Here in Texas there is not very much public land and the little bit there is usually is in high demand. Most of the public land areas are now controlled by the Texas State Parks and Wildlife and require a permit in order to hunt them. In fact a special hunting license is required before you can get a permit. It just so happens one of those areas is near where I live. Years ago, back when I was young and full of vinegar, I hunted the public land exclusively and this story is about an event that took place during that time. Also, to bring a little clarification to the story the public land I am referencing wasn’t controlled by anyone back then.
Like you guys that hunt public land I had gone out months before and scouted the area I had planned to hunt. I had settled on a spot where several trails had come together but there weren’t any trees big enough for a tree stand so I decided to dig a pit blind in a clump of brushes that sort of looked like sage but isn’t sage. Anyway, I dug my pit big and deep enough so I could easily maneuver my recurve and cut a couple of shooting holes through the brush where I could get a clear shot to where the trails converged about 15 yards away. Just a note here, there were no such thing as trail cameras back then.
I waited several days after making the blind to let things settle down before attempting to hunt there. It was one afternoon during my second time to sit the pit blind that I heard something breaking limbs and brush off to my left. My anticipation mounted as something was coming, so I brought my bow into position and made ready. Suddenly, into where the trails converged, stepped this guy holding a stick he was using to whack the brush as he walked.
I had hung two orange colored scent containers in a small Mesquite tree where the trails converged and he immediately noticed them. He walked over and pulled one of them off the twig I had hung it on and looked it over while talking to himself. I was hoping he would not notice me and would move on so I sat quietly, but as luck would have it he turned and looked right in my direction. Realizing someone was there he asked, “What are you doing in there?”
I replied, “I am trying to hunt.”
He replied, “What are you hunting?”
I replied, “Deer.”
He asked, “Have you seen any?”
I replied, “Not yet.”
He replied, “Oh, I guess you would like me to leave.”
I replied, “It would be nice.”
He then dropped my scent container and walked off into the brush talking to himself and whacking the brush with the stick. I decided to leave the scent container where he dropped it and remain in the blind. After a bit things were quiet again and I sat waiting to see if anything might show up. Then something fell into the brush about 5 yards from me and I thought, what the heck! Then something else came falling into the brush but a few feet closer. Then I saw a rock land in the trail about 10 feet from me, then another and another. I stood up in my pit blind and yelled, “Hey, what do you think you’re doing!” There was no reply and everything got quiet again. I waited a bit before settling back into my pit blind. I decided to stay until sundown hoping just maybe something might come through since this had all happened about mid afternoon and there was at least an hour or more left of good daylight.
Later while there was still enough light to see I gathered up my stuff and headed back to the truck. I arrived at the truck about dark, loaded my stuff and headed out the dirt road back to the highway and home. As I was driving out suddenly someone came up behind me turned on their bright lights and were driving right on my bumper. After driving a mile or so down the dirt road with someone right on my bumper with their bright lights on, I found a spot I could pull over so they could pass and get on down the road. I waited a bit until I could no longer see their lights before pulling back onto the road. I had no sooner got back on the road when here comes these bright head lights barreling toward me with a big cloud of dust. They go past me in the opposite direction and make a u-turn to once again get right on my bumper. I am hoppin’ mad by now, but it is dark and I have only my bow. I have no idea who this is and what they might have so I keep driving until I get to the highway. Once to the highway there is a little store there and I pull into their parking lot. The individual or individuals in the truck following me drives past, flips me the bird, and turns onto the highway headed toward town. I decided to sit there a few minutes and let them get on down the highway before heading to town myself. After a short wait I get on the highway and head to town and home. About half way to town I pass a vehicle driving slowly on the shoulder of the highway. Low and behold guess who it is? As soon as I pass them they pull back onto the highway and follow me into town and to my home. My home is next to a neighborhood church and their parking lot is adjacent to my yard. I pull up in my driveway and they pulled up in the church parking lot with their truck facing my house and begin flashing their head lights at my front door. I immediately reach into the back floorboard of my truck and retrieve my sawed off pool cue and begin walking toward their truck. By now I have lost my cool and I am ready to crack some heads. They throw their truck into reverse and peel out leaving.
Two days later I go out to where my pit blind is to hunt and when I get there someone has taken something and cut down all the brush in a 10 yard radius, filled in my pit blind, and stuck a little wooden cross in the middle of it.
I decided after that there were too many crazies out there and the headaches and frustrations are just not worth it, at least not for that patch of dirt. Now at 72 and having to use a cane to get around trying to hunt public land that is now accessible only by foot, the loss of my equilibrium just makes it to difficult.
Sorry that my story was so long.
Topic: The aggrivations of hunting limited public land. (Read 583 times)
