i didnt start hunting till the mid80s, i was born in '81, my father started me real young. started out duck hunting in avoyelles parish till 85-86, then deer hunting in st. helena. i do not know how i remember things from that age, but i do. i remember it being just the way you describe it. we would be duck hunting, i didnt have a gun of course but i was there, and you could here dogs running in the distance, shots ringing out. when we switched to deer hunting, it was with dogs mostly, but we did some still hunting, but no one cared what type of hunting you were doing. Everyone was nice and didn't mind talking about anything. To me it all started to change in the late '90s. now it's even hard to get someone in my own club just to shoot the bull, or anything else. for example,
a few weeks ago i had a flat, in the woods, after an evening hunt. i was on a public gravel road that is well traveled. no big deal, just a flat. 7 cars passed down that road while i was changing the tire...truck was in the middle of the road too, pulling to the sides wouldnt have been good. Not 1 of those 7 cars offered help, one car only stopped for the driver to get out and yell at me to get my truck out of the road.
being nice is a dying breed.

I liked the artical. I have been hunting for 50 years. I am almost 70 and still hunt every chance i get. I have noticed that the young hunters do not understand what the hunting experence is all about. They beleive that you have to go out and kill something and kill as much as you can. the thrill of just being in the outdoors has escaped many and I'm sorry for that.

I started in 1957 age 5 being the retriever on dove hunts and behind feist squirrel dogs and a half beagle half basset hound for rabbits with my dad and grandpa's . Then in 1960 with the ducks on an old Ox Bow ( DEAD LAKE )that no longer exists on Tangipahoa River. Deer were non-existant except in the Lake Swamp area of Tangipahoa and none in St Helena to speak of. Mid 60's we started seeing deer tracks. Everywhere was open to hunt although we hunted mostly on friend's property-same for fishing .1966 started my turkey career . There were no leases and posted lands were usually open if you just asked first. Many more people hunted and fished because of the open lands . I NEVER HEARD OF A 'LEASE' until I was out of college in 1974 and even then they were few and far between except in extreme South Louisiana for ducks . First lease I ever hunted on was at Pecan Island as a guest of one of the members and that was my first mud boat ride and the first mud boat i ever repaired . THINGS HAVE CHANGED . I do think that leases have been good for the deer and turkey populations because lease holders are not going to overkill what they are paying to hunt and they plant permanent plots( mast and fruit trees) and keep plots cared for and planted year round .

It' like the younger hunter posted. We aren't a brotherhood of hunters anymore . We are in a major competition to outdo the next guy. I only shoot grown bucks and an occasional horse faced doe. That's just because I have a lot more time to be choosy. Never killed a true trophy but been pretty lucky. If its legal I never give anyone grief for shooting a spike or whatever. Been dog hunting and enjoyed it. I never shot at anything but I think all of these hunting shows plus BassPro(or any chain) and nonsense have made us into a bunch of little princesses. Go out and enjoy hunting the way you like it and for crying out loud stop and help another hunter.

it has nothing to do with hunting or fishing.

its just they ways of new generations. thats why they are called the good ole days.

Great post! i am only 28 years old and one of the younger generation hunters. some of the best memories i have was going to the camp and hunting with my dad and his buddies. he and his buddies tought me alot. and it was just like it is said in this post about everyone shooting the bull on were they hunted or where they cought fish and giving tips. but now as i go to the camp with my friends and look at my generation of outdoorsman i see nothing but who is better and who can kill or catch more. i really wish i could have experianced it like like it was in the 60's and 70's. i love looking at all his pictures and like he always tells me. what you see in the pictures wasn't every day. that was just the good hunts. there were many days we didn't kill anything.

I agree with a lot of the points you make but i also disagree with some. My dad never hunted i was introduced to deer hunting by one of my buddies dads when I was 13 years old. I am currently 31 years old. Times have changed for many reasons. One being that without regulations our wildlife would be in serious danger. Back in the 60's & 70's there were far less hunters and fisherman. So hunting / fishing regulations were not as important as they are today. Today anyone can hunt or fish and be sucessful. (Guide Services) That being said rules and regulations were put in place to make sure that generations to come will have plenty of wildlife to harvest. The competition that now tants our sport of deer hunting is not just a younger generation issue. Most of the leases and clubs I have been around still have the boys from the good ole days leading the way. Hunting land that is owned by the paper mills and gas companies that is leased out has nothing to do with younger generation. These large companies figured out with the growing interest of the sport that they can turn a profit by selling the rights to hunt land that they own. The good ole American dollar is the biggest contributor to ruinig a once pure sport.

Jusy look up my past reports and pics. I'm afriad we are a dieing breed. We hunt for fun. Peroid, end of story. Stay leagal, have fun, be safe. That's our 3 rules.