Category Archives: Deer Hunting

Carp Palooza Derby was a great success

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Carp Palooza is a carp fishing derby that ran on Pontoosuc Lake from 3:00 pm on June 25 until midnight, June 26. Two person teams vied for money and trophies.  Some of the trophy titles were:  Best Combined Weight, Largest Mirror Carp and the Dink Master Award for the smallest carp caught.   Derby rules state that all fish must be weighed and released alive

According to Carp Palooza organizer Joshua Christman, it was a great event with 39 teams participating.  Some of them traveled 3 hours to participate even though it was very hot.   Special thanks go to Steve Bateman for helping to promote the event.

Christman said that it was non-stop fish weighing from his boat. He gave a huge thank you to his friend Brandon Murray of Pittsfield who also weighed fish from his boat. “Without his help it would not have been possible to keep up”’ said Christman

First place was won by Dan Conant and Mark Dimond with a two Carp weight of 30.6 lbs.  Payout for first place was $750.  Second place was won by the team of Austin Harvender and Dylan Ladoucer with a two Carp weight of 30.00 Lbs.  They went home with $400. Third place was won by Jay Pesci and Scott Rozzay Dickey, and they went home with $200.

The Lunker Pool payout was $350, and was also won by the first- place team Dan Conant and Mark Dimond.  They ended up with $1,100.00 in prizes.

The largest Mirror Carp award went to Robert Houghtlin and Payton Quinn. They won two $25 Dicks Sporting Good’s gift cards and two Carp nets.  Even the smallest Carp won a prize.  Rebecca Parlato won the Dink Award with a 6 lbs carp.  She won a unique trophy and a $25 gift card to Dicks Sporting Goods.

There was another winner – The Jimmy Fund.  Some $740 was raised for it and the funds were given to Steve Bateman to remit.  Those funds, when added to the funds raised in the Harry Bateman Fishing Derby totaled over $10,740!  Thanks to the anglers who participated, to Joshua who organized the event and to all the helpers, contributors and sponsors.

Sponsors of the Carp Palooza Derby are as follows:  Private Donations from Christopher Parlato, Becki Grimsley and Ron Mazzeo Jr, Haddad’s (Pittsfield), Wal-Mart (Pittsfield/North Adams), RSI Signs (Pittsfield), Dick’s Sporting Goods (Pittsfield), Undisputed Belt.com, Wristband bros.com, VulgrCo.com and Sticker company.

Josh Christman did a yeoman’s job in putting this derby together.  Incidentally, if his name sounds familiar, he has won numerous MA Freshwater Fishing Awards.  He was named MA Adult Catch and Keep Angler of the Year in 2016, 2020 and 2021.

Joshua is also owner of Christman Charters.

Antlerless Deer Permit applications due by July 16

If you want to hunt antlerless deer this fall, you need an antlerless deer permit, sometimes called a doe permit. If you apply for a permit by the July 16 deadline, you then must check back after August 1 to find out if you have been awarded the ability to purchase the permit.

Hunters can apply online using MassFishHunt on a computer or smartphone. You need a valid hunting or sporting license to apply for an antlerless deer permit. There is no fee to apply; a $5 fee is charged only if you are awarded a permit during the instant award period.

The instant award period begins August 1 at 8:00 a.m. and ends on December 31. Your odds of being awarded a permit are the same regardless of when you check your permit status. You can check the status of your permit through MassFishHunt.

Because this is a new system, I recommend that you not wait until the last minute to apply.  You never know if you will encounter a glitch of some kind.

River Flowers

Author Robert (Bob) Romano has come out with a new book entitled River Flowers.

He is author of at least 6 prior books, most of which I have reviewed in this column, simply because I like his writing.  Most of his books feature stories about fictional people and the entire book follows what happens to them.   They are always based in Western Maine commonly known as the Rangely area.

River Flowers is different in the sense that there are 22 individual short, unrelated stores.  But they are all in a way linked together because of where the stories take place, – the Rangely area of Maine.

Romano did not divert from a talent which I really like.  Although they are fictional stories with fictional characters, the surrounding scenery of which he writes is far from fictional.  When he wrote about the dark forests, the trillium and trout lilies along the pathways, smelling the balsam and spruce and observing the tea -colored streams you know he’s been there, done that.  (Actually, Bob should know what he is writing about for he and his family has owned a seasonal cottage there for 40 years).

So, how do you know?  If you have ever visited and fished that area you have smelled the aroma of those woods and walked the damp pine needled forest floor, yourself.  Not every author can capture and convey those surroundings, but Bob does it perfectly.

Most of his chapters keep you wondering where he is going with the story up until the last page, sometimes the last paragraph.

This book is not for the living room end/coffee table, but rather for your night stand.  The chapters are just long enough to get through and then drop off to sleep.   No, I assure you the book is not so boring that you fall to sleep before finishing a chapter.  But when you nod off after reading a chapter, it almost feels like you are bringing the balsa, spruce and the sound of the flowing rivers into your dreams.

Another thing which strikes me about this book is that even though all ages of readers should enjoy it, it is especially appealing to older (or shall we say experienced) anglers.  Not sure if intended, but he writes about things that older anglers, those who have been around a while and are inching toward the riverbend, can relate.  In one story, I loved how an angler was thrashing through a dense forest trying to get away from the angling crowds heading toward the sound of a bubbling stream somewhere downhill, hopefully containing wild brook trout.  I’m not sure if our younger anglers do that anymore.

But I think the younger generation of anglers will also enjoy this book.  It is a great example of how the old anglers used to fish and how the old- time outdoor writers used to write.

One thing which puzzled me about the book was is its name –River Flowers.  What’s with that?  It wasn’t until nearly the end of the book that he reveals what it is all about.  Pretty slick.  Clue – it has something to do with Henry David Thoreau.

Having read all of Romano’s books, I find this one his best. I’ve already started reading it again.

It is a soft-cover 217- page book containing 22 stories with artwork by his daughter Emily Rose Romano. It is published by West River Media and costs $25.

Pick one up for grandpa, he’ll enjoy it.

Happy 4th

Here’s hoping that everyone has a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July.  As you undoubtedly know, our country has gone through a tough couple of years, with Covid, an insurrection, mass shootings, ridiculous gas and grocery prices and more.

No, we are not a perfect nation, at least not for everyone, but let’s work on that.

Speaking for myself, there is no other place on earth where I would rather live.  How about you?

What do you do if you find a fawn?

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MassWildlife says, leave it alone. The animal may be motionless and seem vulnerable, but this is the normal behavior. Even if you see a fawn alone for several days, leave it alone. The mother is probably feeding or bedded nearby. Does visit their fawns to nurse very infrequently, a behavior that helps fawns avoid detection by predators. It is not uncommon for fawns to be left alone for 6-8 hours at a time. Young fawns are usually quite safe when left alone because their color pattern and lack of scent help them to remain undetected.

A couple of years ago, I wrote about a doe that gave birth on an island in Lake Ashmere, probably to get away from people and predators.  While fishing one early morning, the doe swam past me and went up on the island.  A few minutes later, there they were mother and a tiny happy fawn splashing along its shoreline.

If you have taken a fawn into your care, you should immediately return it to where you found it, or to safer cover nearby (within 200 yards). Then, quickly leave the area to ensure the fawn doesn’t follow you and so the mother feels safe enough to return. The mother will soon return to nurse the fawn, even after it has been handled by humans. Don’t try and feed fawns as they have sensitive stomachs.

If a fawn is visibly injured, call MassWildlife at 508-389-6300. Fawns cannot be cared for by wildlife rehabilitators.

e facts from MassWildlife

  • A fawn that is still and unresponsive. Fawns view humans as predators and will drop their head and freeze to avoid detection.
  • A fawn that is crying. Fawns can bleat (vocalize) in a way that sounds like crying if they are disturbed or are trying to locate their mother.
  • A fawn that is in your yard. Fawns are commonly found bedded in brushy areas with vegetative cover or even in some grassy areas – even in suburban areas close to homes or near roadways. Their mother felt this was a safe place for the fawn. On occasion, a fawn that has been disturbed may wander into a dangerous area or an area where the mother may not feel comfortable going (e.g., onto a road, near people, into a garage, etc.). Only if a fawn is in real danger should you interfere by moving the fawn to nearby forested or shrubby area where there is thick cover. Then leave quickly, so the fawn does not follow, and don’t linger. The mother will not come if you are nearby.
  • A fawn alone for long periods of time. Young fawns remain bedded, alone for most of the day and night. The mother will return several times to nurse briefly. She will not approach if people are nearby.
  • A fawn that looks skinny and weak. All fawns appear skinny, but it’s not an indication that they are abandoned or starving. If disturbed, they may also look like they are weak or having trouble walking. Never feed a fawn; their stomachs are sensitive and the food or milk you give them can be very harmful.

These are all normal things for fawns, and while they may be alarming, you do more harm than good attempting to care for a fawn.

At the June meeting of the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen, MEP Lt. Tara Carlow commented on this subject.  To date, the MEP took only one fawn to a rehabber and that was because the fawn’s mother was dead and the fawn would not leave her.  She noted that in the entire state, there is only one fawn rehabber.

Habitat management grant application opens mid-July

Private and municipal landowners of conserved lands can apply for grant funding to support active habitat management projects that benefit wildlife and enhance outdoor recreation opportunities. MassWildlife’s Habitat Management Grant Program (MHMGP) provides financial assistance for projects that:

  1. improve habitat for game species
  2. manage for State Wildlife Action Plan species, with an emphasis on State Endangered, Threatened, and Special Concern species, and
  3. enhance habitat in ecological communities disproportionally susceptible to climate change.

Although MassWildlife and other conservation organizations have made unprecedented investments in land acquisition in Massachusetts, acquisition alone is not enough to guarantee the persistence of biological diversity. Investment in habitat restoration and management is urgently needed on public and private lands across the state. To address this need, MassWildlife and the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs have substantially increased their investment in habitat management on state wildlife lands and are committed to working with partners to promote these efforts on conserved lands across the state. Over the past 7 years, the MHMGP has awarded over $2.4M in funding to 35 different organizations and individuals for 92 habitat improvement projects.

MassWildlife is offering technical assistance to landowners who want to apply to the MHMGP from now until July 15. If you are interested in speaking to a MassWildlife Habitat Biologist about habitat management on your property or your eligibility for the MHMGP, contact James Burnham, Program Coordinator.

If your project site is within priority habitat, a pre-review of the project is highly encouraged. Email Emily Holt, Senior Endangered Species Review Biologist with a site map and description of the project to begin the pre-review process.  Requests for pre-reviews should be made at least 3 weeks before the MHMGP application deadline.

Grant applications will be accepted starting July 15, 2022 and are due by August 31, 2022. Technical assistance on potential grant application projects needs to be completed by the opening of the application period. Visit the MHMGP webpage at any time to learn more about the application process and to see examples of funded projects. For general questions about the grant program, contact James Burnham, Program Coordinator.

Report wild turkey sightings

MassWildlife encourages all wildlife enthusiasts to contribute to our state’s annual Wild Turkey Brood Survey.

Record and report observations of hens (female turkeys), poults (newly-hatched turkeys), jakes (juvenile males) and toms (adult males). Be especially careful when counting broods, because small poults can be tough to see in tall grass or brush.

Every year from June 1 to August 31, your wild turkey reports help state biologists determine productivity, compare long-term reproductive success, and estimate fall harvest potential. Reports come from all regions of the state, from our most rural communities to our most densely-populated areas. Citizen support for the brood survey is a cost-effective way to gather valuable data. It’s also an additional fun way for people to connect with nature. Please note that turkey nesting success can vary annually in response to weather conditions, predation and predator populations, and habitat characteristics.

The easiest method for reporting your wild turkey observations is online. If you prefer to report on paper, you can download and print a Turkey Brood Survey form, complete it over the summer, and mail it to, MassWildlife Field Headquarters, Attn: Brood Survey,1 Rabbit Hill Road, Westborough, MA 01581.

Another nice field trial held at the Berkshire Beagle Club

 

According to Berkshire Beagle Club (BBC) Board Member, Jeffrey St John and Club Secretary Pat Barry, they had a good turnout at its Derby Trial last Saturday.  A Derby Trial is for dogs 6 months old, up to the day they turn 2 years old.  The club ran the trial by AKC SPO (Small Pack Option) rules.   There were 25 entries which far exceeded their expectations. The beagles were classified as either 13-inch or 15-inch males and females combined.

The winner of the 13-inch class was Butlers Bilbo owned by BBC member Kate Butler of East Chatham, NY.  The winner of the 15-inch class was OT’s Finnegan Fluffy Cakes owned by Emmelia Elizabeth May and handled by Scott Harrington, both of Cambridge, NY.  BBC President Al Costa’s dog, Timberswamp Miss Lulu, took the Next Best Qualifier (NBQ) honors in the 15-inch class.

 

According to St John, Club members Sal Dabbraceio, Filipe Ribeiro and John Morris put on a delicious feast, with rabbit, pork and turkey in various entrees along with potato salad and beverage.

Darn!  I was unable to attend the trials.  I especially wanted to try Filipe’s rabbit meal of which I heard many positive comments.

The preliminary 2021 deer/bear harvest figures have been released

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In his monthly report to the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen, Western District Supervisor Andrew Madden reported that the statewide preliminary 2021 deer harvest was 13,363. That compares with the 14,766 harvested in 2020.

Preliminary 2021 deer harvest figures by season verses last year figures are as follows:

  • Youth Deer/Paraplegic Hunt Days: 86 vs 131 last year
  • Archery Season: 5,894 vs 6655last year
  • Shotgun Season: 5,008 vs 5138 last year
  • Primitive Firearms Season: 2,375 vs 2842 last year

Although Western Zone harvests were not mentioned, Madden said that they were consistent with 2020 (which was a record year).

He said that harvests in some of the Eastern Zones saw a decrease from 2020, which account for the lower statewide total. Most of the states in the Northeast saw a similar decrease from the previous year. Even with the decrease, the 2021 harvest was still the 4th highest on record in Massachusetts.

Detailed information on past hunting seasons can be found at https://www.mass.gov/service-details/deer-harvest-data.

The 2021 black bear hunting season had a total harvest of 212. That compares with 325 that were taken in 2020, which was had set a new record.

 

Harvest during the November and Shotgun seasons were higher than most years but the September season was below average. Madden suspected the poor hunting conditions, an abundance of early season natural foods, and annual fluctuation likely accounted for the slow September season.  Of the 212 bears taken 30 were east of the Connecticut River.

 

Trout stockings

The following waters were scheduled to be stocked last week.  The schedule was subject to change: Westfield River Mainstem in Huntington, Montgomery and Russell; Westfield River Middle Branch in Chester, Huntington, Middlefield and Worthington, Westfield River East Branch in Chesterfield and Cummington, Hoosic River North Branch in Clarksburg and North Adams, Housatonic River East Branch in Hinsdale and Dalton, Housatonic River SW Branch in Pittsfield, Hudson Brook in Clarksburg and North Adams, Lake Buel in Monterey, Laurel Lake, Norwich Pond in Huntington, Plunkett Reservoir in Hinsdale, Pontoosuc Lake, Stockbridge Bowl and York Lake in New Marlborough.

 

In addition, Tiger Trout were scheduled to be stocked in Stockbridge Bowl, Laurel Lake and the Westfield River East Branch (Chesterfield, Cummington).  Also, some of the large brood stock was scheduled to be released in these locations as well.

 

Spring turkey hunting season opens on April 25

 

But some youths, 12 to 17 years of age, will be out hunting on Saturday, April 23 because that date is the special one-day Youth Turkey Hunting Day. Hopefully they met the eligibility requirements (basic hunter education and the mandatory youth turkey program),  have a mentor and will have a great first day of turkey hunting.  Maybe they will bag a bird early in the day, but if not, they will have until 5:00 p.m. to get one.  Hopefully, they will check themselves for ticks as soon as possible afterwards.

 

Upon harvesting a turkey, the mentor must immediately fill out and attach the paper tag from the permit to the carcass. The bird must remain intact (other than field dressing), with the harvest tag attached until it is reported. It must be reported within 48 hours after which the tag can be removed when it is prepared for food or taxidermy purposes.

On Monday, April 26, the regular spring turkey hunting begins and runs until May 22. Massachusetts residents must have a Hunting or Sporting License, Turkey permit and a green safety sticker.  Non-residents must have a Big Game License, Turkey permit and safety sticker. Stickers are required if hunting turkey with a shotgun or muzzleloader.  In the spring season, the bag limit is 2 bearded birds (2 birds may be harvested on the same day).  Hunting on Sundays is not allowed.

 

The wearing of blaze orange is not required during the spring hunting season.  It is unlawful for hunters to intentionally or knowingly leave a wounded or dead game animal in the field or the forest without making a reasonable effort to retrieve and use it.

Here’s hoping you have a safe and enjoyable spring turkey hunting season.

Incidentally, did you ever see a white wild turkey?  It’s called a Leucitic turkey.    A variety of conditions cause the loss of pigmentation in an animal or bird, causing white, pale or patchy coloration of the skin or feathers. The picture was sent to me from Mike and Sheila Moss of Sutton, MA. It was wandering around in their back yard.

 

Mike was the long-time president of the Massachusetts Sportsmen’s Council (MSC).  He and his wife Sheila have received numerous awards from sportsmen’s clubs all across the state.  In fact, earlier this month Mike received the Sportsman of the Year Award from the Worcester County League of Sportsmen’s Clubs and Sheila received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the MSC for her work as its Secretary for the last 14 years.   She, Mike and current President John Kellstrand have proven invaluable to the MSC.

 

School is out, help stock trout!

The public is invited to help MassWildlife stock trout during school vacation week. Meet MassWildlife fisheries staff, view trout up close, and learn about places to fish near you.

 

A stocking event will take place at 1:30 pm on April 21 at Onota Lake’s Burbank Park on Lakeway Drive in Pittsfield.

 

Youth Artist from Acton Wins Junior Duck Stamp Contest

Andrew Liu won Best of Show in the 2022 Massachusetts Junior Duck Stamp (JDS) Contest. His acrylic painting of a Common Eider in flight was selected from 199 entries. Liu’s award-winning work will move on to the National JDS Contest.

Students from kindergarten through grade 12 from across the Commonwealth submitted original works of art depicting waterfowl in appropriate wetland habitat, demonstrating both artistic talent and a knowledge of the value of wetlands for wildlife. In March, MassWildlife held the judging, at which time the top winning artists were selected. Combinations of the top artworks will be exhibited throughout Massachusetts in the coming year based on reopening guidelines for host sites.

The Massachusetts JDS Program is sponsored by MassWildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with support from the MSC. Each time you buy a Junior Duck Stamp, you support the JDS program and wetland conservation. Stamps can be purchased at duckstamp.com.

To learn more about the Massachusetts JDS Program, and to access the traveling exhibit schedule, visit mass.gov/dfw/jds.

 

Bird Banding

MassWildlife assisted Green Berkshires in developing a bird banding station at the Jug End Wildlife Management Area in Egremont.  The bird banding effort, which is part of Green Berkshire’s biodiversity mapping of the South Taconic Plateau, should contribute to understanding habitat use on the property and help inform MassWildlife’s management efforts.

Incidentally, Green Berkshires’ mission is to support communities dedicated to protecting our shared natural environment through science, education, and advocacy. Eleanor Tillinghast is its President.

 

A couple of reminders:

After being cancelled for the last 2 years due to Covid, the following two events, which already have been featured in this column this year, will take place on the following date:

The Annual Silvio O. Cone Sportsmen’s Awards Dinner will be held at the Cheshire Rod & Gun Club on Saturday evening, April 23.

The Fly Fishing Show (Royal Plaza Trade Center181 Boston Post Road West Marlborough, MA) will take place on April 22 – 24.

Beagle Club Field Trials

 

Next weekend, April 23 – 24, the Berkshire Beagle Club on Sleepy Hollow Road in Richmond, MA is having its spring field trials.  Some of the best beagles in the northeast will compete at following the scents of snowshoe hares and/or cottontail bunnies. All of the dogs are AKC registered and many already possess championship ribbons won at other field trials.  For beagle lovers, there’s no finer sound than that of a beagle singing its heart out while following the scent of a bunny.

The club welcomes folks to come and just listen to the dogs and observe the judges.  Every now and then, you will hear someone shout “Tally Ho!” to let the judges know that they spotted a bunny or dog on its scent.

There will be food to purchase there as well as a raffle for a Garmin TT15 Tracking System dog collar worth about $300.  (Ticket cost $10 or three for $20.)

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BOW 2021 deer hunt results

Seventeen women deer hunters participated in MassWildlife’s 2021 Becoming-an-Outdoors-Woman (BOW) Deer Hunt Program. On opening day of the shotgun deer hunting season on November 29, they experienced a guided deer hunt with the assistance of volunteer mentors at Fort Devens.

women deer hunters

According to Marion Larson, MassWildlife Chief of Information & Education, nearly all the women saw deer and all participants enjoyed their hunt. Two women harvested their first deer ever.  “Sharing that experience was both exciting and overwhelming. This course was amazing. Thanks to everyone who makes it what it is!” said one of the seventeen novice women deer hunters.

MassWildlife expressed its sincere appreciation to their enthusiastic and dedicated volunteer mentors who shared their knowledge and support with these new hunters.

To prepare for the mentored hunt, the women attended a virtual seminar in October where they learned about deer biology and management, hunting regulations, where to find places to hunt deer, and deer hunting tips. Later in the month, they took part in an in-person field seminar at the Shirley Rod and Gun Club where they learned about proper clothing and other useful hunting gear, spent time on a shooting range, discovered how to look for deer sign, estimated distances and when to shoot or not shoot at a deer, and then followed a blood trail.

In addition to offering shooting skills workshops and hunting seminars designed for adult women, the BOW Program has other workshop offerings such as: basic fishing, beginning shotgun, kayaking, map & compass, reading the woods, archery, pond and stream adventures, nature photography, martial arts, outdoor and game cooking, edible plants and more.

To learn more about MassWildlife’s BOW Program click onto the Becoming an Outdoors-Woman page of the MassWildlife web site.

The Massachusetts Junior Conservation Camp

I’ve written about this camp in the past, but it is such a wonderful program it bears repeating.  The MJCC provides a unique experience of conservation, shooting sports, and outdoor recreation education to young people. The camp’s program introduces them to the ethical responsibilities of hunting and fishing and encourages careful stewardship of our natural resources. It also aims to educate campers about conservation of natural resources and responsible use of the environment. Natural resource professionals from state agencies provide hands-on experiences and demonstrations and lead discussions of wildlife, fisheries, and forest management.

The MJCC program is open to boys and girls aged 13 to 17. The dates for this year’s camp are August 7–19, 2022.  This year, they will host the camp at the Moses Scout Reservation located at 310 Birch Hill Road in Russell, MA.  Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. (Reservations opened on January 1, 2022).

Although campers may apply on their own, over 85% of them are sponsored.  Each year, the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen (BCLS), sponsors two kids (a boy and a girl) and the Lenox Sportsmen’s Club sponsors four.   (The Cheshire Rod & Gun Club and the Adams Outdoor for Youth kick in funds to both to help defray the costs.)  The cost of the scholarship is $1,100 per youth for the full two weeks which covers lodging expenses, food, and activities.   (Now you know why these clubs hold so many raffles and events – to raise monies to send youths to the MJCC for free.  No better places to spend our funds than on our youth).

The camp reserves the right to limit the number of campers of a particular sex in order to create balanced separate sleeping accommodations.

Campers need to be prepared to function in an environment which requires good behavior, teamwork and attentiveness. Much of the Camp is spent in an educational environment and students are expected to be attentive, courteous and non-disruptive.

A large portion of the instruction is “hands-on,” and all students participate in instruction that includes firearms of several types, bows, arrows, fishing and camping equipment and wildlife interaction. Students are expected to understand the seriousness of handling such equipment and interacting with wildlife.

The happiest campers are those who are interested in the outdoors and in wildlife management programs before attending the MJCC. Teenagers who are sent because a relative is an avid outdoorsman may dislike the camp curriculum, unless they personally have an interest in the outdoors, and will often end up being sent home. For this reason, the BCLS (and probably other clubs) require the youths to write a letter explaining why they want to go to the camp.

If you are unsure of your child’s interest in the camp, it is suggested that you let him or her browse the pictures of the camp program. Or, just ask 15-year old Jerry Conlin.   Last year, the BCLS sponsored him.

Jerry said that what he liked best about the camp was “Probably, the shooting, all types of shooting like the trap, targets for rifles, and archery.  They had some 3-D targets there, too.  It was just really fun.”  They also had some swimming, boating and fishing classes there.

Asked if he learned anything new, he said, “They had one class about plants.  “We were taught about specific plants, those you can and those you should not eat and what they would do to you if you did eat the wrong ones.”

Jerry won some awards.  At the very end of the 2 weeks, there was a camp-wide competition and he won 1st place in the shotgun sporting clays and he took 3rd place in archery.  “The day before the actual competition, shooters had to qualify. Only 3 people in the entire camp qualified for archery, rifle and shotgun, and he was one.

Jerry had a good time. “Being around a group of kids with the same interests is cool”, he said.  He became close friends with basically all of the people in his campsite, and he keeps in touch with them.

If parents would like their child to attend the camp, but need financial assistance, click onto the MassWildlife web site, complete  the Camper Request for Scholarship and send it in as soon as possible. They will do their best to match your child up with groups that have reserved a spot, but do not have a camper.

Is that a vagrant eagle? 

Did you hear about that strange lost eagle?  Well, according to a MassWildlife it’s a Steller’s Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus, which is native to Asia, specifically Japan, Korea, China and Russia.  It was first seen in August 2020 in Alaska on the Denali Highway about 4,700 miles away from its native range.  It has since been sighted in New Brunswick and Quebec, Canada in July of 2021, in Nova Scotia in November, 2021 and, guess what, a couple of weeks ago it was spotted on the Taunton River in Massachusetts.

It has a distinctive yellow beak with unique white marking on its wings with large white tail feathers.  A Steller’s Sea Eagle weighs up to 20 pounds and has a wingspan of up to 6 1/2 feet, making it one of the largest raptors in the world.

Birders are confident the same eagle in Nova Scotia was also seen in various parts of North America because of the unique white markings on its wings. The New York Times thinks that it may have been spotted in Texas this year, but they are not positively sure because it was only photographed perched, not with outstretched wings where distinguishing markings would be visible.

Experts say that it is possible for birds to lose a sense of direction when they stray out of range of their normal habitat, potentially due to climate change effects or a navigational error.  Or was it a vagrant, which is not uncommon.  According to Alexander Lees, an avian vagrancy expert at the Manchester Metropolitan University (United Kingdom), vagrancy occurs when a bird veers off course, possibly due to a navigation error, or it may have been blown off course by extreme weather patterns. Vagrancy may also help migratory birds expand ranges, an advantage to their survival as global warming changes suitable habitats for many species.

Experts suspect it may migrate with native bald eagles along the coastline, make its way back to its normal ranges in northeastern Asia or stick around the east coast.

Time will tell.

Stay safe!

Goodbye 2021, good riddance!

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Well, chalk up another dismal year.  At the beginning of 2021 we were hoping that things would be better than 2020, but it wasn’t to be.  We remained a divided nation, arguing over the wearing of masks, getting covid shots, social distancing, the 2020 presidential election and more.  We nearly lost our democracy on January 6, reached 800,000 covid related deaths, were still plagued by one variant after another of covid, experienced the great resignation causing shortages of service and produce, which in turn resulted in high consumer prices.  There were fights on commercial airplanes, etc., etc.  And, oh yes, let us not forget about the devastating fires, floods, tornadoes and hurricanes.

Personally, other than during wartime years, I can’t remember a worse time for our nation.  Day after day, we were besieged with bad news making it difficult to be positive and upbeat.

Hopefully, during the past year, this column got our minds off of some of that negativity which constantly surrounded us.  So, what were some of the more interesting subjects covered last year?  Unfortunately, I can’t cover them all but here are some of the more memorable ones:

To start January off on a positive note, we visited two Berkshire Natural Resources Council properties:  its 550-acre Clam River property in Sandisfield and its Old Mill Trail in Dalton/Hinsdale and recommended readers do likewise.  MassWildlife reported record or near record 2020 deer, bear and wild turkey harvests.  However; during that month we mourned the loss of Raymond “Skip” Whalen a highly respected outdoor sportsman who received many awards from the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen (BCLS) and other sportsmen’s organizations.

In February, we covered several ice fishing stories.  Young Allison caught a 25 ½ inch, 4 lbs 2 oz chain pickerel out of Laurel Lake for which she will definitely receive a bronze pin in the MA Youth Sportfishing Award Category.   Jamie Pollard of Hinsdale caught a 15.8 lbs 32 ¼ inches long brown trout out of Stockbridge Bowl. Surely it will capture the gold pin in the Sportfishing Award Program. There was a big largemouth bass weighing 6 lbs 14 oz caught out of Laurel Lake by eleven- year-old Nolan Bloomrose of Blanford.  He caught it during a Whitetails Unlimited ice fishing derby and he will also win a bronze pin.

In March, MassWildlife announced that there were 13 gold pin winners from the Berkshires in several fish categories in the Sportfishing Award Program.  Joshua Christman of Pittsfield was named the MA Adult Catch and Keep Angler of the Year.  Eight of the 13 gold pins were won by Joshua or his 7 year old daughter Alice or his 5 year old son Gabriel.

I also did a column recalling memorable ice fishing scenes on our lakes last winter highlighting an ice boat and a unicycle rider.

In April we congratulated Henry Sweren for being elected the Chairman of MA/RI Council of Trout Unlimited (TU).  Later that month, we mourned the loss of Paul Ouellette, of Lanesborough, a well-known local flyfisherman and deer hunter.  He had received awards from the BCLS and Taconic TU.  We also did an article on the Keystone Arches in Becket/Chesterfield.

In May there was an article on bald eagles succumbing to rodenticides.  We covered the Wild Acres fishing derby. Young Gabriel Christman pulled out of Laurel Lake a 21 1/2lbs carp.  We covered a trout research program being conducted by MassWildlife on the Swift River.

In June we wrote an article about Mark Markham and the 10 lbs brown trout that he caught out of Onota Lake.  Joshua Christman also hauled a couple others out of there near that same size. There was an article about a rare turkey taken on Mount Greylock by Karen Fachini of Pownal, VT.  It had 7 beards!

In June we did an article on the Youth Outreach Fishing Derby at Reynolds Pond in Cheshire.  There was an article about wild tiger trout swimming in our local waters. Also, a big bowfin fish was taken out of Onota Lake that month by Crystal Taylor.  There was an article entitled “poacher’s paradise”.  It was about the ridiculously low fines and penalties assessed to those who break the fish and game laws.  It was in June when we got a look at the potential MassWildlife license fee increase. A couple of friends and I took a wonderful flyfishing trip to the AuSable River.

In July I did an article about flyfishing the Westfield River years ago and my using the jaw’s harp to try to get another angler out of a fishing hole in which I wanted to fish.   Remember the sounds -“Boing, boing”.  Shame on me! There was an article about a 7 to 9 lbs smallmouth bass, caught by Michael Fabrizio, that came out of Onota Lake.

And then there was Raymour.  He was the duck with the damaged bill that talked Onota Lake shore resident Ron Smith into hand feeding him for about 2 years.  Ironically, that duck disappeared on the very day the article came out.  For 3 weeks people were looking high and low for him but to no avail.  It is believed that he was taken away by a resident bald eagle.  My hopes rose recently when I received a report of his sighting.  But when I heard that the sighting was by a fellow who also said he saw Elvis Presley last fall at a barn dance over in Berlin, NY, well….

In August, there was an article about MassWildlife’s prescribed fires.  Also, there was an article about beginner’s luck by fishermen (Luis Martinez from Ortonville, MI) who caught a record Chinook (King) Salmon out of Lake Michigan.  It weighed 47.86 lbs and measured 47.5 inches.  Unfortunately, that month we received news that another eagle and other birds fell victim to rodenticides/pesticides.

In September, there was a follow-up article on the Keystone Arches.  We received word that MassWildlife had settled on its new license and fee schedule.  There was an announcement of another deer disease spreading across the nation, Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD).  A large carp was taken out of Onota Lake by Anthony Barone. There was an article about the many acquisitions of land and conservations restrictions in the Berkshires by MassWildlife and an article speculating as to why people fish.

In October there were two articles about Yellowstone National Park.  The first was about local anglers Attorney Mike Shepard, Craig Smith, Paul Knauth and me doing some flyfishing out there.  Craig cleaned our clocks by consistently catching the most and largest fish every day.  The second trip was a sightseeing one with my wife Jan and me.  There was a touching bird dog article written by Gary Scarafoni entitled “Angie’s Last Retrieve”.  Also an article about some buddies fishing for large brook trout in Labrador and the possibility of a world record being caught there.  Jeff Vincent hit the “grand slam” while fishing the Salmon River in NY which feeds Lake Ontario.  He caught brown trout, steelhead and King, Coho and an Atlantic Salmon.

In Nov, there was an article about paraplegic deer hunters and that 3 deer were taken by them in the Berkshires. News came out that month that covid was discovered in the nation’s deer population.  A stone bench was created on Lenox Mountain in honor of the late George “Gige” Darey.  George Wislocki proposed a toast in his honor. There was an article about “precious deer hunting memories.” Oh, how they linger.

In December, we received news of how the recently passed Infrastructure legislation will provide funds for, among other things, the removal and replacement of impediments which will help fish migrate upstream to spawn.  We did an article on the hand pulling of water chestnuts in Three Mile Pond by DFW staff. Also, an article about the fight to the death by two large deer that got their antlers hopelessly entangled while fighting.  Sadly, we lost two notable sports columnists, Frank Sousa of the Springfield Republican and Mark Blazis of the Worcester Telegraph and Gazette.

Thanks for taking the time to read the columns last year and hopefully you’ll check them out again this year. Good Lord willing, I’ll still be cranking them out.

Let’s hope and pray that things will be better for us this year.

Happy New Year and be safe!

No shotgun deer harvest figures available yet

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So far, there have been no figures released by MassWildlife regarding the statewide or district harvests totals.  Those figures have been transferred to MassWildlife’s new system and more than likely we will have to wait a while.  The new system undoubtedly will have a few bugs to be ironed out.

 

Readers may recall that the new licensing system was started on December 1. In his December report to the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen, Western District Supervisor Andrew Madden said the roll out was not without problems and complications, but much of them had been worked out pretty quickly. He advises us to be patient with it.  If we have some kind of emergency situation and can’t report a harvest, or if we need to print something and can’t, call his office and his staff will do its best to help.  Madden believes it will be a really good product once they get the glitches worked out.

 

As for local deer harvest numbers, his general impression was the numbers were pretty good at most of the WD check stations compared to past year.

 

Madden noted that MassWildlife did some Covid-19 sampling tests at the various stations, per request of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).  He will try to stay on top of it and let us know the results when made available.

 

A fight to the death

So far, this Primitive Firearms deer hunting season has been rather comfortable, weather wise.  Not like some years with cold winds blowing snow or sleet in my face, down my boots and plugging up the scope on my gun. This year has been downright pleasurable.

Sometimes, while sitting on my deer stand (a stump) for long periods of time without any deer even thinking of coming my way, my mind tends to wander.  Let me tell you about my most recent wandering.

I vividly remember an occurrence while deer hunting on Beartown Mountain about 40 years ago.  I was walking down a logging road to where my truck was parked after a long unsuccessful day of hunting.  From where I was walking, I could look across a ravine and brook and see Beartown Mountain Road.  There, I could see a hunter using a drag rope, dragging a deer down that road to his vehicle which was parked next to mine.  As I followed the wood road down and got closer to the other hunter, something just didn’t seem right.  Yes, he was dragging a deer alright, for I could see the large antlers – but something wasn’t right.

It wasn’t until I reached the road and we both converged that I could see what was awry.  He was dragging the heads of two huge bucks with intertwined antlers.  He came across the two dead bucks in the woods and decided to remove their heads in order to mount them.  What an interesting mount that would be.

It was evident that one of the bucks was dead longer than the other for the flesh was not as red.    I can’t remember the number of points on each deer, but the sizes and thickness of the broad beams and antlers were tremendous.  They had to be the two largest bucks on that mountain, and they fought to their deaths for the right to breed with the does.  I couldn’t help but think how long the one deer lived after the other one died, and how they both must have suffered.  Probably some puny little 6 pointer got to breed all those does. Sometimes the old adage of “survival of the fittest” doesn’t always hold true.

I didn’t get the other hunter’s name but wish I had.  I would love to see how that mount came out.

I have never forgotten that sight after all these years, and probably never will.

Nice BNRC articles

The Berkshire Natural Resource Council’s (BNRC) mission is to protect and preserve the natural beauty and ecological integrity of the Berkshires for public benefit and enjoyment. They preserve or keep land so we can all have access to it, enjoy it, find peace and serenity in it. They keep land so we can all experience the beauty that the Berkshire mountains have to offer.”

If you are a donor to the BNRC, you probably look forward to reading their periodic report entitled the Land keeper’s Report.  In this fall’s issue, there are two especially nice articles.  One is an article entitled “Hunting, Land Protection, and the Berkshires.”

 

In bold letters it begins the article thusly: “For nearly a century, hunters have had an enormous role in North American conservation – and the formation and support of BNRC.  The article highlights Rich Montone, a bowhunter and BNRC’s Development Director. “There’s no healthier meat than venison, says Rich, “high in protein, low in fat, obviously free of preservatives or growth hormones.  Two deer will feed my family for half a year or more and it’s a good way to help conserve what’s special about this region.”

 

MassWildlife relies on conservation funding created by the sale of hunting, freshwater fishing, and trapping licenses – and the sale of related permits – to conserve land in the Berkshires and throughout the Commonwealth.  Such funding has enabled BNRC and MassWildlife to collaborate on many Berkshire conservation projects, such as Alford Springs in Alford and Steadman Pond in Monterey/Tyringham.

 

The article then went on and explained the training and licensing process to legally hunt in Massachusetts.

 

“Some hikers worry about being in the woods during hunting season.” wrote DFW Western District Supervisor Andrew Madden. “Hunting is a very safe activity and accidents are extremely rare.  Even so, it is a good idea to wear blaze orange during hunting seasons, and to have your dogs in blaze orange, too.”

 

The article ends in these words: “The conservation ethic of hunters, and the funds created through legal hunting, have made an enormous difference for BNRC’s ability to protect the natural beauty and ecological integrity of the Berkshires.  We wish hunters an enjoyable, safe and fruitful hunt this fall, and thank them for their part in making the Berkshires outdoors free for everybody to enjoy.”

 

It’s no secret that hunters rarely have anything positive written about them. What a nice change to read this article, ey?  Thank you for that BNRC.

 

The other article was the announcement of the BNRC’s acquisition and protection of some 360 acres of forest and waterfront on Round Pond (Housatonic) from the Long Pond Road Nominee Trust. That property complements the recent transactions on Tom Ball Mountain in West Stockbridge and weave together over 1,000 acres of conservation land.

 

To complete this project, BNRC partnered with the MA Department of Fish & Game who purchased a conservation restriction over the acreage. These steadfast partnerships allow BNRC to leverage their donations and secure tracts of land that might otherwise be out of reach.

 

We are asked to be patient until BNRC can open the reserve, have off-street parking and marked trails.

 

And now, comes yet more good news. In last Tuesday’s, (December 14)  Eagle “Big slice of Monterey now preserved”  by Heather Bellow, it mentioned that 180 or so acres surrounding the Bidwell House  are about to be protected from development after the non-profit gave the land to the Monterey Preservation Land Trust and the BNRC to be jointly held.   According to the article, the land is close to the Appalachian Trail Corridor and more than 12,000 acres at Beartown State Forest. The Bidwell land also connects to 797 acres of other conservation property held by the Monterey Trust and BNRC.

 

It would not have been possible without the donation of $300,000 to the Monterey Land Trust by Louis and Joyce Scheffey, in an effort to preserve the Bidwell property. Be sure to read that Berkshire Eagle article.

 

Long time, and now retired, BNRC Director George Wislocki, once described what they do as “God’s Work”.   No argument here.

 

If you happen to have a few extra bucks lying around, that is a good place to donate it.  Who knows, maybe you’ll earn some extra points at the Pearly Gate.

Shotgun Deer Hunting Season ends today

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 The season started with a nice coating of snow which made locating and tracking deer much easier.  Local hunters took advantage of the snow and checked in nearly 500 deer after the first week of hunting.

 

Some 119 deer were checked in at the DFW Western District Headquarters in Dalton, 45 at B & D Variety in Huntington, 121 at Ernie’s Auto Sales in North Adams, 60 at the Lee Sportsmen’s Association, 122 at the Mill River General Store and 32 at Papa’s Healthy Food in Otis.

 

Michael Winters of Cheshire got a 6-point buck in Egremont which weighed 201 lbs.  Eli Pease, DFW Technician, said that it had 4 points on the left side of his head and 2 on the right.  He said that it was an old buck, perhaps 6 ½ to 7 years old. Steve Ray of Pittsfield got a nice 189 lbs, 9-point buck in Pittsfield.  Dan Kruszyna of Cheshire got an 8-point 190 lbs buck in Cheshire.

 

The beginning of the second week of shotgun deer hunting started off with rain.  During that week, hunters are not required to physically check their deer at a checking station, but have the option of checking them in on-line through MassFishHunt. Therefore, unless hunters chose to physically check in locally, I have no way of finding out about them, not until the figures are released by MassWildlife in Westborough.

 

As of last Saturday, District Supervisor Andrew Madden felt that the deer tally was comparable with other recent years. Last year, close to 1,000 deer were harvested in the two-week shotgun season for Zones 1 through 4.

Bear hunting tally

The last of the three seasons of bear hunting also ends today.  Bear hunters were not required to physically check in their bears at checking stations, but could do so on-line.  Some lucky hunters chose to physically check them in and as of last Saturday, 5 bears were recorded with 3 of them being checked in at the Mill River General Store and 2 of them checked in at Papa’s in Otis.  Nate Buckhout, DFW Western District biologist, weighed in one in Mill River that tipped the scales at 400 lbs.

We will have to wait for the final bear harvest figures to be released by MassWildlife.

Primitive Firearms deer hunting season opens Monday

 Hunters who didn’t get their deer during the Archery or Shotgun seasons have one more chance to connect.  Starting this Monday, the Primitive Firearms, (a/k/a Black Powder or Muzzleloader) deer hunting season begins and runs through December 31.  Deer may only be taken by a muzzleloader firearm or by bow and arrow.  A stamp is required to hunt this season.

Here’s hoping you have an enjoyable, successful and safe muzzleloader hunt.  Let people know where you are hunting, be careful, stay hydrated and keep your powder dry.

Other hunting seasons still open

Rabbit, hare, squirrel, coyote and fox hunting seasons resume this Monday.  In our zones, duck hunting resumed on December 6 and runs until December 25.

2022 Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing, Hunting and Trapping Laws

Commonly called “the abstracts”, they are out and available in the usual places. The booklet has a cover picture of a big old gobbler.

New for 2022:

  • License/Stamp/Permit Fee Increases.  I frequently covered the fee increase matter during this past year and you are encouraged to check the details on page 8 of these abstracts.
  • New Pheasant/Quail Permit.  A permit is now required for any person 15 years or older who hunts, takes, or possesses pheasants or bobwhite quail, unless they were harvested on a licensed commercial shooting preserve. (page 6 of the abstracts).
  • Seasonal bag limits for pheasant and quail have been eliminated.  Daily and possession bag limits have not changed (page 34 of abstracts).
  • Hunting hen pheasants will now be allowed statewide
  • Controlled Hunts were eliminated on the Martin Burns Wildlife Management Area in Newbury, MA.

Be sure to read DFW Director Mark S. Tisa’s comments on the future of conservation.  Perhaps in the future, I can print his comments verbatim in this column.

2022 Licenses

The 2022 hunting, fishing and sporting licenses, permits and stamps are now available.  Most of them can be bought online at mass.gov/massfishhunt with a computer, tablet or smartphone.  To purchase them in person, use mass.gov/fishhuntlicensemap to find a license vendor near you.  Of course, you can always buy them at our DFW District Headquarters in Dalton.

MassWildlife advises you to use care when purchasing them during December, as both 2020 and 2021 products are available.

Water chestnut pulling campaign

At the November meeting of the MA F&W Board, Western District Fisheries Biologist Leanda Fontaine Gagnon gave an excellent presentation about this past summer’s efforts on controlling water chestnuts on Three Mile Pond Wildlife Management Area (WMA)  in Sheffield.  The WMA has over 1,000 acres and the pond is within its boundaries. It is a 155-acre enhanced and enlarged great pond with a maximum depth is approximately 10 to 15 feet.  It is nutrient rich with a floating island possibly with endangered species.

 

Water chestnut, an invasive plant native to Asia and parts of Europe, was introduced to North America in the late 1800’s and spread to several states and to Canada.

Because it’s floating rosettes can be up to 2 feet in diameter, it can shade out the native plants.  Its 12 to 15 feet root system roots into shallow, nutrient rich lakes with muddy bottoms.  Each plant produces a round and spikey fruit.  When they drop off and float, they are spread by unsuspecting boaters and waterfowl.  And they spread from water body to water body.  Despite their being an annual plant, they do spread easily because of this fruit.  Each fruit is viable for up to 12 years. Requiring a long-term management project, it can be controlled if caught early.

It was first discovered at Three Mile Pond in 2011.  Some brief efforts at removal occurred in 2013, but upon revisiting the site in 2017 it was noticed that it had proliferated to another area of the pond. Extremely dense cover and large patches were noticed in the northwestern cove as well as in the northern cove near a brook inlet.

District personnel began hand pulling in late August and early Sept of 2017 and a more intensive effort was started in 2018 and continued annually.

They learned that pulling in late summer was too late.  Most of the plants had already matured fruit and started to drop off and move around in the water body. Green fruit are viable, the black ones typically don’t germinate.  They began plucking the plant in the first week of July, where the majority of the fruit had already emerged but the fruit had not matured enough to start dropping.

They hesitated doing drawdowns in Three Mile Pond due to the floating island and endangered species on it.  Seeds can be in the mud for 7 years, and could be viable for up to 12 years.  Also, they can exist in deeper sediment.

Crews of kayaks paddled out to infected areas, hand pulled and loaded them onto other water-craft which brought them to the boat ramp.  There they were offloaded onto pickup trucks which took them to a dump site about ¼ mile away (but still within the WMA) and where no hikers, animals or water sources would bring them back to the pond.

In 2017, with assistance from WD staff, Field Headquarters and Natural Heritage, they removed about 10 truckloads and spent 25 cumulative hours in this removal effort. Each year when they return, they discover less and less plants from the previous year. As early as 2019 there had been significant reduction and native vegetation really started to pop up.

They will continue annual monitoring and removal as they find them, knowing full well that the plants will continue through 2027.  Starting in 2028 they intend to start bi-annual harvesting.  They hope to implement this removal effort onto other MassWildlife properties such as Mill Pond/Smiley’s Pond in Egremont.   That water body also is nutrient rich and deemed to have a considerable water chestnut population, too. They hope to reach out for volunteers to help.

 

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will please outdoor recreational enthusiasts

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On November 5, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which includes $550 billion in infrastructure funding that addresses conservation and sportfishing. These investments will create jobs, conserve the aquatic environment and preserve one of our nation’s most cherished pastimes. After passing the Senate earlier this year, the bill now heads to the desk of President Biden, who is expected to sign it into law.

“These investments in fisheries conservation and access reflect the growing recognition among policymakers that outdoor recreation in general, and recreational fishing specifically, is a major economic driver,” said Mike Leonard, the American Sportfishing Association’s (ASA) vice president of Government Affairs.

The ACT includes provisions that directly benefit anglers including the reauthorization of the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund. Funded in part by the federal excise tax on fishing equipment, the trust fund is the backbone of state-based aquatic resource conservation, benefitting all U.S. states and territories.

The bill also authorizes $1 billion for the National Culvert Removal, Replacement and Restoration Program, a landmark program that will address challenges with hundreds of culverts around the country that block upstream migrations of anadromous fish such as salmon, steelhead and sturgeon.  It will substantially invest in culvert restoration and benefit recreational fishing opportunities that are dependent on anadromous fish passage and recovery efforts.

Other provisions in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act include:

The REPLANT Act which will help the U.S. Forest Service plant 1.2 billion trees on national forest lands and create nearly 49,000 jobs over the next decade;

$11.3 billion for the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Program, which restores mine lands no longer in use that are potential sources of hazardous materials that can leak into lakes, rivers and streams;

$250 million for the Forest Service’s Legacy Road and Trail program, which funds activities to restore fish passage in streams at road and trail crossings;

Funding for numerous ecosystem programs, including projects of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Chesapeake Bay Program, the South Florida Program, the Columbia River Basin Program and the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund

A game-changer for wildlife

That’s according to the Wildlands Network.  For the first time in United States history, there will be dedicated federal funding for wildlife crossings. The complete (ACT), just passed by Congress is a vast collection of national infrastructure programs and spending measures designed to bring buildings, bridges, roads, water delivery systems and other infrastructure up to date and more resilient to the impacts of climate change here in the United States. The ACT contains $350 million in federal funding for a “Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program” to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions – these hotspots contribute to the death of millions of animals annually, as well as hazardous—and sometimes deadly—conditions for drivers.

“This is great news!” says Berkshire Environmental Action Team president, Jane Winn.  “BEAT works alongside many organizations to make it safer for wildlife to cross roads. We have partnered with The Housatonic Valley Association and the Hoosac River Watershed Association (HooRWA) in surveying stream crossings in Berkshire County”. (The Taconic Chapter of Trout Unlimited and the MA Division of Environmental Restoration have also been quite heavily involved in stream crossing projects over the years).

“The information is collected in a North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative database where everyone can view it – including environmental advocates, town & regional planners, and transportation designers including MassDOT (Massachusetts Department of Transportation.) Now every road construction project that involves a road-stream crossing becomes an opportunity for improvement for wildlife movement, habitat connectivity, and public safety. Well-designed stream crossings allow wildlife to move, meeting their daily, seasonal and dispersal needs which is especially important in this time of climate change”.

New land projects

In his October report to the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen, DFW Western District Supervisor Andrew Madden reported that MassWildlife recently completed Wildlife Conservation Easements (WCE) on two Berkshire County Properties.

Soda Creek WCE – Sheffield – 300 acres of conservation easement in cooperation with Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC). This large tract is a combination of rich wetlands and forested uplands. The property is close to the Three Mile Pond WMA and has extensive road frontage along Water Farm Road.  BNRC owns the land, but Mass Wildlife’s WCE adds additional protection while ensuring public access for non-motorized recreation including hunting and fishing.

Elizabeth’s Woods WCE – Alford – 87 acres of WCE in cooperation with the Alford Land Trust. This property surrounds a calcareous fen which is an important natural community. The land, which is located between N. Egremont Road and Seekonk Cross Road, is owned by the land trust. Mass Wildlife’s WCE is focused on protecting biodiversity in this important habitat, but like all WCE’s is open to passive recreation, including hunting.

The world has lost a couple of important voices for all things wild.

Two Massachusetts outdoor sports columnists have passed away this fall.  One was Mark Mathew Blazes, of Grafton, MA.  He passed away at the age of 74 on November 17, 2021.  He was the weekly columnist of the OUTDOORS of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. He covered all aspects of conservation, fish, and wildlife, including management, reaching out to tens of thousands of people weekly. Mark was the recipient of the New England Outdoor Writer’s Association’s (NEOWA) highest honor, the Richard Cronin Award.

Mark Blazis

In addition to being a world safari and tour leader, scientist, writer, outdoor sportsman, passionate fly fisherman, and naturalist, Mark was a Master Bird Bander.  He was the Director of the Auburn Bird Banding Research Station, studying neotropical migrants and Lyme disease, with doctors at Tufts University, determining implications of Lyme disease carried by birds. His research team captured, analyzed, and released on average 2,000 migratory songbirds per year in Massachusetts, though the scope of his research has also included Connecticut and Maine.

Mark’s crusade locally was to help ameliorate the differences between sportsmen and environmentalists by organizing them both to participate with him and his assistants, working shoulder to shoulder in bird banding research at the Auburn Sportsman’s Club.

Mark had co-written and edited 10 local field guides to the fauna and flora of Massachusetts and produced an audio recording of the songbirds of Central Massachusetts.

He was chosen by the late Roger Tory Peterson as North America’s Nature Educator of the Year; and had received national awards in conservation education and research by the Massachusetts Audubon Society and The Garden Club of America.

On a personal note, I frequently peeked in on his columns and always found them well written and interesting. Unfortunately, I only met him a few times at various sportsmen’s banquets and award nights.

Frank Sousa, of Granby, MA, long time sports columnist for the Springfield Republican passed on September 23, 2021 at the age of 90.  Frank wrote about the great outdoors for the Republican for 60 years writing in his ‘All Outdoors’ column. His outdoor adventures, love of both nature and family events were the adventures his readers lived, through his words.

Frank Sousa

He was a lifetime member of the NEOWA, the Outdoor Writers Assoc of America as well as one of the three founding-fathers and past president of OSEG, Outdoor Sports Expo Group, Inc. OSEG produced many outdoor and boat shows in the Northeast with its largest being the Springfield Sportsmen’s Show held at Eastern States Exposition.

In a tribute to Frank, The Republican wrote: “His cathedral was found in the tall pines, a smokey fire with a fat kielbasa cooking and snowflakes gently falling in fresh tracks. He could always find his way to the top of the mountain when hunting and the softest spot to nap while fishing”.

I’ll never forget his contacting and congratulating me when The Berkshire Eagle hired me to do an outdoor sports column after Ted Giddings stepped down from writing the “Our Berkshires” column after nearly 55 years. He said he and Ted were good friends and wished me luck with the column.   I had read many of Frank’s excellent columns in the Springfield Republican but had never met him.   That was really nice of him to do that.

Frank’s famous column signoff was always, “The Very Best in Health and Happiness to You!”

Massachusetts shotgun deer hunting season opens Monday

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photo provided by MssWildlife

Shotgun deer hunting season opens on November 29 and runs through Saturday, December 11.  Hunters are allowed to take two bucks, and if they were awarded an antlerless deer permit, they can take one of them too.  Shotgun, archery, and muzzleloader implements are allowed. Be sure you are familiar with all of the deer hunting regulations listed on pages 26 through 29 of the abstracts.

Also, the shotgun (third) season for bear hunting opens on November 29 and also runs through December 11. Regulations governing that season are listed on pages 30 through 31 of the abstracts.

All rabbit, hare, squirrel and furbearer hunting seasons are closed during shotgun deer hunting season except for coyotes. The pheasant, grouse and wild turkey seasons are closed for the year as are the migratory goose and woodcock seasons.  The duck hunting season closes during the first week of shotgun deer season but in the Berkshire Zone reopens on December 6 through year end.

Hunters who are coming out of the woods after hunting hours, (1/2 hour after sunset) must unload everything, bullets, arrows, bolts, etc., because they are considered hunting after hours, which is illegal. The sunset time during the shotgun deer hunting season is around 4:15 pm.

 

No hunting allowed on Sunday.

Mandatory Deer checking

Don’t forget, during the first week of the shotgun deer season (November 29–December 4), all harvested deer must be brought to a physical check station within 48 hours so MassWildlife biologists can collect biological data. Online harvest reporting is NOT available during this time.  Hunters may recall that last year physical checking was not mandatory, due to Covid.

Western District Check Stations open Monday-Saturday:

Ernie’s Auto Sales – North Adams

Papa’s Healthy food and Fuel – Otis

Mill River General Store – Mill River

Lee Sportsmen’s club – Lee

B&D Variety – Huntington

Western District Office – Dalton

Hunter Harassment Law

Mass General Law, Part I, Title XIX, Chapter 131, Section 5C states “No person shall obstruct, interfere with or otherwise prevent the lawful taking of fish or wildlife by another at the locale where such activity is taking place”. It then lists 7 specific types of violations. “Environmental protection officers and other law enforcement officers with arrest powers shall be authorized to enforce the provisions of this section.”

Real cases of hunter harassment (meaning those that actually target specific hunters or their equipment and prevent, interfere or obstruct them from hunting) should be reported to Massachusetts Environmental Police statewide dispatch at 1-800-632-8075.

Precious Memories

Well, here we go again, another sleepless night thinking about opening day of shotgun deer hunting on Monday morning.  Sleep will be out of the question and I’ll probably do the same thing I do every year……. toss and turn all night waiting for the 4:00 am alarm to go off.  Thoughts of previous opening days will undoubtedly cross my mind, one after another.  I’ll remember the rainy, foggy, snowy cold days. I’ll remember each time I erred and allowed a big buck to get away.  Yes, and remember a few nice deer that didn’t get away.

In my early deer hunting days, (beginning in 1957), deer hunting season opened the first Monday of December and ran only one week ending on that Saturday.  There were no archery of primitive hunting seasons back then extending the season from mid-October through the last day of December (like it is today).  As usual, I’ll remember the people with whom I hunted over those years.  Sadly, many of them have since passed away. I’ll remember the gun that I used on my first deer hunt, an Ithaca 12-gauge side by side shotgun.  It was a smooth bore gun which shot slugs or buckshot.  It wasn’t until years later that the Ithaca Deerslayer shotguns (with rifled barrels) were allowed.

Our deer hunting clothes consisted mainly of black and red checkered wool coats (preferably Woolrich, if you could afford it).  Later on, as I recall, solid red hunting pants and coats came into vogue.  There was no such thing as fluorescent red color, (but they were experimenting with bright colors when I went into the service).  My oldest and now deceased brother Joe bought me a hunting outfit when I was a teenager and, get this, its color was bright yellow/bright red.  It was reversable.  When I returned home from the service in 1967, the State had settled on the fluorescent red color (or blaze orange, if you prefer) and deer hunters were required to wear 500 inches of it on your chest, back and head (still required).

I remember well at the end of the days during deer week Joe driving us around the neighborhoods of other deer hunters checking to see if they had a field dressed deer hanging from a tree in their yards or open garages.  That was common back then and they would sometimes hang them out there for a week, The theory being that by hanging them that long, the muscles would break down, and the aging was supposed to make the meat more tender and taste better. The winters seemed colder back then and the likeliness of the meat spoiling was less than today.  I suspect some of the hunters hung them out there just to show them off.  You can’t do that now.  What with the bears and coyotes around these days, you would be lucky to find the hooves remaining the next morning after hanging them up.  And you didn’t have to worry about neighbors complaining about the sight of a dead deer hanging from a tree, it was common practice.

To keep our hands warm while hunting, many of us used Joni hand warmers.  We smelled like walking Zippo cigarette lighters in the woods as they were fueled by lighter fluid. If you got them to work properly, you could stick them in your pocket and they would stay warm all day.  They had a little hole in the side of them so that you could light up a cigarette if you so desired.  Now, of course, there are throw-away hand warmers, heated by chemical reaction and not by smelly fuel.

I was always cold deer hunting in those days, especially my feet because they would inevitably get wet from sweat or leaky boots.  It wasn’t until the Sorel boots came out with their felt linings that I could finally feel my toes while hunting.

Of course, there was no such thing as GPS or cell phones.  We had to rely on our compasses.  Many a time that old compass saved the day for me. No one used backpacks like today.  You carried your food, thermos, drag rope, ammo, knife, etc., in your pockets, coat pouch or attached to your belt.

As I recall, there was only one deer checking station and that was at the DFW headquarters in Pittsfield. It wasn’t until later that various checking stations were established.

Your license had to be displayed, usually inside a clear plastic pouch, pinned to your coat.

Deer hunters came to the Berkshires by the droves from all over and traffic lined up coming off of the turnpike.  Diners opened up early in the mornings.  Motels were filled as were our local watering holes at the end of the day. Campers were parked in various places in our state forests. Visiting hunters brought millions of dollars to the Berkshire economy.

There was much more hunting land available for locals and for the non-residents to get lost in

Most older teens took opening day off from school.  It was pretty much expected and usually the school officials simply looked the other way.

Oh, and there was another thing.  Every deer hunting season, starting with the Tuesday issue of the Berkshire Evening Eagle newspaper and running until the end of the season, editor/columnist Ted Giddings listed the daily deer kills, giving the hunter’s name, whether it was a doe or buck, its weight, number of points and the town where it was shot.

Aah, the memories.

Lying sleepless in bed, it’s at times like these when I understand the lyrics of that old gospel song written by J. B. F. Wright: “Precious memories” as the song goes, “how they linger.  How they ever flood my soul. In the stillness, of the midnight, precious sacred scenes unfold.”