I had the absolutely most infuriating thing happen in September, right before the season started. My family owns some nice river bottom land. One particular piece, about 75 acres, is my baby. Ten years ago, my aunt (who inherited it from my grandfather) informed me that she is willing that piece of land to me and to start treating it as my own. I'm the only one left in the family that hunts, and, while 90% of my hunting is on public land, I take at least one deer a year off my little plot.
This past year, as each year previous, I spent countless hours sowing some plots, building ground blinds, building foot bridges, etc. I've got the land posted, and have cut down on the trespassing practically to nothing. As a result, I had a great little spot, was having a lot of deer activity, and really looking forward to a great season. There is one nice buck I've been after for a couple of years now, and was hoping to have a good chance at him.
I lease out about 50 acres to a local farmer, who takes good care of the land. This year, instead of the usual beans or corn, he planted tomatoes and peppers, not exactly quality deer food. To keep the deer coming, I had 5 separate little food plots of corn and leafy stuff that deer love.
Let me note that the non-pastured areas are mostly mature hardwood, oak, hickory, and beech. These woodlots are absolutely loaded with squirrels and make for some really good travel corridors for the deer.
I made a trip over there the first week of September to check up on things and found everything to be just as I expected it to be. The plots looked great and were torn up with sign. I was really stoked. My plan was to come back a couple of weeks later and make some final touches to the blinds. That way, opening morning, I'd be able to sneak in with minimal disturbance and get right to hunting.
So, a couple of weeks roll around and I decide to go on over and trim up the blinds. When I rounded the bend in the road before the driveway, I could scarcely believe what I was seeing. My land had been raped. All of the hardwoods were gone. My food plots ruined. My ground blinds destroyed. Footbridges, gone. To make matters worse, huge piles of brush were everywhere. My favorite section of the woods, which used to be a major travel corridor, was now an impassable mass of limbs and leftovers. I looked like a tornado had blown through. To say I was livid was an understatement.
I drove straight over to my aunt and uncle's house, who live nearby, to find out what the heck is going on. Long story short, my piece of work, self-centered, jerk of an uncle decided he'd have the timber cut. I let into him, letting him know how much time I'd put in that place and now it was all destroyed. My aunt, who is the only name is on the deed, had no idea about the whole thing. She was as shocked and mad as I am.
The most infuriating thing is that he hadn't, and still hasn't, set foot on that land in 20 years. Out of the blue, some guy called him up and asked if he wanted to sell the timber. He said yes, without finding out any thing at all about he guy. Does he do a good job? What will be the state of the site when he finishes? Can you WAIT TIL HUNTING SEASON IS OVER!?! Nothing.
What kind of response does he give me? "Oh well." What about the money? Whose going to pay to clean up all of the debris they left? Whose going to replant the trees? What happens now? All I got was a shrug.
ARRGH!!
Topic: What messed you up today? (Read 721 times)
