Where are the teal?

[fabsroman]

Rubicon,

You have got to be kidding me about the hunter suing the farm owner. I cannot believe that one. First off, I cannot believe that the hunter even has a case against the landowner, especially if he didn't pay the landowner anything to hunt on the property. Even if the landowner were paid by the hunter, the landowner would not have a duty to the hunter other than letting him know about know dangers. I am praying that this is a lie by the landowner, because this really makes attorneys look bad. Plus, I have no idea why the farmer's family cannot hunt the land.

It sucks, but farmers and landowners should include a disclaimer in all permission forms. It really sucks nowadays where a person cannot get oral permission from a landowner because the law says so, and a landowner cannot give oral permission without worrying about being sued later (i.e., the farmer needs a permission form with a disclaimer/release in it. I have had a landowner ask me to put a Hold Harmless clause in my permission form, and I was more than glad to do it. The Maryland DNR should come up with a simple Hold Harmless permission form for the landowners and hunters to use. That will make everybody feel more comfortable about these things.

As far as the Dark Side reference is concerned, I understand the meaning. Kind of like the Dark Side of the Force in Star Wars. I hunted Deale Island once in my life about 9 years ago and it was pretty good back then. There were 4 of us and we split into two groups. The other two guys limited out and me and my hunting buddy got 2 ducks a piece. That was my first time hunting ducks with the intent of hunting them (i.e., I shot ducks before, but just because I got lucky while hunting other animals). That was the experience that really got me hooked.

As far as development is concerned, when I was younger my dad would always point out places that he hunted quail in PG County. I thought he was out of his mind because he was showing me parking lots at shopping centers or housing developments. I was too young to understand "progress".

As far as moving to the Eastern Shore, it would be tough for me because all of my clients are from around here. I would be driving a lot to see them and the drive from the Eastern Shore towards DC in the morning is pretty tough, not to mention the drive back in the afternoon. Right now, I am pretty close to the middle of the state and I have been in Court in Washington County, Frederick County, Montgomery County, Prince George's County, Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Howard County, Calvert County and Charles County. Most of the small businesses that I am working with are located in Montgomery, Baltimore, and Prince George's County. At the end of the day, it would be easier for my wife to work as a pharmacist on the Eastern Shore than it would be for me to continue my practice. Heck, we were debating whether or not to move to North Carolina because they were offering $300,000 for pharmacists down there and a 5,000 sf house with a pool, 6 bedrooms, 5 baths, 6 acres, and a 2,500 sf separate garage (i.e., my dream garage) was only $600,000. I told the wife that I would be a stay at home daddy and take the kids hunting and fishing when they were old enough. The big problem is leaving my family and friends from this area.