Writer’s trip to Christmas Tree farm takes ugly turn

(Chelsea Update would like to thank Rick Taylor for sharing these thoughts.)

Today, Dec. 2, was the perfect day to make our annual trip to cut down a Christmas tree.

We’ve done it for years and now I enjoy watching my boys cut down the tree we’ve picked — instead of me. It’s nice to see my family grow in so many ways.  I look forward to the day when my children will teach their children how to cut down a Christmas tree.

We were almost at the tree farm when we passed one of my client’s properties, and it took only seconds for me to notice that all of my “For Sale” signs were missing; four of them to be exact.

In addition, there was a ground blind on the property, which had not been there before.

I made a call to the seller, who lives out of state, and he was shocked to hear someone had been hunting on his property. He was also surprised to learn that my “For Sale” signs were now about 30 yards inside the property area. (I’m sure this “hunter” didn’t want people knowing this property was for sale while he was trespassing on my client’s property and hoping to shoot deer that he or she had no right to do.)

I tried to have a nice time while picking and cutting down the Christmas tree with my wife and kids — but I just couldn’t.

Then the seller called me back and asked me to remove the blind, and I couldn’t have been happier to help him out. But there was a long plastic covered steel cable wrapped through the blind and around a small tree.

I yelled for my son, Ricky, to grab the saw that we’d just used to cut down the Christmas tree; and he knew what was coming. I promptly cut down that small tree and took the blind and cable and threw them in my Grand Cherokee.

Once I’d removed the blind, I found empty whiskey and wine bottles. My wife just shook her head and asked how someone could trespass? I told her that this wasn’t a hunter, rather a criminal.

I hate poachers. I hate thieves, and I hate trespassers. These law-breakers don’t represent the majority of legal hunters in this great state, but they are the one’s who make all of us look bad.  We’ve seen these criminals on the news poaching deer at night, trespassing. and even stealing other hunter’s tree stands.

We all have the legal duty to turn in hunters who break the law. If you don’t, you help to promote the negative stereotypes that exist. More importantly, your failure to inform the DNR of these illegal actions will ultimately cause moderate voters to vote against hunter’s rights in the future.

It’s that simple, you either turn in these law-breakers or suffer the consequences.

There isn’t a hunter out there who hasn’t experienced or knows someone who has had been the victim of trespassing or had their hunting gear stolen … or worse.

To my fellow hunters, I ask that you to put your foot down on these fools who threaten our way of life. Please call the Michigan DNR “Report All Poaching” phone line at 800-292-7800 if you suspect someone is acting illegally while hunting.

A convicted trespasser will receive a fine of $500 and hunting while consuming alcohol will land the jerk in jail. A poaching conviction can (and often does) lead to a felony conviction, lost hunting rights for a number of years and, the person’s vehicle and hunting equipment can be confiscated.

Use your video camera if you suspect someone is trespassing on your land; it’s virtually irrefutable in a court of law.

To all my non-hunting friends who read this column; please know that most hunters are good people. Please don’t let a few who break the rules form your opinion of the rest of us.

Your story ideas and comments are warmly welcomed.

Feel free to call me at 734-223-5656 cell or email at [email protected].