What’s going on here? For the second year in a row the Stockbridge Sportsmen’s Club has had to cancel its scheduled ice fishing derby due to possible thin ice conditions. It had been scheduled for Stockbridge Bowl on January 29. Sure, one could probably get onto the ice here and there, but a public ice fishing event with kids running around is no place to take chances. It is too bad, too, for a lot of work and planning goes into these derbies. But, as club organizer Mike Buffoni explained, ”Ice on the Bowl is breaking up and there is no ice-making weather in the near future to make it safe for the 29th”.
We grumpy old ice fishermen are getting perplexed over not being able to get out and freezing as we ice fish. We have deer meat and other wild game building up in our freezers just waiting to be taken out and cooked up out there. It never tastes so good as when grilled and eaten on the ice out there, especially when blowing snow and sleet is pelting your face. Darn this global warming!
Some organizations are hoping that it will get cold again and they can still have their ice fishing derbies. For example, the Lenox Sportsmen’s Club ice fishing derby is scheduled for Sunday, February 5 at Stockbridge Bowl. Sorry, I have no specifics on cost, times, etc. for this derby.
The Cheshire Fire Dept is scheduled to have its 1st annual ice fishing derby on Sunday, February 12, with registration at 7am at the first lake near the boat ramp. Costs: adults $15, youths 12 and under free with the purchase of an adult ticket.
The 31st. Annual Berkshire County Jimmy Fund Ice Fishing Derby is also scheduled for
February 12 at 6am at the Onota Lake Pavilion. Contact Derby Chairman Leo Kruczkowski.
The Onota Fishing Club’s derby is scheduled for February 19 from 6 am to 2 pm, at the Onota Lake Controy Pavilion. Adults $15, kids under age of licenses $5. Dinner after derby costs $12.
The Lee Sportsmen’s Association ice fishing derby is scheduled for February 19 from 6am to 2pm on Goose Pond. Following that there will be a spaghetti and meatball dinner at the club. The cost is $10 for adults and $6 for kids. For more information, call John Polastri at (413)822-8278.
The Cheshire Rod & Gun Club’s annual derby is scheduled for February 19 on the, 1st and 2nd Hoosac Lakes in Cheshire. It runs from sunrise to 4pm. With weigh-in at the Farnams Causeway. I believe the cost is $10 for adults and kids 14 and under free.
Before attending these derbies, be sure to check to make sure that they have not been cancelled.
Other upcoming events
There will be a National Wild Turkey Federation fundraising banquet on February 4 at the Stockbridge Sportsmen’s Club. Doors open at 5pm and dinner is at 6:30pm. Tickets cost $65, which includes dinner, a year’s membership in the NWTF and a year subscription to Turkey Call magazine. Contact Chris Puntin at 413-464-4036 or email at Cpuntin1218@gmail.com for more information.
The Lee Sportsmen’s Association is having a Turkey Shoot on Sunday, January 29 from noon to 3:00 pm, and a dinner from 4:30 to 6:30pm. The menu is venison stew and polenta and spaghetti and meatballs. The cost is $15.00 for adults and $7.00 children 12 and under. The dinner proceeds benefit its pheasant raising program.
Fly tying events
Chris Samson informs us that they are having fly tying events at Berkshire Outfitters, Rte 8 in Adams every Tuesday evening at 6:30. Free and open to the public, the events cover fly tying from beginner to expert with lessons if someone would like to learn to tie a fly. There will be extra tools and vices on site. Chris says that he has been wanting to get some local people together who are into fly fishing. He is trying to build a community of anglers to share lies and information and just have a good time.
Canid and cougar presentations
Sue Morse, the founder of Keeping Track®, is highly regarded as an expert in natural history and one of the top wildlife trackers in North America. Since 1977, she has been monitoring wildlife, with an emphasis on documenting the presence and habitat requirements of bobcat, black bear, Canada lynx and cougar.
On Friday, February 3, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, Sue will conduct a canid presentation entitled, “Wild Cousins of Our Best Friends: Wolves, Coyotes and Foxes”. It will be held at Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield and is free and open to the public. “Intelligent, loving and loyal, wild canids have much to teach us – not only about our beloved pets but about healthy ecosystems too”. Sue will share her amazing photos and personal adventures studying these animals..
Then on Saturday, February 4 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, Sue will conduct a mountain lion presentation entitled, “The Cougar Comes East”. It will be held at Mt Everett High School in Sheffield and is also free and open to the public. “Cougars are not only being seen in eastern North America, some are attempting to re-colonize their former habitats. Where once it was flatly dismissed as an impossibility in the so-called “developed” east, scientists have now documented cougar dispersals and even occupancy in a growing list of eastern states and provinces”. There will be an illustrated introduction to cougar biology and ecology in the broad diversity of habitats. You will get the low-down regarding the latest confirmations of cougars in the east, including wild habitats from Manitoba to Louisiana and Maine to Georgia.
For more information contact Elia Del Molino at (413)429-6416 or elia@thebeatnews.org.