I have been working on the plans for the hog hunt at Dahomey NWR most of today and have come to the conclusion that the idea of everybody getting together for a hunt and to meet new people is in general a good idea, but a two or three day hunt may be logistically unrealistic. We can still have the hunt if you choose to and I am more than willing to do the legwork and data gathering for you, but I think you need to know the cost factors that will affect the decision to hold such a hunt. For someone coming from out-of-state the cost at a minimum for a two day hunt would be around $427.50 with $141.79 going for a 3-day nonresident hunting license and refuge permit. The least expensive lodging at a local motel was $129.71 for a Friday evening to 8 a.m. on Sunday morning. Now those costs do not include the cost of food, gasoline, and incidentals. Include those in the cost of the hunt and for the out-of-state hunter the total cost would be close, if not more than $600. For a Mississippi resident the total cost could run as high as $300 plus. The reason I included local motel lodging in the cost analysis is due to the fact that the Great River Road State Park is closed due to the floodwater earlier this year that damaged their electrical system. I spoke with the State Parks people at the Jackson headquarters yesterday and asked if the repairs to the electrical systems would be done by October 24, and they could only say that it was their hope to have it done by then but could not guarantee that it would be open to camping. To my way of thinking I could spend that kind of money on something more important, my family, and spend even less by hunting close to home. What I think we need to do if the Tradgang people are serious about holding the hog hunt at Dahomey would be to reduce the hunt to a one-day affair, preferably on a Saturday. If we did that the cost could be reduced substantially to the purchase of gasoline to and from home for each person attending the hunt, and maybe the cost of a few incidentals. For out-of-state people the cost would still be high considering the high cost of the nonresident hunting license, but it would be cheaper than the two day hunt plan. Based on the costs outlined above it is each person’s decision as to what they choose to do. It could be reduced to a one-day hunt and whether one comes on Friday and spends the night is entirely their decision. Even if they came on Friday and stay until Sunday before returning home it would still be their decision to make. In such a case I would help them with a continuation of the two-day hunt. Most of us do not own nor have access to private land to hunt so we look to the public resources for our opportunities. Lawyers, lobbyists, and legislators have made it almost impossible for private landowners to open up their land for hunting due to the potential for lawsuits and liabilities associated with such practices. The good old days of asking a farmer for permission to hunt his land are gone and more than likely will never return. An entire hunting industry has emerged from this lack of opportunity for the non-land owner to hunt and has had a profound impact on us as hunters as well as wildlife in general.
At the present time I do not know how many of the nine people who are on the list to attend the hunt are serious about having such a hunt. There is really no point in having a hunt if people are not going to follow through with the plan. And of course plans can be difficult to carry out, especially when people feel like they are becoming more work than fun. The only way I know to determine if people are serious about an activity is by whether or not they show up and experience has taught me that people more often than not do not show up. So, it’s kind of a frustrating situation that I find myself in when putting this hunt together. As of today I have not had the opportunity to speak with the Refuge Manager concerning information about the hog population and their movements on the refuge. Should we seriously decide to hold the hunt we will probably have to find the hogs by finding the fields in which they root, the trails to and from the fields, waterholes, wallows, bedding areas, rubs, and other hog sign. For all I know the refuge management may not keep a census on the hog population nor monitor their movements on the refuge. If we do hold the hunt I will do my best to get that information from the refuge manager and pass it on to you by the first of October. It is my opinion, and only my opinion, that we hold the hunt on Saturday, October 25, 2008 and try to be in the field by 8 a.m. I think most people would like to have the first two weeks of the opening of the season to hunt deer in their usual haunts close to home with family and friends. For those who will be attending the hunt it is your responsibility to contact the refuge manager and obtain the required hunting permit, his e-mail address is
[email protected].
Like I said at the outset, the idea of getting together out of friendship is a good idea, but the organizational complexity of such an activity only complicates the endeavor. For medical reasons I am unable to draw a bow and will not be able to participate in the hunt itself, however, I would still like to meet the people whose posts I read on the Tradgang forum. SO! If people still want to have the hunt and reduce it to a one-day affair, or for that matter continue with a two day hunt, give me some of your suggestions in making this event really happen and be a success based on what we originally set out to accomplish ….simply getting together and having fun? In effect I am putting the primary decision-making responsibility for the hunt in your hands where it should have been from the very beginning. We still have a little less than two months to put everything together and finalize it. What say you lads of the bow?
Ron Dodge (RonD)
Topic: Mississippi hog hunt (Read 1564 times)
