Rutland Prison Camps / Rutland State Park

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I heard they are talking about closing Rutland State Park "prison camps" to hunting/shooting. I did not see it, but I guess there was an article in the Worcester T&G (Trash&Garbage). Anybody know the deal on this or at least know what the article said?

Thanks.

P.S. I guess there is some more information here: https://m.facebook.com/Stillings4Selectman/
 
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it appears that the MDC is attempting to close off access (locking the gates) to the camps from Jan. thru Sept. to all vehicles & horses plus limit hp on boats as well as locking them up similar to boats used on the Quabbin..
 
Not that it's the reason behind this pending action, but some users of that park have posted videos to social media, of motorized vehicle use that likely isn't inline with the intended uses of the park. The DCR has plenty of funding available to install guardrails and fencing to restrict parking, and install tank-proof gates to keep the owners (us) out of public lands. Not enough money for park rangers though.
 
Whats the story behind the Rutland Prison Camps for hunting and shooting? I’m new to hunting as of last year so I’m not familiar with this particular area of Rutland State Park. I have of course hiked that since the 90’s.
 
Rutland Camps and Barre Falls Dam area have been open to hunting for many decades. They now want to close access in certain areas, as they don't want to maintain roads, open gates, etc. Odds are its more BS from the state for anti hunters. Ive also heard they are closing off areas to mountain bikers as well. And certain areas dogs won't be allowed as well.

The biggie here is they are closing off and shutting down all pheasant stocking now in the Prison Camps and Barre Falls. This really sucks......this is where our Pittman Robertson money should be pulled away from the state coffers. Its bullshit, theyve stocked pheasants in that area for over 50 years.

They've got lots of money to make barriers, close gates, open frisbee golf, etc....but shutting down areas for the sportsman is bullshit.

As far as deer and bird hunting it will be allowed I think, but I'm not sure if they are closing off waterway areas and around them totally, I heard something about that.
Everything will be walk in now with no vehicle access.
 
Not that it's the reason behind this pending action, but some users of that park have posted videos to social media, of motorized vehicle use that likely isn't inline with the intended uses of the park. The DCR has plenty of funding available to install guardrails and fencing to restrict parking, and install tank-proof gates to keep the owners (us) out of public lands. Not enough money for park rangers though.
Not really sure who decided motorized access isn't inline......its bullshit, there are roads fully throughout that property. And the place has been open to traffic forever.
More greenies at the statehouse probably thought it would be a great place to close off for non motorized access.....yeah...great.. a**h***s.

Went to the public meeting they had about this.......they were going to close it anyway, no matter what we say.

Like Bob said...as hunters get older they close off access to vehicles. Essentially making it impossible to get in deeper to hunt these places, they make it harder and harder for us every year....but thats the agenda....stop ATV's, hunting, fishing.

The deal with alot of this area is its a Wildlife Management Area, so if it's closed off, the state should lose funding.
 
Barre Falls WMA is the property of the Army Corps of Engineers not DCR. As to DCR hiring more "Rangers" They have absolutely NO law enforcement authority. The Commonwealth has failed to hire and train new Environmental Police Officers to fill the voids created by retirements. I used patrol all those areas in my last five years on the job.
 
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Not really sure who decided motorized access isn't inline......its bullshit, there are roads fully throughout that property. And the place has been open to traffic forever.
More greenies at the statehouse probably thought it would be a great place to close off for non motorized access.....yeah...great.. a**h***s.

Went to the public meeting they had about this.......they were going to close it anyway, no matter what we say.

Like Bob said...as hunters get older they close off access to vehicles. Essentially making it impossible to get in deeper to hunt these places, they make it harder and harder for us every year....but thats the agenda....stop ATV's, hunting, fishing.

The deal with alot of this area is its a Wildlife Management Area, so if it's closed off, the state should lose funding.
Well I guess the Ware River Watershed access may be next then if this turn of events progresses.
 
Rutland Camps and Barre Falls Dam area have been open to hunting for many decades. They now want to close access in certain areas, as they don't want to maintain roads, open gates, etc. Odds are its more BS from the state for anti hunters. Ive also heard they are closing off areas to mountain bikers as well. And certain areas dogs won't be allowed as well.

The biggie here is they are closing off and shutting down all pheasant stocking now in the Prison Camps and Barre Falls. This really sucks......this is where our Pittman Robertson money should be pulled away from the state coffers. Its bullshit, theyve stocked pheasants in that area for over 50 years.

They've got lots of money to make barriers, close gates, open frisbee golf, etc....but shutting down areas for the sportsman is bullshit.

As far as deer and bird hunting it will be allowed I think, but I'm not sure if they are closing off waterway areas and around them totally, I heard something about that.
Everything will be walk in now with no vehicle access.

Will there be parking available anywhere?

I know in the "old days", people would go there to just "shoot" (plinking cans). Can you still do that there?

I heard there is another meeting coming up. I'll try to find it, unless someone else posts it first.

Thanks.
 
Barre Falls WMA is the property of the Army Corps of Engineers not DCR. As to DCR hiring more "Rangers" They have absolutely NO law enforcement authority. The Commonwealth has failed to hire and train new Environmental Police Officers to fill the voids created by retirements. I used patrol all those areas in my last five years on the job.

Correct.....some of BFD is Federal ACOE around the Dam and Rangers are Federal, so I have no idea what people say when they say that's an issue.

As for Game Wardens, who cares if the state chooses not to hire game wardens.......what in holy hell does that have to do with closing land to the public.

If your saying its coverage...that's total bullshit. Ive hunted Barre Falls Dam for 25 years and my one interaction with a game warden was last year, mainly because I was sitting on the main road bullshitting with another hunter for an hour. In my 30 years of hunting on different private lands all over the state, Ive NEVER even seen a warden. Coverage.....nearly non existent unless your in a WMA parking lot, or doing something retarded.
 
Will there be parking available anywhere?

I know in the "old days", people would go there to just "shoot" (plinking cans). Can you still do that there?

I heard there is another meeting coming up. I'll try to find it, unless someone else posts it first.

Thanks.

No....no target shooting....some people probably still try, and leave trash...they are part of the problem. Im not sure why idiots just don't join a range.

But honestly if we were like other states and used our Pittman Robertson funds correctly, there should be a public range there for christ sake.
Nearly every other state i go to has public ranges. Ill be shooting at a state run sporting clays course in Florida next month.

Mass....nope. Love to know where the tax money goes we spend on ammo, guns, archery, reloading, etc, etc.. Certainly not to the correct places.
 
No....no target shooting....some people probably still try, and leave trash...they are part of the problem. Im not sure why idiots just don't join a range.
...
Our club only allows paper targets on the provided hanger mechanisms. No ground targets, no "plinking".
 
No....no target shooting....some people probably still try, and leave trash...they are part of the problem. Im not sure why idiots just don't join a range.

But honestly if we were like other states and used our Pittman Robertson funds correctly, there should be a public range there for christ sake.
Nearly every other state i go to has public ranges. Ill be shooting at a state run sporting clays course in Florida next month.

Mass....nope. Love to know where the tax money goes we spend on ammo, guns, archery, reloading, etc, etc.. Certainly not to the correct places.
There used to be a public range at the Birch Hill WMA but the F&W District Manger at the time didn't want to send people there to maintain it, so he had it closed (Gordon "Chris" Thurlow) Last I knew there was still one at the Martin Burns WMA in the Newbury area.
 
Our club only allows paper targets on the provided hanger mechanisms. No ground targets, no "plinking".

Same here.......I use clay pigeons. No one bitches about it. Or I use steel targets. Just as fun.

The main bitch about cans/bottles is guys run the dogs at my club and cans and bottle glass or trash is a worry.
I get that.....Im a dog owner and run my dog there too......but if some idiot bitches to me about using a clay pigeon....I can bring them up to the trap range and show them
millions of pieces lying on the ground and ask them why that would be any different on the rifle range.
 
There used to be a public range at the Birch Hill WMA but the F&W District Manger at the time didn't want to send people there to maintain it, so he had it closed (Gordon "Chris" Thurlow) Last I knew there was still one at the Martin Burns WMA in the Newbury area.

Hey, I guess theres one......

In my area, a few clubs open up to the public at certain times as a goodwill gesture.

Most every state I've been to has public ranges built with PR funds.....just the recent states I've hunted in PA, KY, FL, SC all have public ranges.

Honestly, Fish and Wildlife people should not be running a public range or even be responsible for it. Its a separate entity. The people manning most of these ranges in these other states are basically range safety state workers responsible for running that range only. They are usually older people and are probably not highly paid, but they are very nice.

As usual, MA is trying to say they are using PR funds, but they are skimping and probably misappropriating funds thru some scam. Or having highly paid workers dealing with these areas and it ends up costing too much. Other states know how to go "non union" and properly put the correct resources where they should go.
 
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I use steel on 2x4’s and 6’s at my club. So much more fun. What’s equally fun is a pumpkin filled tight with water or a large plastic water jug shot with jhp from a PC9 or A 1oz slug.

Tell ‘em those clays biodegrate too.

Only other public place to shoot is National Forest.
 
Ive hunted Barre Falls Dam for 25 years and my one interaction with a game warden was last year, mainly because I was sitting on the main road bullshitting with another hunter for an hour.

I hunted Barre Falls WMA for over 25 years. I would have a conversation with the EPO at least a couple times a year. We got down to a first name basis although he continued to call me Mr. XYX. Nice guy, retired USN. We would talk about the wildlife I'd seen and where the Turkeys had been working. It was outside of Turkey season.
 
I hunted Barre Falls WMA for over 25 years. I would have a conversation with the EPO at least a couple times a year. We got down to a first name basis although he continued to call me Mr. XYX. Nice guy, retired USN. We would talk about the wildlife I'd seen and where the Turkeys had been working. It was outside of Turkey season.
Glenn Fletcher???
 
Good article from the T&G


This state is on an unending quest to erode personal freedom....let's close 100 miles of roads - nevermind the disabled people that can only access these public lands by vehicle, or the surrounding towns that benefit from all the nature lovers the public land attracts. There's another meeting at the Rutland Library on Feb. 20.
 
This really is the MWRA(the old MDC) If that organization had their way there would be no access to any of the property under their control for any thing, by anyone.
 
Good article from the T&G


This state is on an unending quest to erode personal freedom....let's close 100 miles of roads - nevermind the disabled people that can only access these public lands by vehicle, or the surrounding towns that benefit from all the nature lovers the public land attracts. There's another meeting at the Rutland Library on Feb. 20.
Well I guess the Ware River Watershed access may be next then if this turn of events progresses.
Well that happened fast. The day after I posted?
 
This really is the MWRA(the old MDC) If that organization had their way there would be no access to any of the property under their control for any thing, by anyone.
Exactly. The Big Brother is bullying the little one. When it comes to natural resources there will be no end to protectionism.
 
Next meeting about Rutland State Park and prison camps is TOMORROW, February 20, at Rutland Library at 7:00 PM.

~~ PLEASE ATTEND AND BE HEARD!!! ~~


 
They closed down all the trails to mtb a few years ago stating that they were damaging to the ecology... then went and clear cut sections. Thank god none of the logging skidders got stuck in mtb ruts...
 
Quite the crowd. I got there, and it was spilling out into another two rooms and the lobby and stairwell. I'd say over 200 people. Heard some loud voices from the main area. Knew it was going to be serious when I got there and the built-up JEEPS were all lined up bumper to bumper.

Anyhow, they rescheduled to a later date somewhere else, maybe Quabbin High School?
 
Good - maybe DCR will have to build guard houses too...those gates are nothing but padlocks. T&G says the meeting will be at QRHS on March 12 or 19. Jeffrey Stillings has a petition going around too.

 
They closed down all the trails to mtb a few years ago stating that they were damaging to the ecology... then went and clear cut sections. Thank god none of the logging skidders got stuck in mtb ruts...
This actually amazed me when someone said they closed it to mtb.

Not that mtb dont have places to go like all the new rail trails and stuff. Which I understand they probably dont want to go on they want to ride dirt hills and obstacles.

But it was nice for them to get a dose of state hate the same way ATVs, and dirtbikes and snowmobiles have had for years. The only difference being the motorized people pay fees and registrations and get their trails shut down and the fees get used for rail trails where they cant go.

Maybe they will understand now that the state is driven by greenies who just want to take away ANY recreation that does not involve just walking. They will NEVER look to add opportunities for any group they deem offensive. Hunters, ATVs, Dirtbikes, Snowmobiles , and now MTBs are offensive. Its all good as it brings more people into the circle of hate. And its more people to get together and fight this thrannical bullshit.

Its our land we pay for with our taxdollars. We need to stop them from deciding what the f*** we can do on it. And we need to be fair and keep it open to ALL groups.
 
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