A tip of the cap to Ryan Ruef of Lee.  On November 21, he was out bowhunting alone in one of his favorite hunting areas in Southern Berkshires.  He was in his climbing stand enjoying the 44-degree weather and watching for a big buck which he knew frequented the area.  He previously spotted it on a trail camera and it appeared to have 18 points!

Around 2:15 pm he saw the buck approaching him and when he got about 40 yards away, Ryan let his arrow fly.  He waited about an hour before beginning to track it. During that time, he saw another big buck, a 12-pointer, chase a doe past his stand.  He had to let it go for he thought that maybe he had limited out (2 bucks limit per year).  He had gotten a smaller deer earlier during archery season.

Finally, he began tracking his deer and luckily, it only traveled about 20 yards.    That was the deer he was waiting for.  Instead of 18 points, it had 15, but he knew it was the same deer for three of the points had been previously broken off probably during the rut while fighting off other bucks. 

After field dressing it, Ryan’s work really began for he had to drag the big buck out of the woods, a distance he estimated to be about 1 ½ miles.  When he got it home, he weighed it and it tipped his reliable scales at 180 lbs. (Live weight, it is estimated to have been about 225-230 lbs.).  The 15 points were, in his opinion, scorable using the Pope and Young scoring criteria, and the” green” beam length was 155 inches.  MassWildlife estimated the deer to be 5 ½ years old. 

Ryan is having the head mounted by Ricky Nelson of Spencer, MA. What a great mount that will be.

He is all done deer hunting for the year and now has to get back to studying for his finals.  He is a senior at Mass College of Liberal Arts.  

Local raised lake trout shipped to Connecticut

Connecticut anglers will have a chance for some late season winter fishing with a recent stocking of close to 500 lake trout across select lakes and ponds in that state.  The CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) stocked them in Bigelow Pond, Coventry Lake, Squantz Pond, Tyler Lake and Winchester Lake.  The fish range between 24 to 36 inches in length and they weigh between 5 and 7 pounds. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Berkshire National Fish Hatchery in New Marlborough, MA donated the fish to the state. The hatchery raises lake trout for restoration efforts in the Lower Great Lakes.  Officials said they should provide the possibility of filling the state record in the “Catch & Release” category (the largest fish by length) which was created  in Connecticut this year.

Staying with Connecticut trout fishing, local flyfisherman Dr. Charles Wohl, of Lenox, notes that there is still good fishing on the Farmington River.  He was out recently and caught and released “quite a few decent fish” on nymphs, including a 21-inch brown trout on a size 18 zebra nymph.  “I don’t know how much it weighed,” he said, “but when I lifted it out of the water, the river went down by about two inches.”

Westfield River Wild and Scenic River

Congratulations to Outreach Coordinator Meredyth Babcock, and the rest of the Westfield River Wild and Scenic River Advisory Committee for being highlighted in the November 2020 issue of the National Partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers News. The Westfield River watershed offers critical habitat for wildlife as one of the most intact river systems in southern New England. The watershed itself is 517 square miles and includes 636 miles of rivers and streams with over 4,550 acres of lakes and ponds. Being a low population density area combined with the fact that much of the watershed is rural with unfragmented forest, the Westfield is one of the State’s best coldwater fisheries.

Message from Meredyth to all of us: “May the peace, found in a deep pool at the rivers bend, nourish and keep you. The river is open 24 hours a day, singing and reminding one that time passes, seasons change, and water flows towards the sea.”  

MA Fish & Wildlife Board Elections

On November 24, the members of the F&W Board held their annual officer elections.  All three previous officers were reelected for the Year 2021.  They are:  Chairman – Joseph S. Larson, Ph. D of Pelham, Vice Chairman – Michael Roche of Orange and Secretary – Bonita J. Booth of Spencer.  All members of this important board are appointed by the Governor and serve 5-year terms.  The representative for the Western District is Stephen A. Sears of Dalton.

2021 MA Fishing, Hunting and Trapping Regulations available

The regulations are now available at various outdoor sporting goods stores.  There are some new regulations effective in 2021:  A minor hunting license online purchasing option, coyote and fox harvest by hunters must be reported within 48 hours of harvest and wanton waste of game animals and hunting contests for furbearers are prohibited.

Highlighted in the Regulations magazine are MassWildlife’s activities in fiscal year 2020:

“Despite the impacts of COVID 19 in 2020, MassWildlife staff rose to the occasion, continuing their conservation efforts in the fields and forests, on lakes and rivers, at the hatcheries and in-home offices. Another positive note; outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, camping, birdwatching, and other nature-based recreation flourished. Many people less familiar with the outdoors found themselves discovering outdoor spaces and wildlife in their neighborhoods and communities. Seasoned anglers and hunters pulled out their rods and reels, and hunting equipment. Naturalists, birders, and photographers shouldered their dipnets, binoculars, and cameras. MassWildlife and the sporting community has an opportunity to take advantage of this situation by consciously engaging with the novice outdoor newbie and continuing to foster their enjoyment of the outdoors. MassWildlife is committed to do its part to recruit, retain, and reactivate interest in the outdoors and wildlife. At the same time, the agency will continue conservation mission to benefits both wildlife, plants and their habitats.”

• 2,200 acres of critical fish and wildlife habitat acquired. MassWildlife protects over 222,000 acres of property open to hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, and other nature-based recreation.
• 1,500 acres of habitat actively managed on 13 Wildlife Management Areas. Tree clearing, prescribed burns, invasive plant control, and mowing is benefiting declining or rare wildlife like American woodcock, ruffed grouse.
• 30th anniversary of the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act celebrated. Endangered species were featured in the MassWildlife’s e-newsletter, rare species conservation projects were broadcast online, and a Massachusetts Wildlife magazine issue was devoted to endangered species conservation efforts.
• 449,277 trout stocked in the spring of 2020 in 73 lakes and ponds and 174 rivers and streams in 224 cities and towns. In the fall of 2019, a total of 61,612 trout were stocked in 99 ponds and lakes, and 7 rivers and streams in 94 communities. An improved Go Fish MA! map was launched online.
• 40,000 pheasants released for hunters on Wildlife Management Areas and other lands open to hunting. A new pheasant stocking area web map was launched in fall 2019.
• 23,182 turkey permits purchased. This record number may be due to COVID-19 closures which allowed hunters more time and opportunity to hunt.
• 130 educators attended Project WILD workshops and instructed about 9,750 youths in wildlife conservation. An additional 521 young people participated in general wildlife education programs through community, youth group, and other organizations.
• 338 pieces of artwork submitted for the Massachusetts Junior Duck Stamp Contest by youth artists in grades K–12.
• 1,519 entries for the Freshwater Sportfishing Awards entries. Submit your catch entry online in the Youth or Adult Category.
• 1.5 million visitors – Number of individuals visiting MassWildlife’s web pages. In addition, over 49,000 people follow MassWildlife on Facebook and 81,342 people receive MassWildlife’s monthly e-newsletter and 20,000 subscribe to Massachusetts Wildlife magazine.

Busy folks, ey?

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all and stay safe.