doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com OT: A visit to the "Old Country"

This form of "progress" has largely been lost on my little part of the world, thankfully. Oh, there is a nuclear power plant up the river aways, across from Savannah River Site, but both are in isolated areas that required the loss of not much good bird habitat. Indeed, other game coexists with the two mega-plants. Because this part of Georgia is so intensely agricultural, and because the counties for the most part have recognized the value of this to the local economies, there has been farmland protection steps taken over the years. There are covenants available to reduce landowner's taxes in exchange for promising not to develop the land. I live between two large state owned wildlife management areas. While this has caused some consternation because of our proximity to them, in the way of poachers who claim they thought they were on Yuchi, or Tuckahoe, it also has provided many opportunities to hunters and fishermen.

There is no longer a huntable population of quail, but they aren't completely gone, and have adapted to their habitat changes successfully. The population on my properties, and on those surrounding me, holds it's own. They're tough little boogers and my hat's off to them for surviving against overwhelming odds. Learning to escape to thick woodlots is the biggest difference I see in their habits. They just don't get out in the open broomsedge fields and harvested grain fields as much as in the old days. They never seem to be more than a few second's quick flight to thick stuff, by thick I mean impenetrable ........ by most hawks, or man. Hunters don't bother them much anymore. Lots of new houses being built here, stick built houses. More irrigation systems going in, on farmland. that's a sign that it will likely remain undeveloped for quite awhile.

I know I am blessed to be able to "escape" the day to day clockwork of life by running down to the nearby Savannah River. I can literally back my truck up to my boat at my shelter, drive to the landing, and be in the water in not much over 5 minutes. I can be at the sandbar in 20, from my yard. Everyone needs a place they where can enjoy a brain drain. I'm just fortunate that many of those places are still nearby me.

Savannah River, South Carolina side on the left looking downstream, between Stoney Bluff Landing and the US 301 bridge.