Don's Reel Sports!
By Don Chioffi

The turkey hunters are having a great season, but it would be better, both for the hens that are nesting and the hunters, as well, if the cool and rainy weather would give us all a break.  The nice picture here is of Cara Cummings, age 10, of West Haven, who bagged this nice 22# tom that had a 9.25 inch beard and spurs 1.25 inches.  She was hunting with her dad, Tim and shot her first turkey on her first day of hunting on the Youth Weekend.  This kind of thrill happens very often since the introduction of the youth seasons, and is a great way to preserve and enhance the sports that we love.

The stocking program is well underway and this is just a reminder of some dates to keep in mind in the next few weeks.  The Rutland Recreation Fishing derby is scheduled for Sat. May 10 at Combination Pond, the Neshobe Derby is on the 17th, also a Sat., and Teenies Tiny Kid’s Derby is on Sat. the 31st in Chittenden.  Get your kids or grandkids out and enjoy the fun---and catch a meal while you are at it!!

Speaking of stocking, the second year of stocking Trophy Trout in East Creek from Patch’s Dam to the confluence with Otter Creek is underway, with 750 or so having been stocked on Monday by the F&W Department and volunteers from the area.  Anglers are reminded by the Department that the daily limit for these waters is TWO fish of any size or weight, and anglers are cautioned to be respectful of property when fishing these waters, especially near the Rutland Country Club, which has been gracious enough to allow anglers access to the stream.

Now to some subjects that most writers shy away from.  It is always easier to ignore the sometimes contentious battles between landowners and those who do not own the land but feel it is somehow their inherent right to be able to enjoy what someone else has purchased without feeling that they ever have to offer up even one thin dime.  If it were possessions that we were talking about, you would call it theft, but since it is only someone else’s land that we are using---ah---what the heck.  Sorry folks, even the nice bikers that are trying to access every piece of land from here to Proctor, but trespassers on private property should be dealt with like any other thief of goods or services.  Simply put, if it ain’t yours, you have no right to it.  The problem with all the trails in Pine Hill Park is that many of them continue on outside of Park boundaries and the city has not done one thing to prevent the users of their park from trespassing on the private property that abuts it.  This is not neighborly, it is downright rude, and it is irresponsible to say the least.  The city has put up signs stating that “You are now leaving Pine Hill Park, please be respectful of private property”.  These signs are a legal joke!!!  The only signs that the City of Rutland, as a Municipality, has the right to put up should say that those using the park for ANY reason have reached the boundary of the park and cannot proceed further without specific landowner permission.  Yet the city has been told numerous times by complaints to the police that 4-wheelers and motocross bikes are accessing (trespassing)  private property which is a violation of state statute.  They have refused to take any action on these complaints and actually have the gall to state that as long as these trespassers are not doing any harm in the Park, the city and its recreation director could care less what they do on private property---it is not their concern.  And we wonder sometimes why good and decent citizens who back law enforcement get frustrated and disappointed when politics messes its ugly head into law enforcement.  Mike Smith, representing the bikers has said that counters have indicated 1700 users per week and he expects more.  Let me ask you this.  How would you like 1700 people in YOUR backyard every week.  When your recreation becomes someone else’s aggravation, then we have a problem.  It is about time that some sanity replaces the political correctness and attitudes of some that private property should not exist.  If sanity does not prevail, and laws that are on the books are not enforced, it will only lead to confrontation as landowners get more and more frustrated when their rights are violated.  It would seem to me and any rational person that if the City Recreation Director wants to allow use of motorized vehicles in Pine Hill Park, then he has at least the moral obligation, if not also a legal one, to insure that those vehicles are not using that park simply as a convenient thruway to illegally access private property in neighboring towns.  But that is exactly what they are doing folks, and no one in the city of Rutland seems to give a damn.

And, by the way, the Governor, on channel 3 for the opening day of fishing season was using a spinning reel and holding the rod with the reel UP instead of down, as a spinning reel is supposed to be held, so he had to reel with the opposite hand, and reel backward.  For any angler of experience, it was a pretty gross sight.  That being said, I would still prefer a Governor that backs sportspeople and shows up at sporting events---as he does---than some crunchy granola who prefers not to see fish “injured” by the nasty hooks, or game “tortured” by the hunters.  I guess I prefer a Governor who pretends to be a sportsman to one who doesn’t even pretend to like us!!!  Until next week, good sports.

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