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July 20, 2021
Growing Up In Bandera
By Glenn Clark
The Bandera Prophet
As a barefooted kid roaming the banks of the Medina River around Bandera I had an attitude unlike anything I feel today. From The Longhorn Steakhouse all the way down to the dam below the big rock I was free to do pretty much whatever was legal or socially acceptable at the time.
It wasn't unusual to see young boys carrying a .22 rifle while hunting squirrels during the day and coons or ringtails at night. I often encountered turkeys along the river but I knew that shooting one of them was a no-no. That probably wasn't the case in earlier times when my dad enjoyed the same benefits of the area. Generational changes are a constant as we all are finding out. Rules keep changing as time goes marching on. More people always equals more rules.
If fishing was on my mind I knew where to go to dig worms or catch minnows for bait. I knew which spot along the river was good for catfish, perch or bass and I learned how to judge which was likely to be the honey hole for the day. If you spend enough time in nature you can watch and learn the wildlife patterns.
If my later years have taught me anything about nature and the wildlife we are blessed with around Bandera it is that you will never learn it all in a single lifetime. A lot of my current learning is coming by way of sitting quietly on my front porch but I still walk occasionally on some familiar paths along the river. Even as my body gets weaker my spirit remains strong and so my education continues.
Most of my skills in fishing and hunting were gained through trial and error. I did receive help along the way from people like Doc Gray when it came to fishing and my father-in-law Noah Bergman on tracking signs and hunting. My hard-nosed work ethics were handed down by my dad and both grandpas and are seldom appreciated or understood by my family members.
My Growing Up In Bandera experiences weren't unique except I had to add my own twist to everything I learned to make it seem right for me. I know my friends did the same thing and that's what makes us forever connected. We all enjoy personal memories of that early way of life in our own special way.
#291 2021
It wasn't unusual to see young boys carrying a .22 rifle while hunting squirrels during the day and coons or ringtails at night. I often encountered turkeys along the river but I knew that shooting one of them was a no-no. That probably wasn't the case in earlier times when my dad enjoyed the same benefits of the area. Generational changes are a constant as we all are finding out. Rules keep changing as time goes marching on. More people always equals more rules.
If fishing was on my mind I knew where to go to dig worms or catch minnows for bait. I knew which spot along the river was good for catfish, perch or bass and I learned how to judge which was likely to be the honey hole for the day. If you spend enough time in nature you can watch and learn the wildlife patterns.
If my later years have taught me anything about nature and the wildlife we are blessed with around Bandera it is that you will never learn it all in a single lifetime. A lot of my current learning is coming by way of sitting quietly on my front porch but I still walk occasionally on some familiar paths along the river. Even as my body gets weaker my spirit remains strong and so my education continues.
Most of my skills in fishing and hunting were gained through trial and error. I did receive help along the way from people like Doc Gray when it came to fishing and my father-in-law Noah Bergman on tracking signs and hunting. My hard-nosed work ethics were handed down by my dad and both grandpas and are seldom appreciated or understood by my family members.
My Growing Up In Bandera experiences weren't unique except I had to add my own twist to everything I learned to make it seem right for me. I know my friends did the same thing and that's what makes us forever connected. We all enjoy personal memories of that early way of life in our own special way.
#291 2021