The good old days..

[deerman]

Some things never change. I don't know if you noticed but cutlines are not natural. They were put there with machines. Just because YOU enjoy walking on them doesn't mean that someone else can't enjoy them with their chosen piece of off road equipment. You sure try to split outdoor users up so its easier to "divide and conquer".
 How many times have YOU used these "OHV highways" to retrieve game??? Hypocrisy at it's finest.

Why must you derail the thread by getting all upset at another members post?  This is about "the good old days".  And I stated that I miss the good old days when people walked on trails and cutlines.  (I don't believe I said anything about cutlines being "natural") And I miss when there were not OHVs "motocrossing"all over (I have used my OHV to retrieve game and not ripping around, no hypocrisy there)

I don't try to split outdoor users.  But why would I want to be "united" with users I do not agree with?

[JIMMY 808]

Why must you derail the thread by getting all upset at another members post?  This is about "the good old days".  And I stated that I miss the good old days when people walked on trails and cutlines.  (I don't believe I said anything about cutlines being "natural") And I miss when there were not OHVs "motocrossing"all over (I have used my OHV to retrieve game and not ripping around, no hypocrisy there)

I don't try to split outdoor users.  But why would I want to be "united" with users I do not agree with?

 
  Pull your head out of your ass!

[bigbore444]

I hate to even think about it.. Born and raised in the bush in N/E A.B. you cant emagine the change we are seeing.. This place was kind of out of the way for years but now with all this heavy oil mania taking place,, its the center of the province and every yahoo there is is up here. Progress is progress but at what cost. I cant wait until most of the construction is over with at least and it slows down some around here,, wayyyyy to many people..

Ain't going to happen in your lifetime Walleyes. Sad but true. African immigrants and easterns keep moving in by the plane load. 

[MAV]

Its funny what you consider the "good ole days". For me its always the times we went to "Our" creek camping in the back of the pickup in the topper, dad, sometimes mom, most times my sisters, half the times some cousins or an uncle. Always a big fire at night and watching the stars. I still get out and probably just about as much but it never seems like there's enough time, and as others have said there's always a lot of other people around.

I guess in my "Good ole Days" there was just a lot more space. It will be interesting to hear what all the kids of today think of their "good ole days".

[OL_JR]

              I lived up in the northern part of the province until I was a teenager and as central Alberta gets busier and busier I miss it more and more.  Mama is on board with moving somewhere up north in the future just a matter of getting a few things tackled first.

              I'm already missing being able to keep a ling after feb 1st in some lakes.

              I also miss copenhagen being under 5 bucks a can.

[Lurch]

I miss the days when hunting wasn't about having the newest gear and shooting the largest Trophy head.

I miss the smell of paper shotshells in the goose pit.

I miss the days hunting with the old man

I also miss the space we used to enjoy in the foothills.

And I miss when Calgary was just a small-big city full of friendly people

[walleyes]

I can relate to what yer sayin lurch,, well the first 3 anyways..

I think we all miss the simpler times..

[Tuc]

Brings a little tear to my eye! lol (kidding)

[deerman]

MAV said;
"It will be interesting to hear what all the kids of today think of their "good ole days".

I look back on the good old days and then I turn and look forward to the good days head that I will be spending hunting and fishing with my son and daughter and son-in-law.

In recent years I have been along to see my daughter shoot her first pronghorn buck and a great white-tail buck.  I have been along with my son when he shot an antelope doe and several deer.

I look forward to seeing them shoot ducks and geese out of the air.  I look forward to being out in the ocean with them when they hook into a pacific salmon.

[Guido]

Metal tags
Road map regs
Carrying your shotgun across town to shoot ducks
Showing your teacher your shotgun at lunch break
Pheasant habitat

[Sonny]

Looks like I stirred up a hornets nest here.

Oh well....the good old days when a Honda 250 Big Red was the king of the hill..

[AxeMan]

Looks like I stirred up a hornets nest here.

Oh well....the good old days when a Honda 250 Big Red was the king of the hill..

What do mean Sonny, they still are! 
I have two buddies that still have good running ones.

[Sonny]

^^^lol....next thing you know you'll tell me that your still using whizz bang ammo in your .22..

[Paul]

The stubby will make a comeback, one day, sure were easy to put in a coat pocket

[BullShooter]

In the past 30 years what appears to have changed the most to me is that hunting has become much less of a recreational pursuit and much more of a political pursuit… and not by my choice.

Several years ago I would spend six weeks hunting and the remaining forty six weeks of the year wishing I was hunting. Now I spend about three months hunting and the balance of the year (through various organizations and on my own) defending conservations, habitat and our past-time. It appears that there have been a number of serious issues that have presented over the past ten or fifteen years with a lot more on the horizon. It never ends and for the most part I don't really understand the need for all these changes.

I still consider myself very fortunate to have a great nucleus of friends that enjoy the camaraderie, the comforts of the camp, the woodstove and firepit  as much as we all did years ago. Particularly, our morals, ethics and expectations are all virtually identical. We have a few guys that are pushing 70 and it appears that there has been an abundance of hip and knee replacements over the previous season. I asked then why they would schedule so suspicially close to interfere with hunting season and there unanimous reply, “Because we are smart and you younger guys can hump out and dress the game. As my father (RIP) used to tell me during my hockey and football days, “If you are gonna be stupid, you better be tough!”

I’m not in such great shape anymore and sometime find myself breaking a sweat when I’m tying the boots in the morning but it was evident that we needed some young blood with great attitudes. My two teenage daughters are avid firearm and archery hunters and fit in very well. This past season, we also had a young fella get his first ever cow elk , a college girl who shot herself a nice little 4X4 WT and friend’s father who at the age of 78 really wanted to shoot a “sausage buck” one more time. He managed to get a pretty good buck and his smile and exuberance were contagious for everyone.

We have A LOT of hunters but I do observe that things get into a bit of a funk, particularly after the first few hunts of the year. With the new blood, there are always lots of good questions and true excitement and I know we all play off it. The older guys tell me the exact same thing happened when I showed up all those years ago. We keep several picture journals and ever year pour a few drinks and go through the books and reminisce of days gone by. It’s feels good to be able to pass on some of the wisdom that others chose to share with me many moons ago. I’m pretty good at explaining what not to do through my own personal experiences...LOL.

We still hang our animals in the Larder of the barn which has been in continuous use since the early 1900’s. In general, the equipment is much better and for the most part greatly appreciated as I get older. Better knives, optics, Jarvis wellsaw spitting saw, electric chain hoists… don’t necessarily need them but it sure helps to keep an old dog in the game. I have few regrets here, I can chose to use of choose to not use.

The biggest change and it probably affects me the least (but it does affect me) is habitat and conservation issues which have seemed to accelerate in direct proportion to the population. I try and do what I can on my own properties, but I worry about what is happening or what is not happening on public lands and some private lands. With prosperity comes compromise, things have moved quickly over the past twenty –five years and we didn’t have much of an environmental plan then and I don’t think we have done much to address this issue all these years later.

Oh yeah, I also very much miss having a stubby of Lethbridge beer by the campfire. It was my favorite beer and you could buy a dozen for less the $5.00 at the Lethbidge Brewery.  Call me a social utopian, but the closest I have found is Stella Artois and about 5 times the price. My buddies think I am mad with my comparison but that is how I remember it… with a Colt Mild cigar and a big bag of bacon rinds. Good times. Swore off the stogies a long time ago and “apparently” bacon rinds are no longer recognized in the Canadian Healthy Eating Guide. Regards, Mike

[wildmeat]

the thing i remember most is my grandparents and how they hunted and just went about everyday life

[Tuc]

Bullshooter, glad to see you back in here, I have always enjoyed your posts and look forward to MANY More of them!!

[Lurch]

In the past 30 years what appears to have changed the most to me is that hunting has become much less of a recreational pursuit and much more of a political pursuit… and not by my choice.

Several years ago I would spend six weeks hunting and the remaining forty six weeks of the year wishing I was hunting. Now I spend about three months hunting and the balance of the year (through various organizations and on my own) defending conservations, habitat and our past-time. It appears that there have been a number of serious issues that have presented over the past ten or fifteen years with a lot more on the horizon. It never ends and for the most part I don't really understand the need for all these changes.



Oh yeah, I also very much miss having a stubby of Lethbridge beer by the campfire. It was my favorite beer and you could buy a dozen for less the $5.00 at the Lethbidge Brewery.  Call me a social utopian, but the closest I have found is Stella Artois and about 5 times the price. My buddies think I am mad with my comparison but that is how I remember it… with a Colt Mild cigar and a big bag of bacon rinds. Good times. Swore off the stogies a long time ago and “apparently” bacon rinds are no longer recognized in the Canadian Healthy Eating Guide. Regards, Mike

No doubt Mike.

When I was younger, the political portion of hunting was still there - but I was removed from it. Hunting was pure.
Now it seems we are in a never ending loop of assaults to our pastime - from non hunting sources, regulation and interest groups. I miss the good old days there for sure.

Have you ever given Steam Whistle in the green bottle a try Mike? I remember the first one of those I drank sure reminded me of "Bridge".  God that brings back a memory or two. Used to love the stubby bottles - a case would fit in the fender well of the ford truck I would drive from time to time.

[BullShooter]

I'll have to give the Steam Whistle a try...

I think you are correct, in the good old days many of us were somewhat detached from the issues of the day. I remember reading some old AFGA correspondence from many years ago and Sunday hunting, paid access, etc. were all "hot topic" issues even back then.

[deerman]

Looks like I stirred up a hornets nest here.

Oh well....the good old days when a Honda 250 Big Red was the king of the hill..

Well I have to disagree with that.  In some ways the good days were when they stopped making trikes (suicide machine) and started making quads which are I believe MUCH safer for sensible riders.

I have had two minor OHV accidents (some have suggested I bumped my head and hurt my brain cell) and both were on (and off all of a sudden) three wheelers.