"My Happy Thoughts"...

[Noah]

Sorry guys... but this has been on my mind for a good while... feel free to stop reading now if you don't want to see a pile of introspective nonsense... 


.... Coming home from another long day at work the other day...  stopped by the same little mom an' pop grocery I often do, to pick up a couple things on the way home...  This particular day, I bumped into a local hog hunter I knew well... Older man than myself, in his 50's, been doggin' the area most of his life... Since I first got into the game, I have known this ol' feller... always hustling, always networking, ALWAYS willing to stab a brotha in the back to get another place to hunt... "typical hog dogger" I would say  ...

... anyways... this particular day I pulled up the the grocery, he was backed up to the loading dock... an every day ritual for him, to get spoiled groceries to feed his pen hogs that he maintains for "distribution" purposes lol... As I got out of my truck, I couldn't help but hear the phone conversation he was in the middle of... squabbling as usual, with someone about why he should be allowed to hunt "whatever" property it was... We nodded at each other out of respect, as he got "real quiet" as until I passed well by him so as not to give me any "intel" I might be able to use for myself haha  ....

... What I saw in this situation, was quite simply, what I do not wish myself to become... if, in fact, I have not already surpassed it...  The obsession, the compulsion, to find properties by which to catch hogs with dogs can become a "sickness"...   Not unlike the character "Smeagol", the pathetic, burned out, "hobbit-like" creature in "The Lord of the Rings" movies.... the character who's obsession with his "precious" turned a good being into a withered, dark, depressive, hermit of a creature.... worried about nothing else, but protecting "the precious"... a selfish desire to keep "the precious" for yourself, at the cost of alienating yourself from those that you might otherwise be sociable with... this "selfish" aspect that so many of us hog doggers live is often, by necessity, a reality of the competitive world we live in... a world I am TIRED of.... 

... Back when I still trying to understand the intricacies of this game, I admit, I also had the "fire" that drove me to hustle to the ends of the earth to find new places to catch a hog... I, literally, was willing to go to hell and back if it meant the possibility of another caught hog... ALL THE WHILE, being an A$$HOLE(basically) to anyone who asked to hunt with me...

... as most of you that have hunted for a while know, the "good" properties are not easy to come by... and quite often, these same "good" properties are places one is hard pressed to bring "guests" to... just a reality of "the game"....

The type of person this game can turn one into is not who I am, or who I want to be more specifically...  As much as I enjoy it, the "sellfish" aspect of it is starting to weigh on me heavily... this is, quite simply, not a sport one can "share" with the world... properties are finite.... the numbers of those that wish to join in, are not... putting me in a bad spot... when i have even my closest friends ask why they cannot come for a hunt with me.... no explanation of "why the situation does not allow" makes the sting any less painful... It just sucks.

... Until now, I have justified the situation by telling myself that I take this much more seriously than those that wish to join me... while I have "put the work in" to achieve what "rewards" that I have access to... many of those that ask to go with me, are not as much interested in "the game" as much as simply asking to be around me.   ... and that makes me feel like a grade-A-D!ckhead.

... All of this brings me back to a point that I question what are truly, "my happy thoughts"...

... Allow me to define what these "happy thoughts" are to me... they are the memories that flash through your mind moments before you die(I am priviledged in that I have had more than a few of these "moments" which may give me a "unique" perspective hahah  ).   They are the moments that come to your mind when things get so bad, so tough, you question why it is you just keep putting one foot in front of the other... and that reason is for more of these "happy thoughts"... those moments where you made a child smile... the moment you kissed your wife on your wedding day as the sun set behind you.. those moments when in great adversity, you are able to look over and smile back at a friend that is "in it" with you... my personal favorite  ....

... I have done much in this short life... but I do not care to experience much more of it alone if I can help it... seems every day I am invited to yet another exotic adventure.... as flattering as may seem, it has weighed heavily on me in that I almost feel "guilty" these days going it alone, albeit with new people... but not with those that I wish to share the remainder of my life with necessarily...

... To be continued...

[SCHitemHard]

im gonna need to brew some coffee, this is gettin deep fellas

[firemedic]

I was just at the Wild Hog Festival in Abbeville, GA, just got home today. I enjoyed it as usual, but I also saw what is coming along behind us as hog hunters.....namely this new breed of hog dogger. It saddens me greatly to see just what you spoke of Noah, the greedy, obsessed 'do anything to get ahead' type of hunter this is making. Now mind you not all new comers are like this, thank goodness,.....I was fortunate enough to meet a new young man that hunts with some of my friends down there, very polite fellow and had a wonderful personality as well. Must have been raised right.

However, there were more than enough young men....and young girls as well, wearing a sleeveless, hog hunter shirt, smoking a cig...walking with a pronounced 'swagger'....as if proclaiming to the world..."Hey....look at me, I'm a bonified, hard a$$, tough as nails, whoop your a$$ in a heartbeat, dog training, hog catching, gut eating.....bad a$$." If it weren't so sad it would actually be funny.....but I don't think of it that way. It's the way of our sport and the rest of us and a lot of good dogs are going to suffer for it seems to me.

These kids will grow up to be just the kind of hunter Noah spoke of in his post....the kind of person that nobody wishes to unt with.....except maybe once or twice. It bothers me that we have to have this is our sport but I guess it's that way in any kind of sport you wish to partake of....just seems that we have an over-abundance of it in ours.

[Reuben]

ok Noah...you have talked of this before...so must be very important to you... I used to be the same way but about breeding dogs...never discussed inbreeding or linebreeding...always agreed about how bad it was to do so...then my excess pups went somewhere's away from here...I used to do the same about the vaccines and wormers and ivomec etc...etc...after I got rid of my dogs in 2007 and then reached a point where I was not afraid to die and was at peace with myself after a bout with cancer...and sometimes the cure is about as bad as the cancer...matter of fact I never was sick until I started treatments...  but the only thoughts I had about dying was only about the kids and grandkids being ok...but that was it...heck my wife would do fine...she would continue getting my retirement check with benefits... so when I came that close to my death bed it kind of changed how I think...somehow it changed me and I now believe in sharing what I know about dogs in general...I see ETHD as one big happy family sharing thoughts and learning experiences... and all it will do is take us to another and higher level...lots of good info on this forum...I hardly open my full cry magazine any more...cause I would rather be on here...

but like you I have had things go into slow motion at least 4 times and had my life flash before my eyes once...and I just thank GOD I made it through those times...

and finding places to hunt is a hard thing to do nowadays...sometimes we lose them to land division...or sometimes the land just gets sold...as the population grows the places will get smaller and at some point in time it will take catch dogs to catch hogs just to keep from crossing fences...and the anti's are always trying to vote in a small law here and there and before we know it our dogging rights are slowlly taken away...and the anti's plan to divide and conquer just keeps eroding our culture away...

[Noah]

Neal, I don't even care what the "type's" are... in fact, many of the old timers I know could show the newcomers a thing or twenty about the "nasty" side of hog-dog politics... I enjoy seeing newcomers pride in participating in what can truly be an awe inspiring sport.... I enjoy seeing the "bowed up" chest thumping, the chit eating grins in success, the violent pride in one's dogs...  "It is in the compelling ZEST for of high adventure and of victory in creative action that man finds his supreme joy" (Antione de Saint Exupery).

As Reuben pointed out...  It really comes down to resources in my part of the world... legal, quality hog dogging is ever increasingly hard to come by, and the competition for remaining available resources ... now don't get me wrong, I'm not "gettin' out" of hog doggin' or anything like that... just re-evaluating my priorities... for I have spent VAST amounts of energy(and that is a HUGE understatement...) procuring properties to hunt over the years... and the cost has, quite simply, begun to outweigh the benefits...

I will always have hog dogs, and I will always hunt when positive situations arise to do so with good people...  But in the "void" that my previous selfish efforts occupied, I wish to direct my energy towards a "happy thought" that I might share more easily with all those that I'd like to...

Luckily, I have a plan.... 



 

[hoghunter71409]

Noah,

I understand what you are saying....loud and clear.  You know so many people say the internet is so great....others curse it's existence.  I am in the middle.  I can say the internet and sites like this one have "expanded and changed"  "the game".

But I look at it like this....just about every other hunting (bear hunting) or fishing sport is going through the same thing we are, maybe just not as fast.  Although I hate to compete for places to hunt...I am not going to be turned away by some "wannabe"...he probably wont stick with it that long anyway, becuase it aint in his blood like it is mine.

It does suck to not be able to take people places or invite them to come to your places.  I am a very inviting person and I would love to invite guys to me lease...but I would be "shooting my own foot".

 

[Reuben]

 legal, quality hog dogging is ever increasingly hard to come by, and the competition for remaining available resources ... now don't get me wrong, I'm not "gettin' out" of hog doggin' or anything like that... just re-evaluating my priorities... for I have spent VAST amounts of energy(and that is a HUGE understatement...) procuring properties to hunt over the years... and the cost has, quite simply, begun to outweigh the benefits...





 

and the cost has, quite simply, begun to outweigh the benefits...

x2...I over reacted in 2007...and losing some of my best dogs back to back didn't help at the time...

[Noah]

So.... when I step back and look at things for "perspective"... I have always known that there are things in life that, quite simply, make me smile....   things that I do that help keep me "refreshed" by "cleaning the slate" sort of speak lol... daily reality/stresses can accumulate and begin to weigh me down on occasion(maybe it's just me...  ).... early in my life, I found that certain "activities".... that were of sufficient intensity, had the effect of "re-booting" my brain....  AMAZING if you have not experienced it...

It seems, for me at least, that while participating in an activity "intense enough" to cause such effect, that the ABSOLUTE FOCUS required in said activity FORCES the brain to "let loose" what clutter was previously occupying "working space" haha... For only in the absolute focus that "survival instinct" requires, is the brain "forced" to divert all available resources to the task at hand.... and as a result, much "inconsequential bullchit" is thrown out... making room for more HAHA  ...

... For me, hog dogging(sometimes), surfing(usually), and "freediving"(Always.... truly my first love) have always been this "escape mechanism" that allowed me to clear my mind... To the present, if I go for more than a couple weeks without some sort of "decompression" via one of these outlets... the stress manifests itself and I am none the better for it... those that have experienced these moments with me know exactly what I speak of... the resulting effect is addictive... and will leave you yerning for it for the rest of your life....

... so what do I see as "my happy thought" in this sense?   I, first and foremost, enjoy.... RELISH, that moment when, in an attempt to SHARE this "feeling" with some one who has not experienced it... that "light bulb turning on" in that person's mind... when they say, "NOW I understand why you do what you do..."

I have been training a friend in the skills of deep freedive spearfishing for about the last 10 years... although he has always "enjoyed it", I knew he had not yet reached that "enlightened moment" that brings true meaning...   It was a beautiful day... myself, him, and his brother were hovering above an "unknown" wreck a charter captain friend of mine had given me in about 65' of dark, blue water...  When we eased into the clear, warm water, the dark outline of the wreck was just barely visible from the surface... Clouds of baitfish swirled around us, as large fish zipped in and out, feeding and fleeing from even bigger fish....   by the end of the dive, we had fought off sharks, and several 500# goliath grouper that tried to drag me to the bottom... and in this one, quiet moment... this friend lifted his gaze to me while we drifted above the wreck... as our eyes met, I instantly knew that he finally "got it"...  just one of those moments you never forget.

I enjoy teaching people to enjoy these amazing, breathtaking, wonderful things that make life worth living... these same "extreme" adventures also help show each person for who they really are....  Intense moments in life bring out the "real" factor in man and animal... Intense moments help build bonds that last a lifetime... they separate the wheat from the chaff...

... I have been thinking about what my constant "happy thought" is, and, without doubt... it is free diving... (scuba diving without tanks/breath hold diving for those of you that do not know...)   ... Nothing I have experienced is as intense, requires as much focus, is as rewarding as this....  and it is something I TREMENDOUSLY enjoy teaching others....   the ocean is infinite, while spearfishing regulations continue to constrict... the deep blue will always be there for us...   and it is something that EVERYONE can participate in...

[djhogdogger]

 
Noah, do what ever makes you happy in life. Life is fleeting, so enjoy it with the ones you love. BUT YOU ARE ONE CRAZY DUDE TO FREE DIVE IN THE GULF OF MEXICO! As soon as you get into the water, you drop down to about the middle of the food chain. I will have to stay on dry land and be at the top! 


 Im sure glad that it hasn't got that bad here in Texas. Well at least not in our area. If it ever does, me and James may have to go back to team roping. Which is fun, but with the rising cost of fuel, its too expensive to haul any more.

 

[RyanTBH]

Natural selection and survival of the fittest Noah! This applies to all aspects of life... What you speak of does not just have to do with hog dogging and any other hunting for that matter. That is something that can be applied to a lot of different aspects of life. There will always be someone that knows more about something that does not want to share these "precious" thoughts, ideas, and ways of doing things; or for that matter places to do said things.

I have a hard time fighting the battle you speak of. I am the type of guy that wants to meet, greet, and join in the fun! My mom says I know no strangers. This is a problem when it comes to hunting anything. If you have a good spot that produces, you do not want to show someone in fear of them "back dooring" you... and for that matter taking away from what you could possibly procure. So I have trouble with the thin line that divides the ok from the not when it comes to "sharing" the fun and fortune of good spots, or anything for that matter.

This is why I network. I want to be able to meet likeminded and similar people. I want to be able to enjoy what I now love with other people that feel the same. I also try my hardest to spread the knowledge that I've gained in a short period of time, of how fast this privilege is being fought and taken away from us... and right out from under our noses. www.lswda.org    www.texasboarhounds.com   

You are blessed to be able to have so many things to catch that “release” from, and not only that, but to be able to physically do them as well. From the sounds of some of your stories, you have had a very exciting life, and it doesn't seem to be stopping any time soon. So keep on keepin' on brother!!!! Live, Learn, and Love... and in that order! Do work, make chit happen, and never stop moving forward! All other things will fall into place if you stay true to yourself and what you love.

I tell myself over and over not to worry about things too much, because in the end, you really don't have as much control over things as you would like to think. At a moment’s instance it could all be taken away and what would you be left with then....?

 Enjoy and share what you have with others... IMO, like you stated, sharing an experience that you cherish with someone else, and seeing them realize what makes you do what you do is an awesome feeling! Matter of fact, helping anyone do anything that they find joy in makes me feel good. I try to do good for other people even if it does not benefit me, and that is a feeling that I love. If that means taking them hunting to one of my spots, then so be it... if that means helping them move, donating clothes, food, sharing stories, putting together an event, fixing a computer, or anything that you can think of really then I will do it if it makes someone else feel better about life and helps. For some reason I cherish that the most in this life and I do not know why. My friends do not understand it, my family does not understand it, and I do not expect anyone else to either. I’d give the shirt off my back to someone I don’t know if I knew they needed it more than I do. I do not really have the means to be able to do as much as I would like to for others now as I am the one that needs help… and this is the time that it shows who is really there, and who is not as well. So fight for what you believe in, of course, but do not forget about sharing it with the people that you love… and sometimes with a stranger. You never really know what you’re missing out on until it slaps you in the face!

[jagdtank]

I think of it like joining the marines. I want a few good men. Not everyone makes the cut. If you want me to show you how it works then go out and get a spot to go. If they contribute some land then they are worthy. If not then they are not worth taking because theirs only so many hogs and land if they don't want to go bad enough to get up off their seat and burn some gas looking then they are not worthy of the title hog dogger. deer hunter etc. I wish i could take more people and I do take a few that im sure will never come back alone but its a tough world and thats the way it is. when i started hunting a few years ago i took a few and they all came back. I stoped telling where i hunted until recently I told some guys that took me with them once. All of a sudden I see dog tracks and boot tracks all over every time i go and no hogs so maybe my theory stinks. hunting obsessions of any kind are seeming like a rat race now days but I have learned over all when to turn off  my thought switch. on certain topics so as not to make life work only. a man needs a hobby it might as well be hunting.

[Reuben]

I have been hog hunting since about 1982 oe 83...I have never tried to hunt behind anyones place nor have I tried taking their spot...but can't say the favor has been returned by a few...and being too reserved doesn't get you hunting spots...

[firemedic]

I have been hog hunting since about 1982 oe 83...I have never tried to hunt behind anyones place nor have I tried taking their spot...but can't say the favor has been returned by a few...and being too reserved doesn't get you hunting spots...

So true Reuben,.....as with sooooo many things that arise when dealing with people.....when you 'hull 'er down to the cob'....it's a matter of character, or the lack thereof. I would NEVER backdoor any person on a hunting place, even if I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that nobody would ever know what about....I would know, and I couldn't sleep or look in the mirror,.....without being miserable. I kinda like the man that I've come to be, and I'm not going to do anything to tarnish that, makes going to sleep a lot easier.....at least for me.