Sign of the times

[DRS]

Land owner passes, land is being sold, leases canceled. Central tracts of our local dog hunting club. Development was going to be our down fall but, thought we had a couple more years. We still have about 1000 acres but it would be hard to cut off. Lasted longer than I thought 10 years ago. Same story in most places. I would buy it but it will go into the millions for sure. Many a good dog laid to rest there.

 

[Woods and water]

It's happening in most places. Slowly creeping into the little green swamp. I have two new pups and told my wife they will probably be the last ones .

 

[wildcat3]

I hate to hear that Daron. I'm afraid we are going to be hearing more and more of that though. At one time in my life I thought legislation would be what ended deer dog hunting but as it stands today development and land access issues will stop it long before any sort of legislation does. A buddy of mine hunts in the Green Swamp near Shallotte, every year he says it is getting closer and closer. The majority of the Green Swamp is owned by timber companies and they may hold on a little longer than family land passing down through generations but nothing is certain. At my old club each year we would lose a little tract here and there but at the time we had enough to keep hunting until one day we didnt. The members voted to go to still hunting only which in all honesty was the right move based on the amount of land we had left. I got out of the club. They have since lost half of what they had remaining due to land being sold and changing hands. I'm not sure if they are still a club or not. Same is holding true for duck hunting, every year there is a new house and pier in a cove we hunted, now granted that doesnt take the amount of space it does to deer hunt bu its not making it any easier either.

 

[Woods and water]

I hate to hear that Daron. I'm afraid we are going to be hearing more and more of that though. At one time in my life I thought legislation would be what ended deer dog hunting but as it stands today development and land access issues will stop it long before any sort of legislation does. A buddy of mine hunts in the Green Swamp near Shallotte, every year he says it is getting closer and closer. The majority of the Green Swamp is owned by timber companies and they may hold on a little longer than family land passing down through generations but nothing is certain. At my old club each year we would lose a little tract here and there but at the time we had enough to keep hunting until one day we didnt. The members voted to go to still hunting only which in all honesty was the right move based on the amount of land we had left. I got out of the club. They have since lost half of what they had remaining due to land being sold and changing hands. I'm not sure if they are still a club or not. Same is holding true for duck hunting, every year there is a new house and pier in a cove we hunted, now granted that doesnt take the amount of space it does to deer hunt bu its not making it any easier either.

The paper Mill in riegelwood is barely running. Only minimum maintenance being done and they recently halted a few upgrades. Word around town is the mill is on borrowed time. That will be the end of the green swamp I was raised in. We are already seeing them sell tracts that are close to water and sewer . It will just keep expanding. I recently seen a tract sell that was part of the NC state troopers pension plan and was told timber wasn't bringing enough so they decided to sell in this hot market and invest in something more profitable.

 

[wildcat3]

The paper Mill in riegelwood is barely running. Only minimum maintenance being done and they recently halted a few upgrades. Word around town is the mill is on borrowed time. That will be the end of the green swamp I was raised in. We are already seeing them sell tracts that are close to water and sewer . It will just keep expanding. I recently seen a tract sell that was part of the NC state troopers pension plan and was told timber wasn't bringing enough so they decided to sell in this hot market and invest in something more profitable.

Hate to hear that. Can't imagine its any better any where else though ? I'm suprised southside Va has remained a dog hunting strong hold for as long as it has with the growth they are experiencing and folks moving in from up north. Its been many years since I hunted in sc, have no idea what its like down there now as far as how much dog running is left.

 

[DRS]

It's happening in most places. Slowly creeping into the little green swamp. I have two new pups and told my wife they will probably be the last ones .

I hate to say, I have likely breed my last. I could be wrong but it would be something that will take a lot of thought.

I do a lot of riding around, there are few places that while driving there is not less than a 1/4 mile between houses.

 

[wildcat3]

Be interesting to see how pen running is affected by development and the number of large tracts of land shrinking. Wonder if it will push more hunters into pen running or if pen running will also begin to fade away. I'll admit while I was big into the field trial circuit at one time I only started doing as something to do when it wasn't deer season. When deer season was in I never ran in the pen.

 

[nccatfisher]

I hate it for you.

The other sign of the times is the cost now. One of the clubs I am in lost a big chunk of land this year also. Luckily we were able to procure a decent size tract and I about fell out when I found out the price. We are talking about long term stuff, not yearly and still it was shocking.

 

[whitty]

Yeah times are changing and land is getting harder to find in large chunks but we keep getting after it. I try not to think about it but it’s hard not to. I’m gonna go until I can’t go anymore. I love it just as much now as when I was a kid.

 

[catfishrus]

Yes, it happening to every dog club out there. Fellow bought a tract of land that cut our hunt club into basically to build a rifle range. He is pretty much anti dog hunter. Plus, a lot of the old members have gone on. Those old members where keys pieces to holding together an old dog club. My dad still loves it at 76 years old but his health in the past 6 months has really slowed him down. He has owned hounds all of my life. He told me at 62 years old that my mom has raised hell about his dogs all his life, but her mother (my grandmother) told her to leave him along once and that he would outgrow them hounds one day. He said I'm 62 and haven't outgrown them yet and just grinned. I never forgot that. He got down to 6 hounds this year but had to give them up for a short period of time due to health reasons this year. He is doing better now, and his hunting buddy gave him two dogs back to take care of. It gives him purpose to go in life and I'm happy for him. Sometimes you just got to make the best of it and go on with life. My dad's 401K is a pile of dog crap that he has shoveled out of his dog lots over the past 60 years. He tells me all the time your moms next husband going to walk in and say he didn't leave much but he sure had a good time...LOL.

 

[DRS]

In reality, I can't see myself getting out either. Hope I don't have to. I will always have to have some sort of working dog, if it's just to harrass the squirrels in the yard.

 

[bertienchunter]

Fortunately I am blessed to be in two good clubs with good size tracts in NC and Va. I have seen quite a few dog clubs go in my 38 yrs in Bertie. There used to be 3 times as many as there is now. I would say they 90s were the height of dog hunting in my area. All the still hunters found out about all the deer here and they come with their wallets opened.

 

[wildcat3]

Fortunately I am blessed to be in two good clubs with good size tracts in NC and Va. I have seen quite a few dog clubs go in my 38 yrs in Bertie. There used to be 3 times as many as there is now. I would say they 90s were the height of dog hunting in my area. All the still hunters found out about all the deer here and they come with their wallets opened.

From interstate 95 all the way to the sound used to be all dog hunting when we were hunting in Washington county in the early to mid 90s.

 

[Downeast]

There's always beagles and wabbits. Neighbors lease about 100 acres at the most and run them just about every weekend.

 

[DRS]

In my early years it was wall to wall hounds here. The glory days I was fortunate to hunt some of them. Still a few clubs around, still holding on. Actually some good size clubs to the north in Warren and Halifax county. Several around 10,000 acres. I have been traveling east about an hour hunting the Northern Dismal I have enjoyed it. Like running here around the house 30 years ago.

From interstate 95 all the way to the sound used to be all dog hunting when we were hunting in Washington county in the early to mid 9