Is it possible to escape hunters, ATVs and noise in a rural area? (Milton: neighborhoods, purchasing)

[msRB311]

I didn't mean just Milton. There's also other towns on the south shore with a reasonable amount of land.

[KemBro71]

Originally Posted by msRB311

I didn't mean just Milton. There's also other towns on the south shore with a reasonable amount of land.

I see some nice parcels in Uxbridge and Webster of 15+ acres and cheap. No idea (nor do I care to find out) what the immediate area/population is like, or how buildable the lots are.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by Tupaloop

Without coming across as rude or judgmental (hopefully), I want to say something to the rural folks who ride noisy ATVs and/or dirt bikes through the woods, or shoot cans in the backyard, or let the dogs bark day and night...

I know many of you are patriotic and have a deep respect for our veterans. Have you ever considered that many vets have PTSD associated with loud noises, particularly gunshots? And that those sounds can create a great deal of misery for them? Surely you don't expect them all to live in the big cities just to avoid the sounds and activities of rural life. Surely they should be afforded the same freedom you have to pursue an existence that makes them most comfortable and content?

Not to get off subject (again), but mental health is a hugely important topic of conversation these days, especially with so many taking their own lives for various reasons related to COVID isolation. I want to do my part to end that stigma by saying this...

I suffer from PTSD, anxiety and panic attacks. It's debilitating at times. Loud noises can trigger it. But it is mostly related to extreme animal cruelty that I witnessed when I was younger. Seeing dead animals strung up from trees, or hearing gunshots (knowing animals are being killed) trigger me. And being a very tender-hearted sensitive person, it has a very negative impact on my mental health.

What brings me joy and relief is being in the great outdoors. In fact, I've found that being wrapped in the solitude of nature is the best therapy for me. This is mainly why we are seeking what we are seeking. Also to do our part to help the natural world recover from heavy human hands. We want to make a positive impact in a tangible way, such as creating that wildlife sanctuary for birds and pollinators. That will be our way of giving back for all the comfort nature brings to our lives.

Some will say, "stay where you are", not understanding fully the extent of our reasons for wanting to escape where we are. And some will say, "if you don't like guns, ATVs or barking dogs, don't move to the country". But why should the country be enjoyed only by those who make noise and hunt? Why cannot someone like myself, who is generally a gentle and kind person, be able to pursue happiness in the form of quiet without having to jump through a million hoops to find it?

And here in NJ (as well as in MA), hunting groups are trying to take away the one and only day non-hunters can simply hike through the woods without fear of being shot. They want to be able to hunt 7 days a week and expect the rest of us to "trust them" not to shoot us. They say it is their right to do so. So they are trying to open up hunting on Sundays and take away our ONE day to hike in peace.

Do non-hunters like myself and others here also not have rights? In both NJ and MA, hunting license holders only make up about 0.7% of the population. And yet they control the fate of the wildlife, as well as the safety of being in the woods, for the 99.3%. This is not fair or just at all.

The hunters will say, "well it's only for two weeks out of the year, can't you just stay out of the woods during that time?" First of all NO! I want to be able to hike in all seasons. And second, in almost every state hunting takes place nearly all year long. From ducks, to squirrels, to crows, to coyotes, to bears, to turkeys, to deer... hunting "season" is ALWAYS. There is almost never a time that some form of hunting isn't in season.

This is very frustrating to me. Can anyone else relate?

I'm not saying these things to start a culture war. I am hoping to bring some understanding and offer some insight about what motivates certain people to do what they do.

I realize that some people hunt for food and as hard as that pill is for someone like me (a vegan) to swallow, I do respect that and don't have the time or energy to try to change it. I just want a place where I can try to forget how cruel the world can be and was hoping that place could be called "home".

Thanks for reading.

It's not about judging you, it's about giving you the "right" answer vs. the answer you might want to hear. If a random shotgun going off in the fall is going to trigger you, rural life is clearly not for you. You say you have reasons for wanting to leave suburbia, you need to decide if an occasional ATV cutting down a trail is worse than your neighbor's lawnmower going around in circles. You can't have it all, like I said earlier you need to pick your poison. The only other option is what was suggested in the beginning, buy a few hundred acres to surround yourself with and be prepared to play land cop.



Fwiw, Baxter State Park in Maine is one place I know of that bans hunting throughout most of the park. Beautiful country there, although surrounding it is a big ATV, snowmobiling and hunting area so that's probably out for you.

[msRB311]

https://www.attractionsofamerica.com...sachusetts.php

Could simply be that MA is not the best place for this poster.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by KemBro71

I see some nice parcels in Uxbridge and Webster of 15+ acres and cheap. No idea (nor do I care to find out) what the immediate area/population is like, or how buildable the lots are.

Uxbridge is kind of outer suburbia. Nice enough but people do hunt there, I know that for a fact (maybe not in the center of town). Webster has a built up area to it (that part has a very trashy reputation), and gets ruralish on the other side of 395. I wouldn't recommend it.

[KemBro71]

Originally Posted by massnative71

Uxbridge is kind of outer suburbia. Nice enough but people do hunt there, I know that for a fact (maybe not in the center of town). Webster has a built up area to it (that part has a very trashy reputation), and gets ruralish on the other side of 395. I wouldn't recommend it.

Yeah I just saw that I did within 50 miles of Milton (after that silly suggestion), and didn't resent my criteria. I bet searching around a NoHo center would yield a lot.

But I think the location/parcel size is not really the issue here.

[msRB311]

Milton does have some rural areas particularly near brush hill rd and blue hills. It was merely a suggestion because there won't be any hunting. It will cost you though.

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by msRB311

Milton does have some rural areas particularly near brush hill rd and blue hills. It was merely a suggestion because there won't be any hunting. It will cost you though.

Milton doesn’t have any rural areas. It has some reservations (ie parks) and they actually do allow (very limited) hunting. I doubt there’s much hunting in places like Dover or Sherborne and the density is low enough you could convince yourself it’s rural.

[NYLIER]

Originally Posted by timberline742

You didn't pay a penny for it. The state did (most likely), i.e. taxpayers, instead of a free solution which would have generated income for someone that needed it. That's ok, but its a trade off.

I wouldn't say I know a lot. I know some. I follow the markets occasionally still. I know the right size trap for most animals, and the right set. Natural resource conservation and sustainable use is a field of mine, as are the sociological differences between populations and their relationships with nature.

And yes, there is, but I won't bog you down in details.

You are right. How selfish of me, as a homeowner that has paid taxes to the State for twenty years, to allow the state to give me something for a change. I should have taken out a loan. I wish I would have spoke to you sooner. Darn!!

[mdovell]

Interesting discussions so I think I have a few other things to say. As much as I support hunting I really don't see why trapping would be a sport. Growing up in more of the suburbs seeing deer was pretty rare but then when I move to a more rural area it was much more common. Now seeing dear isn't that big of a deal. However, in the Berkshires I saw Bears twice. Now I live in Connecticut and supposedly there's a bobcat somewhere in town.

As we've developed more areas into actual livable space a fair argument can be made that we're encroaching on animal habitats and thus were more likely to hear about seeing animals than before. Covid did two things. Initially people weren't going out and animals came back to more urban areas but as things were open People moved for further out.

I can completely understand why you want peace and quiet. The older I get the quieter I tend to like things. But having said that I have got no problem living in a more urban area. When I was in downtown Springfield for the most part it was extremely quiet. I think buildings can absorb much more in the way of sound than trees. Basic insulation even if not meant for soundproofing can probably block some sound. In a more urban area the issues are more with neighbors rather than animals.

Sometimes when we want things it's easy to see an individual one but in aggregate is when we can start to see some issues. There's a big difference between someone moving to a quiet rural area because they want a quiet rural area versus those that want to move to a quiet rural area because they can make as much noise as what they want and no one can bother them. Without naming names a year or so I was looking at some police logs of communities in the Berkshires. I came across one where they actually had reports that a guy was setting off bombs. Not fireworks which are illegal in Massachusetts but actual bombs. Ironically as I'm writing this somebody a few houses away from me just set off a firework.

Another thing I saw in the Berkshires which was kind of odd with a guy playing with his dog in the front yard and the man was missing some front teeth and so is the dog but it had a Confederate flag somehow taped to their mangled up on half-dead tree.


Sometimes noises something that you know about ahead of time. I used to live by Convention Center in a casino and when they would have events you could probably hear about him but you knew about it ahead of time. I'll invite Speedway and on Fridays from about 4 p.m. until about 11 is what you're going to hear it comes with the territory you know it's coming up