Matthew Dickerson, Reprinted from the Addison Independent, May 4, 2000.
Vermont's year 2000 turkey season got under way at the start of the week with...well...a bang, for lack of a better word. Early results at the big game check-in station at Vermont Field Sports hint that we may expect a good season to come. Despite one four week period with lots of snow and cold temperatures, the winter overall was relatively mild and short--and easy on game. Thirty birds were reported at VFS on opening day (Monday, May 1) and by mid-morning on Tuesday another ten had been brought in. In addition to an increase in numbers over last year, the average size of the birds was up too with several topping nineteen pounds.
Matt Coleman of Bristol was weighing in a bird at about 9:30am on Tuesday. He'd had his eye on a big tom all morning but there was also a jake (younger male) in the neighborhood. In a great display of patience, Matt passed up some easy shots and waited almost an hour for both birds to come together in hopes of bagging his limit with a single shot. The opportunity arrived, but unfortunately only the smaller jake went down while the tom flew off unhurt. His jake weighed in at 16 lbs and 13 oz. Meanwhile his hunting partner Bo Bryden managed to bring in a 21 lb 6 oz bird with a 13 and 1/4" beard. Matt plans to be back out after the tom in hopes of topping his partner. Both of the birds they've taken so far were shot in Waltham.
Another fine opening day bird topping twenty-two pounds was weighed in at VFS by George Scribner. Thirteen year old Wes Butler of New Haven was also out hunting on opening day, accompanied by his father Randy. They were able to call in a nice pair of bearded jakes, which came in together with the more dominant one strutting its plumage. Wes managed to line up both birds in his sights, also hoping for a two-for-one special. One went down at once. The other rolled but came up running... only to be brought down a few seconds later by father Randy who made a nice forty yard shot at the fleeing game.
Vermont hunters are allowed to take three turkeys. Two may be taken in the spring season which runs the month of May, but both must be bearded (males). A single turkey of either sex may be shot during the fall season. The time and date of the fall season depends on the particular WMU (Wildlife Management Unit). Through much of Addison County, were turkey populations are high, three is a two-week bow season followed by a two-week shotgun season. In other areas, both of those seasons are cut in half. Shooting turkeys with rifle is not allowed anywhere. Hunting is also restricted to the morning hours, and any action intended to drive turkeys to another hunter is not allowed.
In other sporting action, the trout season has also gotten off to a good start. The previously mentioned Wes Butler also bagged himself a pair of rainbow trout on opening morning--a feat which the writer of this column was unable to accomplish. Some big browns, holdovers from last year, have been taken out of the lower Middlebury River. Adam Alger landed 22" and 18" browns on the second week of the season. The stocking of new fish is also well under way, and will be heavy for the next two weeks in several local rivers. Water levels are still a little high from all the rain, but the streams are running fairly clear. A few days of sun should really trigger some good activity.