Local deer hunter has a 2 bagger
Around 8 AM on Saturday, December 21, Jim Cornwell of Lenox Dale was black powder deer hunting in the woods off of Washington Mountain Road in Becket. The 44 year old hunter hadn’t deer hunted in 12 or 13 years, (claims he “came out of retirement”) and that was the first time that he ever hunted with a muzzleloader. He wasn’t bored, for some 13 does had passed by his deer stand already.
The 14th deer that came by was a nice buck and Jim dropped it. He reloaded his gun just in case it needed a second “kill” shot and approached it. He looked up and saw another buck walking toward him and he dropped that one, too. (It is legal in Massachusetts to take two bucks on the same day as long as they are reported within 48 hours.)
The first buck was an 8 pointer weighing 150 lbs. The second one was also an 8 pointer weighing 170 lbs, and that one had a 24 inch antler spread. He shot them 5 minutes apart.
What are the odds of that happening? Rare! For those not familiar with a muzzleloader gun, please allow me to explain. To load the gun, one must drop the gunpowder down the barrel, then push the bullet down the barrel with a ramrod and then place a primer in the breech. The hammer must be pulled back and the gun is ready to fire. How Jim was able to do all of this after the first shot without the second deer hearing him or picking up his scent is unbelievable. Some people have all the luck!
Jim’s brother Tony of Peru helped him drag the deer out of the woods. Jim claims that without his help, he would still be dragging.
Due to the unusual circumstances, Jim is going to have both heads mounted by a taxidermist. What memories and stories he will have to tell.
Incidentally, the results of the recent bear and deer hunting seasons have not yet been released by MassWildlife. I will pass them on as soon as they are made available. *****
The annual Fly Fishing Show will take place from January 16 through 18 at the Royal Plaza Trade Center in Marlborough, MA. There will be over 50 talks and demonstrations each day. While there, you might shop for the newest tackle, book your next dream trip, watch tying and casting demos and learn from the experts.
All the new rods, reels, fly tying materials, books, DVDs and latest equipment will be on display to test and purchase. There is a casting pond for casting demos and it is available to test your new rod. Some of the celebrity authors include Gary Borger, Jay “Fishy” Fullum, Bob Popovics, Dave Klausmeyer, Ben Furminsky and others, and they will be happy to autograph your books. Click onto flyfishingshow.com/Marlborough__MA.html for more details. *****
On Tuesday evening, January 20 from 6:30 to 8:00 PM the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will be holding a public forum on the preparation of a resource management plan (RMP) for the Pittsfield – October Mountain Complex. It will be held at the DCR West Region HQ, 740 South Street, Pittsfield.
The subject area includes Pittsfield State Forest, October Mountain State Forest, Balance Rock & Bates Memorial State Parks, Wahconah Falls State Park, Ashmere Lake State Park, Peru & Middlefield State Forests, Gilbert A. Bliss State Forest and satellite properties.
At this meeting, DCR staff will share information about the RMP planning process and hear our questions, concerns, and ideas about priority management issues related to recreation, stewardship of resources, and park facilities. A draft RMP for the DCR properties in the Pittsfield-October Mountain Complex, will be the subject of a subsequent public meeting to be held later in the RMP planning process. This presentation will be available after the meeting on DCR’s website at http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/public-outreach/public-meetings/. If you have questions about the public forum, contact DCR Updates at (617) 626-4974 or DCR.Updates@state.ma.us.
In case of inclement weather on January 20, call 617-626-4973 or visit
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/ to confirm the date the public meeting will be held. *****
The Pittsfield Sportsmen’s Club will be holding its 5th Annual Hunt Raffle and Buffet Dinner at the ITAM in Pittsfield on Saturday evening, February 7. Doors open at 5PM and dinner at 6PM. Cost is $15 for adults and $8 for children under 10. The proceeds from the event benefit PSC Land Development. Tickets are limited. This is a serious raffle with a whitetail deer hunt in Illinois, a fishing charter on Lake Ontario, a mystery prize, a Chinese auction and more. Raffle tickets will be sold at Pete’s Gun Shop in Adams, Smitty’s Sporting Goods in Dalton, Dave’s Sporting Goods and Avid Sports in Pittsfield. For more information, contact Travis Delratez (413)441-7979 or Fran Tremblay at (413)443-5133. *****