I’ve been following a relatively new addition to my blog roll of late, Rich Fletcher’s blog, Observations of a Land-owning Hunter. He lives and apparently hunts just about 30 miles to the east of me in Livermore, CA.
When I first came to live in CA, about 12 years ago, Livermore is one of the places I looked into as a home. It was pretty rural there, and my wife wanted a place closer to her work by the San Francisco Bay, so I abandoned Livermore and bought a place here in town. Livermore has grown a lot since then, but even now there is still great deer and turkey hunting in the nearby hills… which are, unfortunately (for me), all private property.
I guess at one point the hunting opportunities were even bigger there, and hogs were often on the meat pole. While there aren’t as many hogs there these days, Rich had the opportunity to get time in the field during the heyday, both as a hunter and as a part-time guide. As a landowner, he still gets out for some pretty good hunting. You can read some of his hog hunting tales for yourself on his blog.
On the blog, he’s also got some great information for folks interested in going in with a group of friends/partners to buy a hunting property. This is good stuff, because the complications of such a partnership can cost a small fortune and even ruin a friendship if you don’t plan appropriately and set the ownership up properly.
Check him out if you get a chance. Good stuff.
Yes! Phillip,
The hunting apparently was very good in Livermore up until about 15-20 years ago.Thats when the developing in that area hit a boom period.
When I came to the bay area back in 1980 I was working with some guys who lived out there and they would always invited me out to their place to go hunting.
They would bring pictures to work of their hunting experiences and what beautiful Bucks and huge hogs they would take.
I was so wrapped up in my music career back then that I could not find the time to go hunting with them and now, so very many years later I regret not having taken the time out to have done so.
I hear that the large private tracts of land are still productive though, places like Rich Fletchers.
I also would have to concur with you about a partnership venture, Me and my friends have been talking about it (going in on a land purchase) for years and that is why we have remained friends for so long, It remains just talk!