Stormy weather greeted The opening day of shotgun deer hunting was an interesting one for me this year. First it rained so I hung around the house to see what would happen weatherwise. Then the sun came out and off I went hunting.
I no sooner arrived at my destination in Hancock, when it suddenly got cloudy, raw, and quite windy. On the way up the mountain, I met a hunter coming down. He said that he didn’t see a thing, not even a “tweety bird.” We chatted a while and said while deer hunting here, his wife contacted him to tell him that a big buck was standing right in his driveway in Savoy. After a chuckle, we parted and I continued up the mountain. When I got to a location to my liking, I sat down on a stump which became my deer stand.
Then, all of a sudden, the wind blew in a thick fog and immediately it started to rain. A few minutes after that, it started sleeting and then hail was pelting my face. What’s going on? Then it started to seriously snow and that along with the fog caused a white-out. I couldn’t see more than 100 feet in front of me. A check of the weather on my cell phone revealed that it was 40 degrees in nearby Pittsfield.
Well, I had learned my lesson in the past about hunting in heavy fog and getting turned around. This day I was glad my deer stand was within sight of the trail on which I walked in. No way was I going to get turned around and lost in this fog today. But then I wondered, what if I shoot and wound a deer and he runs some distance and, because of the thick fog, couldn’t find him. Also, would I even be able to find my way back to the trail? I decided that If I had a shot at a deer, I would make darn sure I aimed in a vital area and hopefully drop it right there on the spot.
While contemplating all of this, I decided to have a cup of coffee. My thermos was in my backpack lying on the ground nearby. Would you believe that even though it’s color is hunter orange, it was completely covered with snow and nearly invisible. I’ll bet I looked like a snowman sitting on that stump. It was at that time that I discovered that I had forgotten to bring my lunch.
Around noon, it cleared up a bit and I decided to move around checking for deer signs. No signs whatsoever – no tracks, no rubs and no scrapes. It seemed like I was the only person on that mountain which meant there was no one else to get the deer moving. Perhaps the weird weather scared them away. So, I decided to call it quits around 1:00 pm.
While driving home, the sun came out and it turned out to be a beautiful day. Go figure.
Well, I’m glad somebody had some luck. According to preliminary figures provided by MassWildlife, 325 or so deer were taken in the Western District during the first three days of hunting. Some 89 deer were taken in South County. Nate Buckhout, DFW Wildlife Biologist who covered the Mill River General Store check station reported that there were four 10-pointer bucks checked in so far. Some weights reported were 183, 187, 192 and 193 lbs bucks.
Deer checked in at the DFW Fish & Wildlife Headquarters in Dalton included a 178 lbs, 8-pointer taken in Savoy, a 178 lbs, 8-pointer taken in West Stockbridge, a 180 lbs, 10-pointer taken in Becket, a 190 lbs, 8 pointer taken in Cheshire, a 170 lbs, 8 pointer taken in Savoy, a 179 lbs, 8-pointer taken in Hinsdale and a 191 lbs, 7 pointer was taken in Lanesborough.
Those were field dressed certified weights. To determine the estimated live weight, multiply field dressed weight by 1.26. For example, that above referenced 193 lbs. buck probably weighed around 243 lbs. on the hoof.
Detailed figures for the other deer check stations were not available as of Thursday.
Hunter Ed
On Sunday, November 19, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, four instructors from MassWildlife conducted a Field Day for its Basic Hunter Education Course at the Stationery Factory in Dalton.
Picture of Todd Olanyk teaching hunter ed class
The Basic Hunter Education Course was developed by the International Hunter Education Association and includes the safe handling and storage of hunting arms and ammunition, hunting laws and ethics, care and handling of game, and wildlife conservation. In order to attend this course, the students had to first prove that they already completed the MA Hunter Study Guide.
Four instructors including Tim Bradbury, DFW Hunter Education and Outdoor Skills Specialist, Todd M. Olanyk, MA DFW Central District Supervisor, Jim Legacy DFW Aquatic Resource Education Coordinator and DFW Seasonal Employee Kevin Yetman along with two interpreters were there. Some 52 students from across the state, Connecticut and New York took the course.
In the course, the instructors did a quick review of parts of firearms and demonstrated how to safely transfer to and accept a firearm from another person. The students learned how to find their shooting “master eye. (Your master or dominant eye is the eye that provides a slightly greater degree of input to the visual part of your brain. It also more accurately relays information about the location of objects, important for leading game.)
The students were divided into 3 groups where, among other things, they learned and practiced firearm handling (for pump, bolt, and double barrel shotguns as well as lever action rifles) One lesson introduced students to the knowledge and skills of safe firearm handling and proper loading and unloading practices, crossing obstacles in the woods and fields, and the fundamentals of shooting
Another lesson introduced the students to the fundamentals of rifle marksmanship and elements of range safety. They learned judgement and shot placement. It introduced the students to real world hunting decisions such as determining safe verses unsafe shots and making the best and most ethical shot for the sake of the animal.
Another lesson introduced the students to proper field carries which refers to the how you hold your firearm while you hunt in a group, zones of fire. Another introduced the students to the safe zones in which they can shoot while hunting in a group. Students were introduced to the knowledge and skills needed to effectively recover big game animals.
They learned about places that are open to hunting in Massachusetts and the importance of good landowner relations.
Environmental Police LT. Carlow and Officer Kolis reviewed the hunting laws and regulations as well as responsibilities of gun ownership.
During the class, they handled rifles and shotguns with blaze orange forearms and stocks. They were inert, non-firing dummy guns based on real firearms.
When the teaching was over, they handed out the tests in 5 different languages. Some 49 of the students passed the course and are eligible for certification as a MA Hunter Education Graduate.
When asked how many of the students would be hunters and not just gun owners. Bradbury felt that the vast majority will take up hunting.
It was a very informative and well-run course. It is so important that such classes be mandatory prior to issuing hunting licenses to ensure that we have hunters and responsible gun owners with knowledge of safe handling and good shooting skills.
Happy 20th birthday Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT)
This weekend, BEAT celebrates its 20th Anniversary at its Environmental Leadership & Education Center, located at 20 Chapel Street in Pittsfield. On Saturday, Executive Director Jane Winn showed the new renovations which feature a balcony overlooking the west branch of the Housatonic River, which runs directly behind the building, a fully accessible bathroom, and an accessible sloped walkway that leads to an entryway. There was also a stream-table demonstration
BEAT envisions a world where communities work together to sustain their environmental health and economic vitality; all people recognize their interconnectedness to, and dependence on, the natural world; the air and water are clean; rivers and streams flow naturally; and there is plenty of interconnected, natural land where wildlife thrive. BEAT’s goal is to make all of this happen — and their newly renovated Environmental Leadership & Education Center is one of the first steps in reaching that goal.