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In his October1 report to the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen (BCLS) DFW Western District Supervisor Andrew Madden reported that the preliminary harvest figure for the September Bear Hunting Season which ended on September 26, was approximately 233 bears.  There may be a few more bears checked in as some check-in stations had not reported their figures yet.  This breaks the old September harvest of 203.  “We have already taken more bears in 2020 than the entirety of the season in 2019 (207) and 2018 (204)”, said Madden. 

This year there was the highest bear count east of the Connecticut River with 24.  No doubt, the population is expanding to the east.  According to Fisheries and Wildlife Board Member Ernest W. Foster of Scituate, no bears have been sighted in the Southeast Wildlife District yet.  They’re   coming Ernie, they’re coming.

Madden reported that a large bear weighing 499 lbs. (not field dressed) was weighed in at the District Headquarters on opening day.  It was taken in the Town of Lenox by Robert Stevens of Pittsfield.   (Unfortunately, that is not the bear that has been visiting my garden). 

There still are two more bear hunting seasons this year.  The second season runs from November 2 through November 21, and the shotgun season runs from November 30 through December 12.

Fall trout stocking

At that BCLS meeting, Madden reported that after the serious rainfall a couple of weeks ago, the river levels came up and they did stock the East Branch of the Westfield River in Chesterfield as well as the Deerfield River.  The following lakes/ponds were scheduled to be stocked by now:  Onota Lake, Pontoosuc Lake, Laurel Lake, Stockbridge Bowl, Goose Pond, Richmond Pond, Lake Buel, Big Pond, Otis Reservoir, Windsor Lake, Windsor Pond, Ashfield Pond, Littleville Lake, North Pond, Upper Highland Lake and Norwich Lake.

Small game/waterfowl hunting seasons are upon us

The woodcock hunting season opened on October 1 and runs through November 21.  Because the woodcock is classified as a migratory game bird but not a waterfowl, lead shot may be used.  However, a Harvest Information Program (HIP) registration is required to hunt them as well as ducks, geese and other waterfowl. Two special waterfowl hunt days have been added for active military and veterans.

Tomorrow morning marks the opening of duck and Canada Goose hunting season in the Berkshire Zone. Duck hunting runs through November 28, closes for shotgun deer hunting season, reopens on December 7 and runs through December 26.  Goose season runs through November 14.   Check the regulations regarding any changes this year and daily harvests for the various ducks, geese and woodcock.

The pheasant and ruffed grouse hunting seasons open next Saturday and runs through November 28.  According to Madden, some 40,000 birds will be stocked statewide and about 12,000 of them are scheduled to be stocked in our area.  The daily limit for pheasants is 2, and for grouse it is 3.   If hunting a Wildlife Management Area for pheasants or grouse and other small game, you must wear a hunter orange cap.  The exceptions are if you are hunting waterfowl from within a blind or boat or if you are hunting raccoons or opossums at night.

Cottontail rabbit hunting seasons open next Saturday in Zones 1 – 12.   and runs through February 27, 2021.  Snowshoe hare season also opens next Saturday and runs through February 27 in Zones 1-4 only.  (The other zones have differing seasons).  The daily limit is 5 cottontails and 2 hare. 

The gray squirrel season, which opened on September 14 in our zone is ongoing and ends on January 2, 2021.  The daily limit is 5.  Rabbit, hare and squirrel hunting seasons are closed during shotgun deer hunting season.

Next Saturday, the coyote hunting season opens and runs through March 8, 2021. There is no daily limit on them but they must be checked in at an official check station or online with MassWildlife.

Remember the new regulation this year:

Wanton waste is now prohibited for game taken during hunting and trapping seasons; hunting contests for furbearers and predators is now prohibited and coyote and fox must now be reported within 48 hours of harvest.

It is important that hunters check the Massachusetts Fish & Wildlife Guide for a listing of all of the hunting regulations and remember that hunting on Sundays is prohibited.

Housatonic River Walk

You are invited to enjoy a virtual tour of Housatonic River Walk with Russ Cohen, author of Wild Plants I Have Known…and Eaten. Russ will focus on native plants with ecological value to birds and pollinators that people can nibble on too.  Russ has been eating wild plants for a long time and he is still around.  So, he must know what he is talking about.  The parts are:

Part 1 Hazelnut, Linden Tree (Basswood) and Common Elderberry

Part 2 Spice Bush, Flowering Raspberry & Ostrich Fern

Part 3 Staghorn Sumac, Black Birch, Chokecherry & Hawthorn trees

Part 4 Knotweed & Dame’s Rocket – Invasive Plants That People Can Nibble On

Part 5 Hackberry, Wild Mint, Black Walnut, Butternut & Pineapple Weed

This was a project Meredyth Babcock of the Wild and Scenic Westfield River did with the Housatonic River walk collaboration. All five 10 – 20 minute segments can be viewed on website https://gbriverwalk.org/ and also on http://www.westfieldriverwildscenic.org.  The virtual tour is hosted by Housatonic River Walk, a project of Great Barrington Land Conservancy.  It is sponsored by Wild and Scenic Westfield River, Massachusetts Rivers Alliance and Great Barrington Land Conservancy.  It is funded in part by Housatonic Heritage

Incidentally, if Meredyth Babcock’s name sounds familiar, she was scheduled to receive the 2019 BCLS Lifetime Achievement Award last spring for all of the work that she has done on the Westfield River.  Unfortunately, Covid-19 prevented the League from having the banquet and her award and other awards will be presented hopefully next spring. That’s assuming everyone practices social distancing, wears masks, frequently wash their hands and stay away from crowds.

License-to-Carry Course

The Lenox Sportsmen’s Club will be hosting a LTC and UTAH Firearm Certificate Course next Sunday, October 17 from 1:30pm to 5:00 pm at its clubhouse.  This course is Mass State Police Compliant.  The cost for MA certification is $80, other states cost $125 and a combination of any two states cost $150. Space is limited due to Covid-19 guidelines so you must pre-register.  Contact Tom Nadolny at 413-822-6451 or tnadolny1@gmail.com for more information or to pre-register.

Watch out for moose

MassWildlife urges drivers to use caution because it’s mating season for moose.  During September and October, moose become more active and cross roads more frequently.   Moose eyes rarely shine because their eyes are above headlight level and their dark color makes them very difficult to spot at night. Don’t just look for them in remote areas. In the October 6 issue of the Berkshire Eagle, under the heading Moose spotted trotting along Elm Street, it was reported that Pittsfield Police received two reports about a moose, in the neighborhood including one from a resident who said the animal had made its way into a backyard.

Correction

In last week’s column, I mentioned that Bob Gale of Cheshire caught a 33 lbs. 14 oz King Salmon out of Lake Ontario while fishing out of the Trout One Charters (captained by Jim Carpenter of Adams).  I goofed.  I assumed that Jim Carpenter still owned that Charter.  You know what happens when you assume anything.  Seven years ago, after mating for Jim for 19 years, Bryan Kopala of Windsor bought the business. It operates out of Mexico Point, NY.  After mentioning the fish and lucky angler in two columns now, I thought you would like to see them. The male salmon was 42″ long and had a girth of 26 1/2″.   Northeast Taxidermy of Middleton, CT will be doing a replica of it.