looking for some areas to have some fun

[test_tube_tony]

i moved to the north dallas area about a year ago and ive been trying to find some nice deep mud pits to play in. there where plenty of areas to explore where i moved from and did frequently, but now im at a loss as to where to go. i wouldnt mind even a couple hour drive to a good area with a place to clean off. hopefully someone on this site can point me in the right direction. i have to say i miss it.

[mudxdresser]

Unfortunately, as fate would have it, you've moved into the lion's den. There are good mudpits around but you'd be best advised not to find 'em. The mudpits, to put it mildly, are compromised. Park your car anywhere within a mile or two and they'll stake it out if you're not a local. Get caught on foot anywhere near and no excuse will be good enough (thank Atwater vs Lago Vista for that). Don't even think of trying unless you've lawyer'd up in advance and know enough to not try to talk your way out. Talk and they'll try to run you on a sex charge instead of trespass.

Sometimes Possum Kingdom Lake has legal mud where the Brazos comes in if the lake level is down enough and you've a boat.

[stevensenechal]

Move to Canada! Just kidding but Muddy-X knows his stuff and you should probably hook up with a friend and look for spots much further west. Vacations to New Mexico and Arizona are within reach as well. You're lucky as you can probably explore year-round.

[nachtjaeger]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atwater_v. ... Lago_Vista

Basically, the Nine Tyrants in Black, in one of their famous 5-4 indecisions, has decreed that the Police can throw your @$$ in jail for the most minor offenses; i.e. misdemeanor offenses punishable only by a fine. Trespass falls in this category.

Sieg Heil! Amerika uber alles! Welcome to 1984, my friends- it ain't pretty.

[Nessie]

Just kidding but Muddy-X knows his stuff

He does.

If nobody coughs up a tip for you, I've got one that'll help you go it alone:

Do all your hunting on public land.

I have recently discovered that not all public land is colored green on a map. Green only means that it's a park. An example of public land that does not show up as a green area on Google are "Wildlife Management Areas"! So far I've not bumped into a soul at mine, because no hunting season of any kind starts until September but sinking season is NOW!

The disadvantage of public land is that it's public. You can't expect to not encounter the public, and sometimes, their dogs.

"Nice day, isn''t it?" usually takes care of them, though...the most intense encounters I've had involved petting dogs.

I don't even worry about getting a parking ticket.

Nessie

[nachtjaeger]

In some more (or perhaps less) civilized countries, there exist "right to roam" laws, where one is allowed to cross someone else's property for purposes of recreation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_to_roam

I wouldn't have all the "Posted" signs up around my property (installed at no small effort and expense) if it weren't for all the thrice-accursed trial lawyers.

BTW, here in New York state, we have a part-time legislature. The extremely powerful Assembly Speaker, Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) is a trial lawyer in his "day job." So forget tort reform ever coming to a vote in the Assembly.

Just kidding but Muddy-X knows his stuff

He does.

If nobody coughs up a tip for you, I've got one that'll help you go it alone:

Do all your hunting on public land.

I have recently discovered that not all public land is colored green on a map. Green only means that it's a park. An example of public land that does not show up as a green area on Google are "Wildlife Management Areas"! So far I've not bumped into a soul at mine, because no hunting season of any kind starts until September but sinking season is NOW!

The disadvantage of public land is that it's public. You can't expect to not encounter the public, and sometimes, their dogs.

"Nice day, isn''t it?" usually takes care of them, though...the most intense encounters I've had involved petting dogs.

I don't even worry about getting a parking ticket.

Nessie

[jack c]

Nessie's comment about using public land is indeed a wise one. Unfortunately for me, I live in SE Pennsylvania, where the best locations are on private property, hard to access on foot, and who knows who will be watching to catch you. However, just east in NJ and south in Delaware, there are a gaggle of public forests and shore game preserves with endless possibilities. Sorry I can't help you in Texas - but the public land/park advice is the way to go.

[test_tube_tony]

yea im not too keen on the idea of trespassing and always have used public land. going to rent a boat at joe pool lake tomorrow and see if i can find any soft spots. i also looked up possum kingdom lake on google maps and unfortunately the imagery is really bad. looks like it was flooded at the time. any other laws i need to be aware of for this area aside from trespassing laws?

[rgadt]

tony:
Unfortunately websites like Google Earth, Ping (MS Live Search), etc. with satellite imagery aren't updated very often, so they're more useful for locating areas that might be promising, then taking the time to check them out yourself. Recently, we've had a monsoon season in summer, highly unusual for Texas, so almost everything is under water now. I went yesterday to check on an area that had nice lovely mud exposed about a week ago, but now is all inundated, except for a little calf-deep mud. All we can do is pray for a couple of weeks of 100-degree weather to dry things out again. As far as the law goes, I'm afraid I can't be of much help. I'm not aware of much beyond the no-trespassing laws, unless they were to try to cite you for indecent exposure, lewd behavior or disorderly conduct. I can say, thank God, so far I haven't had any serious run-in, beyond an older gentleman who had his grandson out on the Red River and encountered me while I was chest-deep in mud, who asked a few questions then simply let me wash off a little and leave . I try not to stay exposed to bypassers any more than necessary especially when I'm in the process of sinking. I was wondering, I know there are supposed to be swamps/marshes somewhere on the south side of Dallas, seen some pictures but never there in person... you might try to check into that. Hopefully it would be accessible from public land.
rgadt