. I pay a fee for each. Eliminate fees, eliminate licenses, tags, etc. And in the case of Deer in my area, eliminate seasons.

 

[dmccarty]

Re: we are a dyeing breed

So how many of you over 40 used to go out fishing on your own or with a friend when you were 8-10years old. How many parents let their 8-10 year olds go leave their house alone anymore. I see baseball dying for much the same reason. I used to play pickup ball lots as a kid. I only see kids playing as part of a league now.

That is a spot on observation. Kids are not allowed out unsupervised so if they are playing sports, they are on teams which requires the parent(s) to take the kid to practice and games, leaving the parent(s) with no time. On the other hand, there are so many sport leagues for kids today compared to when I was a kid. I had football starting in 5th grade. Today the kids are playing sports at 4-5 years old. Then there are travel leagues which we did not have as a kid which takes up even more of the limited family time.

People are also locked into their houses more. We just do not go out and know the neighbors today. I remember after Fran went through Raleigh, EVERYONE was out in the streets because power was out and there was nothing to do INSIDE the house. Plus it was hot in the house and cooler outside. :laughing: Once the power returned everyone disappeared back into the houses.

Later,
Dan

 

[Turbys_1700]

Re: we are a dyeing breed

Kids today have grown up in the digital age and would rather play video games than do something "real"...
I see the same trend in lot of areas...
Fewer kids playing baseball, football, ect...
Fewer kids bowling, hunting, fishing, ETC...
Trends change and time moves on...
It is a shame that many children today do not know the joys of digging for worms, fishing with a cane pole, bouncing a ball off a wall etc...

 

[MossRoad]

Re: we are a dyeing breed

But as a dyeing breed, he'll be easy to spot with his brightly colored clothes.

Yep. I thought this thread as going to be about an alpaca farm or something....

 

[MossRoad]

Re: we are a dyeing breed

So, here's the deal on fishing....
A long time ago, I bought a lifetime comprehensive license for Indiana. I figured at the time the current rate would have it paid for by the time I was 56. Fees increased slightly over the years, so it paid off after I turned 52. Several years ago, the state stopped granting lifetime licenses. They said it would cost them money over the years vs annual licensing. I can see that. They also started charging for senior licenses. I thought that was outrageous.... until they explained it. Federal dollars for fish and wildlife to the states are partly based on the number of licenses sold to hunters and fishers each year. Since young people are no longer interested in hunting and fishing, and seniors didn't have to purchase licenses after 65, federal funding to the states was drying up at a fantastic rate. So, my one-time purchase of a lifetime license purchased when I was 38 effectively denied the state the ability to count me for the next 27 years (and now for the rest of my life since they are charging for senior licenses).

On another note, the sale of licenses, tackle, guns, ammo are the only things supporting all of the wildlife programs in the state. So, everyone that doesn't purchase items related to hunting and fishing still get to enjoy the wildlife management that only the hunters and fishers have paid for. Hardly seems fair.

 

[forgeblast]

Re: we are a dyeing breed

Then when you look at us "adults", we are just as guilty. When was the last time you were involved in a group discussion with adults without someone having a Cell Phone in their hand?? Very sad.

How true!!! I cannot wait for this Saturday to go archery hunting and spend 5 hours in a stand surrounded by trees and no electronic noise.

 

[paulharvey]

How about reducing license fees and simplify game and fish laws? The danged laws are WAY to complicated and one needs to be part biologist and Wildlife Officer to go fishing and hunting.
Dan

Agree 100%, when it boils down to paying the power bill or getting fishing/hunting license, I pay the power bill. I still take my son fishing some, not as often as I should. Rules and Regs are a pain in the butt. Another aspect is that most guys who really hunt/fish invest thousands of dollars in it, where when I was a kid shooting a deer cost the price of a bullet and maybe $5 in gas... When I lived I'm WVa as a kid, hunters safety was part of shop class in 6th grade, but Fla doesn't count it, so in order to get license now I would have sit through a hunters safety class with a bunch of 12-15 yr olds, no thanks. Id rather take my chances and shoot "less than legally" (technically in Fla you don't need a licese to hunt on your own "homestead" but still get deer tags or something, its hard to tell if your 100% in the right anymore.

 

[Baby Grand]

Re: we are a dyeing breed

But as a dyeing breed, he'll be easy to spot with his brightly colored clothes.

Rimshot
We'll be here all week - don't forget to tip your waitress d;^)

 

[Redneck in training]

Re: we are a dyeing breed

I think Air conditioning is the culprit. People spend too much time isolated in the house. In the old days before AC people sat on the front porch, sipped sun tea and talked to strangers walking on the sidewalk. People were used to be outside. Even when they do physical activity they do it in a gym paying for it instead walk outside for free.
They will not go hunting. There are bugs.
I never hunted. I spend most of my adult life in the city but I enjoy being in the country and in the woods. Our son is a hunter though. He told me he will get me hook up on hunting when I retire next year. If not with a gun then with a camera.
Iowa has the same deer problem as many other states. Every vehicle we ever owned had colision with a deer at some point. I remember a side column in the local paper perhaps 10 years back saying DNR wanted to sell 50000 deer licenses but there were only 25000 takers.