Outdoors in RI: Solitude at Buck Hill, Seven Cedars Easter, hunt dogs, 2A in RI and US – Jeff Gross

by Jeff Gross, contributing writer

Peace and solitude

Buck Hill Management area is a little used forest area in the northwest corner of Rhode Island, in the town of Burrillville.  The area is home to the Tri-State marker.  This writer went for a hike there on Easter with his best friend Abby, and was pleasantly surprised by the solitude. Apparently, some other folks took the hint from the prior Friday’s article to enjoy the warm weekend, and were encountered along the Yellow Dot trail. (However, no man behind the curtain was encountered)

Once slightly north of the pond I had the entire area to myself – no flying Monkeys as the Wicked Witch of the East now resides in DC.  The intent was to follow the yellow dot trail all the way to the Tri-State marker, however, after 1 hour on the trail and closing in on 5 pm I decided to approach from the Connecticut side on another day. To hike the Tri-State marker from Buck Hill one needs 2 or more hours each way.  Back in 2022 a photographer told me she needed 2+ hours each way to make the trip with her sister and dogs. The hike is worth it even to only venture into the woods. 1/4 mile north of the pond only the wind could be heard.  The quiet was stunning.  The area is a great place to collect your thoughts due to the serene and tranquil setting of the forest. 

The wind coming off the pond was the cleanest and freshest air I have breathed since Maine last summer. And yes, Abby had to go for a swim and venture out to say hello to Mr. Stump.  See header photo and photo below. Various sites along the trail have a story to tell if you listen. The man-made monolith has quite a story for sure and appears to have been built long before any of us were born. Noticed on the trail in many areas are acorns that have popped open. The green micro sprouts protruding from the acorn shell leads me to believe there are few deer and squirrels in the area. Normally these Micro Sprouts are a delicacy to deer and other wildlife.

What appears to be a very old fire brigade water hole is near the pond.  The water gushing in from the pond made the water hole quite turbulent.  Rhode Island has an excessive amount of water right now and some areas are paying the price.  The photo below of the abandon bridge at Breakheart Pond is losing the battle to erosion.  Hopefully the dam stays intact.  There is concern with trout stocking of certain rivers as these rivers have flooded their banks and if this excessive rain continues, we will be fishing for trout in the woods.

Opening day of trout season is only 8 days away.  we could have it worse though like our friends in Maine. As of this writing on Thursday night Maine has 383,000 customers without electricity.  That is a third of the population of RI.  Please keep the Mainers in your prayers as this is the second major power loss they’ve had in 8 months.

Easter at Seven Cedars Farm

The day before Easter was also a beautiful day and the folks at Seven Cedars Farm put on a phenomenal Easter egg hunt for youngsters. For once, the weather conditions cooperated.  Children dashed through the tree farm, Easter baskets in hand, collecting eggs hidden in various locations.  Many an excited squeal was heard from the little ones as they ran up and high fived the Easter bunny.  The Seven Cedars Farm puts on many wonderful events throughout the year and the staff does an exceptional job and deserve an “Atta Boy”. 

The quality efforts were appreciated by the families that attended the Easter egg hunt as many compliments and thank yous about the wonderful event were heard as the attendees headed home.  Attendees is an understatement as one can see the attendance was phenomenal!  Even the overflow parking lots were filled.  Many attendees are already inquiring about the “Touch a Truck Event”  Stay tuned…

For you RI hunters that hunt moose in Maine, the lottery applications started April 1st and continues through May 15th.  The lottery drawing will be held on June 15th in Fort Kent, Maine.  More Information:  Moose Permit Lottery (maine.gov)

Hunting Dogs

For you folks with hunting dogs be aware that veterinary clinics are suffering help shortages and are cutting some functions at the clinics.  I was notified by Abby’s vet this past week.  Going forward be diligent to all functions going on at the vets.  Staffing shortages often are followed by unintentional accidents and errors. Be wary of this and be proactive in questioning anything that doesn’t seem right.

2A in Rhode Island

I dared ask a question of a RI gun “expert” some time ago whether a person had in fact ever been sued for defending themselves in their home.  The statement of “no, but it could happen” was made.  At this point another “expert” who is an adversary made the statement of “ignore the negativity and let’s move on”  This is how some in the now defunct gun community deal with questions they do not like. “How dare you question our word” is the mindset.  Well, in fact, I have a brain and more, so I ask legitimate questions as I am also asking for the entire membership of the RI gun community as a whole, and each member is very important in their own right.  This dismissive attitude by a few “experts” has been noted at different times and is one of the many reasons why the RI gun community has become dysfunctional.

Also dysfunctional is the false information being testified by the anti-gun groups.  At the RI House and Senate Judiciary hearings the statements were made that firearms are the leading cause of death in children. That is false and gets 3 Pinocchio’s. One 2016 study has car accidents as the leading cause of death.  A 2022 study has the accident vs firearm deaths as neck and neck.  The New England Journal of Medicine contained both articles, however, the latter is a letter to the editor and I question the articles validity as there was a high focus on firearms as if written by anti-gun people.  It also must be noted that all studies include 18- and 19-year-olds who are actually adults and therefore further create artificial findings that are abnormally high.

2A around the US

Currently the 27:2 win vs loss ratio continues in the courts.  While the legislators in black robes continue their 2A assault in the 9th circuit, the NRA was handed a pro 2A decision in Texas against the BATF.  Now all members of SAF, FPC, GOA, NAGR, and the NRA who own pistol braces are protected by the preliminary injunction against prosecution by the BATF for owning said device(s).

On Wednesday April 10th oral arguments for the New Jersey propaganda term assault weapons and mag bans will occur at the Federal District Court of NJ.  Oddly there will be no broadcast on the internet. NJ gun owners are looking for summary judgment and, if decided in the gun owners favor, will put the AWB and mag ban issue to rest in NJ.  Good Luck to the NJ team and take no prisoners!  We are into the final lap of the AWB and mag ban cases.  Very soon the dam will burst.  Even a high-ranking democrat in RI wants to see these cases wrap up in court and be done with it.  I even agree with his statement. We may enjoy a better idea of the course of action on April 29th.  Stay tuned…

Gun Safety

Back in the 1950’s gun safety was taught in the classrooms.  Older friends of mine recall they would bring their arms to schools in RI for show and tell. Some would use the same arms to hunt after school.  Today, children are taught to fear guns but encouraged to play and enjoy ultra-violent and gory video games. Having been in the presence of some parents who allowed their kids to play these revolting games would often cause me to find a reason to leave.  The gore in these games sickened me.  Today I know of a National Guard officer who is constantly playing these games while his fiancée works in the house. I can admit I never understood the fascination and obsession with these games. Maybe it is time for parents to parent and channel these sickening games as well as the disgusting horror and gore movies. As a Constitutionalist, I support freedom of speech but common sense must prevail with video games and the media as a whole.  More on that next week.

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Jeffrey “Jeff” Gross spent 21 years as an Analytical Chemist at the USCG R&D Center in Groton, Connecticut, Woods Hole Laboratories, and Helix Technologies. Changing careers is a “great learning experience for everyone”, Jeff says, and I’m an avid outdoorsman and conservationist, a student of the sciences, and the world. The US holds too many wonders not to take a chance and explore them”.

Jeff is the Model Train and Railroad entrepreneur. Proud Golden Retriever owner. Ultra strong Second Amendment Advocate and Constitutionalist. “Determined seeker of the truth”.  Jeff is a RIFGPA Legislative and Legal Officer, Freshwater Chairman, NRA Liaison.

His subjects include Outdoors, Second Amendment, Model Railroading, Commentary, and Whimsical. He can be reached at: [email protected].