Now That I Have " LEARNED MY BOAT"

[kartracer]

Bought a boat a few years ago from a Cajun man way down DA bayou pass Dulac, yes there is land pass Dulac. When I went to pick up the boat he told me "Boy you have a good one here; you just have to go home and LEANED your BOAT". Now, when something happens to someone's boat, we always say "if you would have LEARNED YOUR BOAT that would not have happened."

Now that I have LEARNED MY BOAT, I hope, it is time to go. We are planning to leave Madisonville, La. on Sept. 10 headed up to Knoxville for the fall foliage. Thanks to all that have helped us get this far in our boating life.

 

[GFC]

Kartracer, congrats on learning your boat. Except you ain't done yet. I'm off the opinion that one never truly learns their boat unless they're the one who built it. That being said, have a great time on your trip.


I looked up Dulac and realized I've been there. In 1969 I was stationed at Biloxi. Three of us drove from there to Dulac and camped on the grass outside a small gas station/grocery store/bar to go duck hunting. The Cajun guy who owned the bar let us stay there and let us use a couple of small duck boats that people from New Orleans had stored at his place. Great experience and almost 50 years later I still remember it in great detail.


Didn't get any ducks but did bag one Nutria who wanted to occupy the same tiny island I was on. IMHO the island was too small for both of us. I had the gun so I won.

 

[BruceK]

...Didn't get any ducks but did bag one Nutria who wanted to occupy the same tiny island I was on. IMHO the island was too small for both of us. I had the gun so I won.

Disgraceful.

 

[Lou_tribal]

Disgraceful.

Or even disgusting.

L

 

[foggysail]

Disgraceful.

Or even disgusting.

L

Not necessarily! Should have shot more.

https://news.nationalgeographic.com...ing-california-wetlands-louisiana-swamps-spd/

 

[AlaskaProf]

Disgraceful.

You have obviously never met a nutria.

 

[Lou_tribal]

You have obviously never met a nutria.

I have some coming to my garden and we love it, but I am living in Canada, we are peaceful people who are known for hospitality

L

 

[foggysail]

I have some coming to my garden and we love it, but I am living in Canada, we are peaceful people who are known for hospitality

L

WOW, those things have reached Canada! I thought they would not be able to survive in colder climates. This much I know, I would never provide one with hospitality. Over grown rats! And you welcome them in your garden???

 

[Lou_tribal]

WOW, those things have reached Canada! I thought they would not be able to survive in colder climates. This much I know, I would never provide one with hospitality. Over grown rats! And you welcome them in your garden???

Well rodent, myocastor, otter, beaver, muskrat are all more or less the same.
Yes I welcome them in my garden and can see some everyday in the nearby river, funny pet when they are playing and eating in the grass. We have a lot of funny friend coming to visit us, from squirrel to otter, skunk lot of different birds etc etc Never had any trouble with any of them.
Except digging a hole as a house they are not doing much damage, at least less then the surrounding humans with their noise and pollution.

L

 

[Boatfever]

"Yes I welcome them in my garden and can see some everyday in the nearby river, funny pet when they are playing and eating in the grass."
Cute, but an invasive and destructive species. Not sure what indigenous species they may be competing with in your area. They are environmentally destructive as well as destructive to dykes and embankments, etc.
Edit; They are edible, however, should you decide to control your local population. http://www.nutria.com/site22.php

 

[BruceK]

You have obviously never met a nutria.

I`ve not met GFC either but I`m reasonably sure, based on this event, the nutria would be better company.

 

[boomerang]

Kartracer, I promise I won't chastise you if you assist with the eradication of those giant, erosion causing rats up here on the Chesapeake. Them or any other of the invasive species here like snakeheads, zebra mussels and those damn spiny catfish.
All you want for free. And we won't make you camp out on the grass!

 

[BaltimoreLurker]

I'm not about to pop the nutria's cousin, the groundhog that been devastating our garden, he's just too damn cute. But I can understand why other people would. The nutrias seem to be a problem in some places.

Dave Attell, on his show "Insomniac", went nutria hunting in New Orleans with the deputies. Gotta say, it was entertaining.

 

[kartracer]

We have so many down this way and doing so much damage to levees and other property the state pays 5 dollars per tail and come pick them up once a month

 

[dhays]

I applaud those that hunt nutria. Like many other species that have lost natural predators, they have become an environmental problem. However, to be honest I’m not even sure where the nutria came from. They may have been an import that didn’t have natural predators.

There are a lot of wildlife that need to be controlled in different parts fo the country. In some areas it is wild hogs. In my area I’d love to reduce the number of Canadian Geese that have decided that flying back North for the summer season is just for suckers.

 

[Roamer Blue]

In my area I’d love to reduce the number of Canadian Geese that have decided that flying back North for the summer season is just for suckers.

Don't feel bad, there's thousands of 'em that don't fly SOUTH in the winter either...


How do we cull this herd of humans that keep feeding their large poop backsides?


RB

 

[Boatfever]

I applaud those that hunt nutria. Like many other species that have lost natural predators, they have become an environmental problem. However, to be honest I’m not even sure where the nutria came from. They may have been an import that didn’t have natural predators.

There are a lot of wildlife that need to be controlled in different parts fo the country. In some areas it is wild hogs. In my area I’d love to reduce the number of Canadian Geese that have decided that flying back North for the summer season is just for suckers.

They came in the 1930's, from South America. They were brought over for starting fur farms as I understand it.

 

[Giggitoni]

I`ve not met GFC either but I`m reasonably sure, based on this event, the nutria would be better company.

I’ve met GFC; shook his hand. Good guy! Nutria, not so much. Nutria is an invasive species and is causing billions of dollars of damage to water ways, levees, and native species. A real problem. Bruce, I’ve never met you. However, I kind of “know” you through the years of interaction on these forums. I look forward to shaking your hand one day. Nutria, not so much!

 

[ragin cajun]

They came in the 1930's, from South America. They were brought over for starting fur farms as I understand it.

McILHenney , of Tabasco fame, introduced them in South Louisiana in his fur farm. Escapes during hurricanes opened the door to infestation throughout our coastal marshes . These rodents are responsible for much marsh and land lost. Even the alligators don't care for them much. During gator season many trappers use nutria as hanging bait. However, the gators prefer store bought chicken quarters left outside for a few days.

 

[Boat]

The only good nutria …

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d...ow-long-does-roadkill-linger-on-the-pavement/

 

[GFC]

I`ve not met GFC either but I`m reasonably sure, based on this event, the nutria would be better company.

Bruce, I have no doubt in my mind that if you and I met and sat down to drink a beer and swap tales that I would quickly grow to dislike you. And if I thought it would help speed us to that destination I would bring a trapped Nutria for you to take home, make a pet out of and enjoy for many years.

For the sake of brevity, I shortened the tale I wrote above. For the pleasure of the nutria haters of the world here's the rest of the story.

It was well after dark, I was alone on the small (20' diameter) island where my hunting partners had dropped me off about 1:30 p.m. As I said above, there were no ducks harmed in the making of this tale.

I was sitting quietly on the island when I heard what sounded like a baby crying. Figuring it was my hunting partners coming to pick me up I made a similar sound back to them. I couldn't see anything in the pitch black night. The baby crying sounds continued and kept getting closer. I tried to locate the sound of the baby and kept making my sound to duplicate the crying.

As I sat there peering into the darkness in the direction of the sound I noticed a small wake in the still water and whatever was making the wake and the sound was coming straight for my island.

This "thing" pulled itself up out of the water and started walking toward me. Not knowing what it was but figuring the island I was on was mine because I got there first, and knowing this island was not big enough for both of us, I dispatched the rat with a single shot from my 12 gauge at a distance of about 8'.

I didn't find out till later when we got back to the place we were camping what it was that I had killed.

Did I feel bad about killing it? F**k no! It was MY island and I was not about to share it with something that was as ugly as that nutria.

Now, if the rest of the story p!$$es anyone off, well I'd suggest you take a chill pill then put your big girl panties on and go somewhere and meditate until the anger passes. I'm reasonably sure you will survive this horrific tale.

 

[Rebel112r]

This may also raise the ire of those, whom are opposed to Nutria killing.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ma...ooters-will-save-haida-gwaiis-ecosystems/amp/

 

[MurrayM]

This may also raise the ire of those, whom are opposed to Nutria killing.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ma...ooters-will-save-haida-gwaiis-ecosystems/amp/

A quote from the article;

Judson Brown, a firearms instructor at the park and a member of the Haida Nation, was apprehensive about the project at first. “Shooting deer for the sake of shooting deer was a very hard concept to grasp at the beginning, because I’m a sustenance hunter,” he says. It was only after he visited a deer-free island that he understood. He noticed the moisture. He could smell the flowers and hear countless songbirds and buzzing insects. “It was more alive,” he recalls. “That really changed my perception and my belief in this project.”

Brown describes the islands that have deer as moss deserts. “There’s no understorey, there are no shrubs, because the deer eat it all away,” he says. So the excursions to eradicate deer started in March 2017, made up of the Kiwis along with Haida and non-Haida hunters from the park.

As the deer increase, the understory disappears. If you know anything about temperate rain forests you'd know that when an ancient tree falls, there are smaller, younger trees already growing ready to jump up into the newly available light.

Take those young trees away, and the forest cannot sustain itself when the old trees die.

This is much like removing rats from islands where sea bird colonies are getting decimated.

Now if they could only do something about the spread of Humans...

 

[foggysail]

Now if they could only do something about the spread of Humans...

BUILD THE WALL

 

[dhays]

They came in the 1930's, from South America. They were brought over for starting fur farms as I understand it.

Ah thanks. So a situation where they were removed from their natural predators.

How about reviving the nutria fur industry? Maybe some local tanners could start buying up nutria pelts and we can have nutria shoes, belts, watch bands, chafing material for biminis and dock lines... ?

 

[dhays]

Don't feel bad, there's thousands of 'em that don't fly SOUTH in the winter either...


How do we cull this herd of humans that keep feeding their large poop backsides?

I don’t see anyone feeding them around here. Our local coyote population tends to keep them bedding down in certain areas at night (Chamber’s Bay Golf Course for one). I’ve never been a big fan of wild fowl, but you would think some local chefs could put wild goose on their menus.

 

[dhays]

McILHenney , of Tabasco fame, introduced them in South Louisiana in his fur farm. Escapes during hurricanes opened the door to infestation throughout our coastal marshes . These rodents are responsible for much marsh and land lost. Even the alligators don't care for them much. During gator season many trappers use nutria as hanging bait. However, the gators prefer store bought chicken quarters left outside for a few days.

Maybe we could send the gator trappers some Canadian Geese?

 

[MurrayM]

BUILD THE WALL

To keep you contained?

 

[alormaria]

Ah thanks. So a situation where they were removed from their natural predators.

How about reviving the nutria fur industry? Maybe some local tanners could start buying up nutria pelts and we can have nutria shoes, belts, watch bands, chafing material for biminis and dock lines... ?

In the 80's I bought my wife a nutria fur coat. It was the only time she has been warm in winter.

 

[dhays]

A quote from the article;







As the deer increase, the understory disappears. If you know anything about temperate rain forests you'd know that when an ancient tree falls, there are smaller, younger trees already growing ready to jump up into the newly available light.



Take those young trees away, and the forest cannot sustain itself when the old trees die.



This is much like removing rats from islands where sea bird colonies are getting decimated.



Now if they could only do something about the spread of Humans...

Last month I visited Kake, a Tlinglit community on Kupreanof Island. It was very interesting. A couple of the Tlinglit mentioned that their deer population was way down, making it more difficult to provide traditional food for their families. One of the reason they claim is that the number of wolves have increased significantly on the island. They also mentioned that cougars have been spotted on the island, something they claim is new in their tribal memory.

So too many deer in an area can create dramatic environmental changes. When that happens, something else often happens, such as a predator finds the location to be desirable.

We tend to think that nature should be static, unless WE want to change it. The truth is that nature undergoes changes all the time. Predator and prey can get out of balance, but then it usually will rebalance over time, unless we interfere. It may not be the same balance that it was, but it will rebalance.

My wife blames the local deer population for destroying our local eco-system. They keep coming out at night and eating all her roses.