VERNON-RE: "Hound-hunting is out of control" [Viewpoint, Dec. 18, 2024] and "Coyotes don't seek to be cruel. But humankind certainly does." [Letters, Dec. 18, 2024].
As a lifelong outdoor enthusiast and safety instructor, I am always amazed at how people are willing to ignore the facts when it comes to these two issues.
Hound hunting has been attacked by self-serving organizations whose only agenda is to control any and all hunting activity here and elsewhere. The isolated incidents referred to are old news and are brought up over and over, as if they happened yesterday and on a regular basis. No doubt there have been some bad actors - I will not refer to them as "hunters" as they are not - but these people have been weeded out as they give the activity a bad name.
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department has over the years made strides in ridding these types from the ranks of ethical hunters, and the agency have enacted and enforced laws to protect the resource as well as our residents.
I am not going to comment on this commentary by Robert Fritz, as it simply plays the same old tune that has been kicked around for a long time. But it made me think. If people watch the man we now call president and believe he has any kind...
There have been many articles talking about affordable housing here and elsewhere. Some people just don't get it. The folks who provide rental housing are being constantly handed down laws (that have a price tag on them) they must follow in order to rent their properties. The state and...
While I was not surprised at the headline on this piece by Randy Holhut, I was surprised by its content. Why is it this writer cannot be open-minded enough to appreciate citizens of different political backgrounds getting involved in their community? It has always been painfully obvious this publication has pushed liberal ideals and has been very kind to any Democrat or progressive candidates seeking public office. But to try to somehow paint these new candidates as part of a...
After reading Tom Finnell's history lesson on gun control, I was rather surprised at his statement, “If you can't down a deer with five rounds, you don't belong in the woods.” It is true that federal regulation requires a shotgun must not be able to hold more than three rounds in its magazine when hunting any migratory bird, which includes woodcock. However, semi-automatic shotguns, as well as pumps, are the firearms of preference, and their use is not prohibited. Please...
RE: “A semi-rural economy has unique needs” [Viewpoint, Aug. 21]: Jonathan Mack apparently made his money long before moving to Vermont. For him and many like him, this state is some kind of wonderland, and, in a way, he's correct. But scenic beauty aside, this is hardly the truth. The makeup of so-called Vermonters has been diluted to a point where Vermonters are no longer what they used to be. Years ago, perhaps farming was a way to make a...
To me, Karl Meyer's piece in the Feb. 2 Commons, “A bad year for the river,” was improperly titled. He asked the question, “Are we returning to the 1950s, when the Connecticut River was dubbed the most beautifully landscaped sewer in America?” I say that if you are on the water and fish the river, you'd most likely say “no.” Meyer appears to have an axe to grind with anyone who, by whatever means, generates power on the Connecticut River.