Less than two months ago, the heading for this column was” Is another deer disease headed our way?”  It highlighted the fact that not only Chronic Wasting Disease was affecting the deer population, but another disease, the fatal Epizootic Hemorrhage Disease (EHD) was moving our way, too. Now deer in Iowa have been infected with COVID-19, according to a recent study conducted by university researchers.   They found the results so disturbing that they are alerting deer hunters and others who handle deer to take precautions to avoid transmission.”

picture provided by MassWildlife

Also, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service collected 481 samples from deer in Illinois, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania between January 2020 and March 2021. They found SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in 33% of those samples.

Similarly, a study out of Pennsylvania State University found more than 80% percent of the white-tailed deer sampled in different parts of Iowa between December 2020 and January 2021 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2..

This was the first direct evidence of COVID-19 in any free-living species, said Suresh Kuchipudi, clinical professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences and associate director of the Animal Diagnostic Laboratory at Penn State. So, from where are they getting it?  The Inspection Service said it is possible deer were exposed through people, the environment, other deer or another animal species

The findings have implications for the ecology and long-term persistence of COVID-19, said Kuchipudi, chair in emerging infectious diseases at the university. “These include spillover to other free-living or captive animals and potential spillback to human hosts,” Kuchipudi said. “Of course, this highlights that many urgent steps are needed to monitor the spread of the virus in deer and prevent spillback to humans.”

According to the MassWildlife web site, MA DFW has already been and continues to monitor the situation of deer and COVID, according to Martin Feehan, the Deer and Moose Project Leader.

“Although there is no direct evidence of COVID-19 in deer in Massachusetts, published studies and unpublished surveillance throughout North America have found the presence of COVID-19 in white-tailed deer” said Feehan, “The prevalence rates have varied regionally, but there haven’t been cases of populations appearing entirely negative [in cases] in 2020 and 2021, This would suggest that COVID-19 is already present in deer populations in Massachusetts. There is no evidence currently that COVID-19 adversely impacts white-tailed deer and no mortalities have been reported.”

According to the DFW website, experts are still learning about this virus and currently there is no evidence that wildlife might be a source of infection for people in the United States, and there is no evidence that you can get COVID-19 by preparing or eating food, including hunted wild game meat. As a novel emerging disease, research is ongoing for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and its impacts on wildlife.  New studies are showing that wild deer have contracted multiple strains of COVID-19 from humans, and Ohio State University recently found active infection in wild Ohio deer using PCR tests. Experimental research with captive deer has shown that SARS-CoV-2 can spread among deer, however, deer are only contagious for a short duration (less than seven days).

MassWildlife feels that the risk for transmission from deer to humans is likely very low due to the outdoor aspect of hunting and the short period of time deer are contagious with the virus. SARS-CoV-2 is primarily transmitted by inhaling aerosolized droplets. These droplets can come from respiration or from the digestive tract. Currently:

• The transmission mode from humans to white-tailed deer is currently unknown.
• There have been no known cases of humans contracting COVID-19 from deer.
• There is no evidence people can contract COVID-19 by eating wild game. Epidemiologists at Tufts University, feel that COVID is a respiratory disease, so it is unlikely people can contract the virus from deer meat or blood. There have been no known cases where hunters got COVID from deer at a rate any different than the general public. That indicates that the probability is low that hunters are at risk.

To minimize the transmission risk of diseases, MassWildlife always recommends hunters:

• Avoid handling or consuming wild animals that appear sick or those found dead.
• Wear gloves and a face shield when handling, field dressing, and processing game.
• When possible, process your game outdoors or in a well-ventilated location.
• Use caution and minimize contact with the brain or spinal tissues.
• Out of an abundance of caution for Covid-19, additional preventative measures include avoiding the head, lungs, and digestive tract. Handle knives carefully to prevent accidental cuts.
• Wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm water after handling carcasses and before and after handling meat.
• Thoroughly sanitize all tools and work surfaces used during processing with a bleach solution (1 tablespoon of bleach to 1 gallon water). Consider keeping a separate set of knives used only for butchering game.
• Cook game meat thoroughly to an internal temperature of 165°F to kill pathogens.

MassWildlife Habitat Management Grant Program (MHMGP)

The Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game’s (DFG)) has awarded $184,400 in state grant funds to eight organizations and municipalities to improve wildlife habitat on 276 acres of land across the state.

For the past seven years the program has provided financial assistance to private and municipal landowners of conserved lands to improve and manage habitat for wildlife deemed in greatest conservation need and for certain game species.

While the state and conservation organizations have purchased land in an effort to provide protection to wildlife and ecology, more habitat restoration and management is needed on public and private lands across the state. As a result, the Baker-Polito Administration has increased investment by committing to working with partners to promote these efforts on other conserved lands across the state. The MHMGP program encourages landowners to engage in active habitat management on their properties to benefit wildlife.

“Most forests and other wildlife habitats in Massachusetts are not state-owned, and we rely on conservation organizations, cities and towns, private landowners, and other partners to help us manage habitat to benefit all wildlife,” said Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Ron Amidon. “This program provides us with the opportunity to expand our habitat management footprint, directly benefiting wildlife, sportsmen and women, and other people who enjoy outdoor recreation.”

Of the eight projects, three Berkshire County communities, Lenox, Sheffield and South Lee will be receiving a combined $60,000 for projects They are as follows:

Lenox – The Town of Lenox, in conjunction with the Berkshire Natural Resources Council, has been awarded $26,810 to control the hardy kiwi vine at Kennedy Park and adjacent properties.

Sheffield – The Sheffield Land Trust will receive $16,040 to conduct brush hogging and invasive species control at Ashley Falls Woods.

South Lee – South Lee Associates, in conjunction with the Berkshire Natural Resources Council, will receive $17,400 to control invasive species and improve floodplain forest habitats on multiple Housatonic River properties.

“The funds from the MassWildlife Habitat management grant will be instrumental for both Kennedy Park and areas along the Housatonic River,” said State Representative Smitty Pignatelli. “The Berkshires are known for our natural landscapes, and the improvements made possible by this grant will allow our residents to continue to access and enjoy these beautiful natural landscapes for generations to come.”

Improved Massfishhunt coming soon

The MassFishHunt official licensing and harvest reporting system for Massachusetts, is getting an upgrade.  The new system will be live starting December 1, 2021. As always, anglers, hunters, and trappers will be able to buy licenses and permits, report a harvest, and access account information. The new MassFishHunt’s secure, modern platform offers new features designed with the customer in mind.

So, what’s changing?

Setting up your account in the new MassFishHunt is simple. With just a few clicks, you’ll have access to new features, including:

• Upgraded log in with email and password to keep your account secure
• Linked accounts for families
• Auto-renew option lets you set it and forget it to keep your licenses up-to-date
• Buy-it-again option saves your favorite products for quick checkout
• Improved mobile experience
• Registration for outdoor skills classes

As they approach launch day on December 1, they will be adding tutorials and updates to make this transition as seamless as possible for all customers on Mass.gov/NewMassFishHunt.

Once the new system launches, additional customer support resources will be provided.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Paraplegic hunters had a “great year”

 That’s according to DFW Biologist Susan McCarthy who heads up the statewide paraplegic hunt program.  “We had a total of 12 hunters participate statewide and 7 deer taken (which is a pretty incredible success rate)!  Additionally, nearly every participating hunter saw deer – some of which were presented with shooting opportunities and others were not.  One hunter (Don Rogers, Quabbin site) who did not see deer, was excited to have seen lots of deer and bear sign as well as tons of moose sign – including an area where two bulls had sparred along a powerline Right of way.  He looks forward to returning next year.”

Here in the Berkshires, there were five participating hunters, two in the Northern Berkshires including Shawn Mei of Baldwinville, MA and Dale Bailey of Clarksburg.  Shawn got an adult doe and Dale saw some.

There were three participating hunters in the Southern Berkshires including Daniel Massaconi of Cheshire, Vyto Sablevicius of Norwood and Gregory Baumli of New Lebanon, NY.  Vyto got a 6-point buck and Greg got an 8-pointer.

Vyto with his 8 pt buck

A statewide hunt this complex doesn’t just happen.  There are many behinds-the-scene volunteers and I am glad that McCarthy provided the names of most of them, what they did and how many years they have helped in this program. Volunteers did everything from transporting the hunters to their hunting locations, moving the deer, dragging the deer out of the woods, field dressing them, getting the deer kills checked in, providing food, making hunting land available to them, and the list goes on.  I have only included those involved in the Berkshires. Susan’s name is not on the list, but she did an awful lot of work coordinating the whole thing.  A tip of our hunter orange cap to you all.

McCarthy noted that Gary Dupuis, the only hunter at Fort Devens this year, was the first to harvest two deer during the paraplegic hunt. “Until last year, there was a long-standing policy that participating hunters were restricted to harvesting only one deer (of either sex – using either their antlerless permit for this hunt or one of their two buck tags).  My understanding is that this policy (there’s nothing in regulation regarding the restriction) was put in place essentially at the inception of the paraplegic hunt when there were many more participating hunters, fewer hunt locations, and a perceived issue of fairness.  Given that we have far fewer participating hunters today, five sites statewide, and always plenty of deer seen during the hunt, we made the decision to lift the one-deer-per-hunter policy.  After all, this hunt is all about providing opportunity to the mobility impaired, so we found no reason to limit their chances of success.  Given that there was no language in the regulations regarding the para hunt  it was an easy change to make.  Since last year, hunters have been permitted to harvest as many deer as they have valid permits.  This year was the first year that a hunter had the opportunity and permission to harvest more than one deer.”

Dan Massaconi told me that he used to hunt with his brothers and father for years.  He loved the outdoors.  But in 2003 a form of Muscular Dystrophy hit him and after walking with a cane, and then a walker it finally put him in a wheelchair. He became depressed – who wouldn’t?  It was his wife, Crystal who urged him to think about the paraplegic hunt.  But he really wasn’t in shape. With her urging, his determination and the wonderful work of physical therapists at Craneville Rehab, he got stronger.

When he appeared strong enough to do one of these hunts, Crystal signed him up – he had no choice but to go.  He hunted 10 hours a day for 2 days (5 hours in the morning and 5 hours in the afternoon). He skipped Saturday due to the rain. No, Dan didn’t get a deer, but he’s not complaining for he saw several. His wheelchair was facing the wrong direction from where three deer came and, by the time he put his gun down, unlocked and pivoted the wheel chair and picked up the gun again, the deer had vanished.

Dan feels that these were two of the best days in his whole life.  He felt safe, comfortable and well fed.  These hunts “brought me back to life”, he said, and could not speak more highly about the volunteers.  He is so happy that fellow hunters Vyto and Craig were successful in getting deer.

Guess what….he plans to be back next year and Crystal will be back too, as a volunteer.

“The only thing that was lacking this year” said McCarthy, “was the ability to congregate for pot luck lunches/dinners as some of us do at our hunt sites.  To remain consistent with other MassWildlife programs, a COVID-19 safety protocol was put in place and shared with all program participants and suggested that everyone provide their own food.  It’s always nice to sit around a pot of venison chili and side of cornbread with your group of volunteers and hunters – I’ve missed that terribly the past two years.  Here’s to hoping next year’s hunt is as successful as this year’s but that it might also allow us to break bread together once again.”

Well, in the South Berkshire hunt, some of the volunteers and their wives made sure that warm, tasty food reached the hunters. Thanks to Don Chaffee Construction of Otis for proving much, if not all of the food.

And many thanks to DFW’s Susan McCarthy and DFW Western District Andrew Madden for their assistance in providing information and picture for this article.

Northern Pike stocked in Cheshire

Recently, MassWildlife stocked 2,000 northern pike into Quaboag Pond and Cheshire Reservoir. The yearlings averaged 12″ long and will take 2–3 years to reach the 28″ minimum harvest size. They obtained the pike from New Jersey Fish & Wildlife as part of a cooperative exchange program. MassWildlife appears to be working hard to get a northern pike fishery established in Cheshire Lake with stockings in 2006, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and this year.  That’s good as they should help control the yellow perch population there which have become stunted due their high numbers.

New Wildlife Technician – Heather Sandler

Heather Sadler recently began work in the Western District as a Wildlife Technician. She comes to the District with extensive experience in fish propagation and stocking, having worked for 13 years in MassWildlife’s Sunderland Fish Hatchery. She will be working with the rest of the outstanding Western District technicians stocking trout and pheasants, working check stations, managing habitat on Wildlife Management Areas, and carrying out all of MassWildlife District Conservation programs. Outside of work, Heather enjoys many aspects of the outdoors including hunting and fishing.

“Walkin’ the Watershed with Burnsie”

The Wild & Scenic Westfield River Committee is working to preserve and protect headwater streams in the wild & scenic designated stretches of the Westfield River.

In his most recent video, John (Burnsie) Burns, of Burns Environmental, who is a biologist specializing in rare plants and animals, describes how headwaters act as refuges and sanctuaries for our native brook trout.  Burnsie does a great job with this video and probably everyone can learn something from it.  I know I did. For one thing, I learned what an “otter latrine” looks like.

Meredyth Babcock, Committee Volunteer Coordinator, invites volunteers and land owners to help preserve and protect the headwaters. If you missed the last R&R (Remove and Restore) work party where they removed invasive plants from Center Pond Brook, contact Meredyth at Westfieldriver@gmail.com and she can give you the dates for upcoming work party activities.

There are lots of interesting videos by Burnsie, Russ Cohen and others in the Wild &Scenic Library located at: https://www.westfieldriverwildscenic.org/news.html.

Veterans day

Veteran’s day is once again upon us.  Hopefully sometime during our busy schedules this week we have a chance to remember and thank them for our freedom.  For some veterans, the time spent in the service of our nation was no big deal.  But for others, the experience was life altering, and everything else that followed for the rest of their lives was anti climatic.

Paraplegic hunters had a “great year”

 That’s according to DFW Biologist Susan McCarthy who heads up the statewide paraplegic hunt program.  “We had a total of 12 hunters participate statewide and 7 deer taken (which is a pretty incredible success rate)!  Additionally, nearly every participating hunter saw deer – some of which were presented with shooting opportunities and others were not.  One hunter (Don Rogers, Quabbin site) who did not see deer, was excited to have seen lots of deer and bear sign as well as tons of moose sign – including an area where two bulls had sparred along a powerline Right of way.  He looks forward to returning next year.”

Here in the Berkshires, there were five participating hunters, two in the Northern Berkshires including Shawn Mei of Baldwinville, MA and Dale Bailey of Clarksburg.  Shawn got an adult doe and Dale saw some.

There were three participating hunters in the Southern Berkshires including Daniel Massaconi of Cheshire, Vyto Sablevicius of Norwood and Gregory Baumli of New Lebanon, NY.  Vyto got a 6-point buck and Greg got an 8-pointer.

Vyto with his 8 pt buck

A statewide hunt this complex doesn’t just happen.  There are many behinds-the-scene volunteers and I am glad that McCarthy provided the names of most of them, what they did and how many years they have helped in this program. Volunteers did everything from transporting the hunters to their hunting locations, moving the deer, dragging the deer out of the woods, field dressing them, getting the deer kills checked in, providing food, making hunting land available to them, and the list goes on.  I have only included those involved in the Berkshires. Susan’s name is not on the list, but she did an awful lot of work coordinating the whole thing.  A tip of our hunter orange cap to you all.

McCarthy noted that Gary Dupuis, the only hunter at Fort Devens this year, was the first to harvest two deer during the paraplegic hunt. “Until last year, there was a long-standing policy that participating hunters were restricted to harvesting only one deer (of either sex – using either their antlerless permit for this hunt or one of their two buck tags).  My understanding is that this policy (there’s nothing in regulation regarding the restriction) was put in place essentially at the inception of the paraplegic hunt when there were many more participating hunters, fewer hunt locations, and a perceived issue of fairness.  Given that we have far fewer participating hunters today, five sites statewide, and always plenty of deer seen during the hunt, we made the decision to lift the one-deer-per-hunter policy.  After all, this hunt is all about providing opportunity to the mobility impaired, so we found no reason to limit their chances of success.  Given that there was no language in the regulations regarding the para hunt  it was an easy change to make.  Since last year, hunters have been permitted to harvest as many deer as they have valid permits.  This year was the first year that a hunter had the opportunity and permission to harvest more than one deer.”

Dan Massaconi told me that he used to hunt with his brothers and father for years.  He loved the outdoors.  But in 2003 a form of Muscular Dystrophy hit him and after walking with a cane, and then a walker it finally put him in a wheelchair. He became depressed – who wouldn’t?  It was his wife, Crystal who urged him to think about the paraplegic hunt.  But he really wasn’t in shape. With her urging, his determination and the wonderful work of physical therapists at Craneville Rehab, he got stronger.

When he appeared strong enough to do one of these hunts, Crystal signed him up – he had no choice but to go.  He hunted 10 hours a day for 2 days (5 hours in the morning and 5 hours in the afternoon). He skipped Saturday due to the rain. No, Dan didn’t get a deer, but he’s not complaining for he saw several. His wheelchair was facing the wrong direction from where three deer came and, by the time he put his gun down, unlocked and pivoted the wheel chair and picked up the gun again, the deer had vanished.

Dan feels that these were two of the best days in his whole life.  He felt safe, comfortable and well fed.  These hunts “brought me back to life”, he said, and could not speak more highly about the volunteers.  He is so happy that fellow hunters Vyto and Craig were successful in getting deer.

Guess what….he plans to be back next year and Crystal will be back too, as a volunteer.

“The only thing that was lacking this year” said McCarthy, “was the ability to congregate for pot luck lunches/dinners as some of us do at our hunt sites.  To remain consistent with other MassWildlife programs, a COVID-19 safety protocol was put in place and shared with all program participants and suggested that everyone provide their own food.  It’s always nice to sit around a pot of venison chili and side of cornbread with your group of volunteers and hunters – I’ve missed that terribly the past two years.  Here’s to hoping next year’s hunt is as successful as this year’s but that it might also allow us to break bread together once again.”

Well, in the South Berkshire hunt, some of the volunteers and their wives made sure that warm, tasty food reached the hunters. Thanks to Don Chaffee Construction of Otis for proving much, if not all of the food.

And many thanks to DFW’s Susan McCarthy and DFW Western District Andrew Madden for their assistance in providing information and picture for this article.

Northern Pike stocked in Cheshire

Recently, MassWildlife stocked 2,000 northern pike into Quaboag Pond and Cheshire Reservoir. The yearlings averaged 12″ long and will take 2–3 years to reach the 28″ minimum harvest size. They obtained the pike from New Jersey Fish & Wildlife as part of a cooperative exchange program. MassWildlife appears to be working hard to get a northern pike fishery established in Cheshire Lake with stockings in 2006, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and this year.  That’s good as they should help control the yellow perch population there which have become stunted due their high numbers.

New Wildlife Technician – Heather Sandler

Heather Sadler recently began work in the Western District as a Wildlife Technician. She comes to the District with extensive experience in fish propagation and stocking, having worked for 13 years in MassWildlife’s Sunderland Fish Hatchery. She will be working with the rest of the outstanding Western District technicians stocking trout and pheasants, working check stations, managing habitat on Wildlife Management Areas, and carrying out all of MassWildlife District Conservation programs. Outside of work, Heather enjoys many aspects of the outdoors including hunting and fishing.

“Walkin’ the Watershed with Burnsie”

The Wild & Scenic Westfield River Committee is working to preserve and protect headwater streams in the wild & scenic designated stretches of the Westfield River.

In his most recent video, John (Burnsie) Burns, of Burns Environmental, who is a biologist specializing in rare plants and animals, describes how headwaters act as refuges and sanctuaries for our native brook trout.  Burnsie does a great job with this video and probably everyone can learn something from it.  I know I did. For one thing, I learned what an “otter latrine” looks like.

Meredyth Babcock, Committee Volunteer Coordinator, invites volunteers and land owners to help preserve and protect the headwaters. If you missed the last R&R (Remove and Restore) work party where they removed invasive plants from Center Pond Brook, contact Meredyth at Westfieldriver@gmail.com and she can give you the dates for upcoming work party activities.

There are lots of interesting videos by Burnsie, Russ Cohen and others in the Wild &Scenic Library located at: https://www.westfieldriverwildscenic.org/news.html.

Veterans day

Veteran’s day is once again upon us.  Hopefully sometime during our busy schedules this week we have a chance to remember and thank them for our freedom.  For some veterans, the time spent in the service of our nation was no big deal.  But for others, the experience was life altering, and everything else that followed for the rest of their lives was anti climatic.

Labrador guide Edwin Dominery holds large brook trout caught by Kevin Geroux

Recently, flyfishing friend Gary Hebert, from Richmond, NH, sent me a photo of a large brook trout (Speckled trout, as they are called in Labrador) that was recently caught in a river in the area of Igloo Lake in Labrador by Kevin Geroux.  He was fishing with Edwin Dominery, a guide out of Igloo Lodge.   Estimated to weigh 14+ lbs., it was immediately released unharmed.   The fish was not officially weighed because there was no certified scale available at the time.  Igloo Lodge prides itself on ensuring good fish handling allowing all fish to be released unharmed. This means that they must be quickly released, with minimal handling, with use of barbless hooks, and flyfishing only.

So how did they estimate the weight of that fish?  Well, there is a special dimension formular that is accurate in determining the weight of a fish. The dimensions of that fish (length, girth, etc.) have been sent to Newfoundland fish biologists to do the official calculations. They are not yet sure if it will be official but the calculations have this fish at 14+ lbs. and measuring 25.25 inches long with a 22-inch girth.

Why the big deal about this fish?  Well, the official world record for brook trout is 14.5 lbs. and measured 31.5 inches long.  It was caught out of the Nipigon River in Northern Ontario’s Superior Country Region back in 1915. To this day, that record still holds.  If Geroux’s brookie doesn’t break the world record, it may have a good chance at breaking the Labrador record.

Igloo Lodge owner, Craig Gillingham said that they are still in the process of evaluating this “monster brookie” and will get back to me with the particulars as soon as known.

According to Gary, it was caught and released a week or so before they arrived at Igloo Lodge.

Gary, spent the last week of the season fishing with several friends including Carl Racie of Athol and his son Tim Racie of Groton, Mike Miller of Athol and his grandson, Brandon Jones of Leominster and MA Fish & Wildlife Commissioner Ron Amidon of Templeton. Local angler Attorney Mike Shepard and I had fished with them in Labrador a few years back and we stayed in touch over the years.  We were supposed to join them on this year’s trip, but due to the closing of the Canadian border, we weren’t able to go.  After the border finally opened, this year’s scheduled trip was pushed back to the last week of the season. The other guys could make it, but Mike and I couldn’t as we were already committed to fish in Yellowstone National Park, Montana and Idaho.

Gary said that they had the whole place to themselves.  The guides were great as usual and the facilities and meals were top notch. They had a great week fishing which was exclusively in the river due to low water conditions in the lakes and ponds.  As noted from the water color in the photo, the river was dark green with virtually no visibility, caused by an algae condition. That made for very treacherous wading conditions – Gary fell three times and broke two rods. He wasn’t sure how the fish could see their flies, but they did catch and release dozens of 5 to 9 lbs. brookies. Mike Miller netted a 10 pounder (which is very close to the Labrador record).  Commissioner Amidon sent us several pictures of giant brookies that he caught in their full spawning regalia.

The weather was cold and rainy with some snow.  They had planned to do some fly outs to other areas for Artic Char and/or Atlantic Salmon but the (spawning) runs were three weeks earlier than normal, so that combined with bad flying conditions prevented them from those side trips.  All in all, they had a great trip albeit the hassle getting their Covid tests and beating the clock to cross the border.

Incidentally, local anglers Rex Channel and Trish Watson of Pittsfield were up there in early September and they also had phenomenal luck.  Rex sent me a picture of him netting a 9 lbs. brookie.

Next year Mike Shepard and Craig Smith of Dalton and I will be heading up there to try our luck at catching one of those behemoths, assuming, of course, that Covid is under control and the border remains open.

Early Bear Hunting Season Results

In his most recent report to the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen, DFW Western District Supervisor Andrew Madden reported that the 2021 early bear season produced a much lower harvest than the previous year. Some 112 bears were taken this September as compared to 236 in September last year. He cited several factors which probably contributed to the lower harvest including high natural food abundance and poor hunting conditions.

The second bear hunting season starts Monday and runs through November 20. Only rifle, muzzleloader and archery hunting implements are allowed during that season. Only archery equipment may be used on Wildlife Management Areas stocked with pheasants.

License to Carry Course

Pete’s Gun Shop of Adams is holding a one-day Live Fire NRA & Massachusetts State Police Certified LTC Safety Course on Saturday, November 13.  It will be held at the Cheshire Rod & Gun Club starting at 8:30 am. The course consists of classroom instruction followed by live firing.

This is to qualify MA residents and non-residents alike for the MA LTC or FID Card. It will be a hands-on, live fire course.  You will be given a $10 gift certificate to Pete’s Gun Shop in appreciation for taking the course. The cost is $100 and covers use of their range, firearms, ammo, safety gear, class materials, certificates, and the NRA Safety Textbook. Interested parties are asked to pre-register by calling or stopping in at Pete’s Gun Shop at 413-743-0780, as space is limited. A non-refundable deposit is required to reserve your seat at the time of registration. They do accept credit cards in person or by phone. This live fire course fills up very quickly so call or stop in early to pre-register.

Will your semi-automatic shotgun now become illegal?

Last week I received a disturbing special announcement from the Lee Sportsmen’s Association which stated the following: “It appears that legal responsible firearms ownership is threatened by poorly thought out, overly broad, and likely unconstitutional bills.  While all are currently still in committee, it is incumbent on responsible firearms owners to act to protect our sport and defend our constitutional rights within the Commonwealth.”

There were several proposed bills, but what they were mainly concerned about was a proposed bill (H.4038) An Act Banning Semi-Automatic Weapons which was referred to the MA Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security on July29, 2021.  If passed, it will expand the current assault weapons ban to cover all semi-automatic rifles and shotguns. The Bill amends MGL to replace the term “assault weapon” with “rifles and shotguns containing semi-automatic mechanism” while also removing all exemptions under the assault weapons ban. Significantly, assault weapons ban grandfathering date of September 13, 1994 is left unchanged, meaning that every semi-automatic rifle or shotgun sold in the Commonwealth since the assault weapons ban went into effect will be affected.  No provisions are made for the registration or disposition of currently owned, affected semi-automatic rifles or shotguns.

So, if I understand this bill correctly, if you bought a Charles Daly 3-shot semi-automatic duck hunting shotgun or a Browning 5-shot semi-automatic deer hunting shotgun 25 years ago, they would now be considered assault weapons?  Really?  C’mon!

There is a Firearms Policy Coalition which has a link to send a message to the State House opposing this Bill: https://oneclickpolitics.global.ssl.fastly.net/messages/edit?promo_id=13721.

In addition to that, may I suggest that you contact your state legislators and ask them to oppose this proposed bill.  Also, you may want to ask them to talk to their fellow legislators on Beacon hill and explain to them that hunting is still a way of life for many out here in the Berkshires and that misconstruing a semi-automatic hunting shotgun as an assault weapon would negatively affect many hunters.

This past summer, I was contacted by my old friend Gary Scarafoni of Pittsfield who had something that he wanted me to read. I asked him to send it to me, not knowing exactly what it was.  It turned out to be a true story that he wrote about his Springer Spaniel bird hunting dog named Angie. With the fall upland game hunting season upon us, I thought you would like to read it, so with Gary’s permission, here it is.

Angie’s Last Retrieve by Gary Scarafoni

Angie had been different than my other Springers I had owned—special, fearless, eager to please with an independent streak that let you know she knew more than you.

She loved to retrieve—anything.  Training dummies in the field or off our pond diving board.  If you yelled “fetch” she would go get it.  For twelve years we hunted stocked pheasants all over western Massachusetts and at a Gun Club in Austerlitz, New York.  If I put a bird on the ground—or in the water—Angie would retrieve it.

There have been too many memorable hunts to count, with a thousand birds flushed and retrieved in all.  While not professionally finished, she responded to all of my directions.  Not only was she a delight to hunt with, but she could find birds.

Several years ago, she tore a tendon on her front leg.  The repair did not hold, and her paw flapped when she ran, but she appeared to have no pain.  With my vet’s approval, we agreed that she should hunt if she wasn’t hurting.  For the next few years, we hunted as usual.  Other than a paw that turned sharply inward and flapped when she was in hot pursuit of a bird, she never considered herself handicapped.

Two years ago, Angie developed an autoimmune disease that was destroying her red blood cells.  It was touch and go. After a couple of missed seasons, my vet felt she was finally stabilized.  “What the heck, I know she wants to hunt.  Her rear legs aren’t strong, so take it easy, but take her out”.

The next day, I lined up my next-door neighbor, Eric Mabee. to join us for a late-season hunt.  When Angie saw me load her crate and my gun into the vehicle, she ran around in excitement like she was years younger.  Her days of jumping into the back hatch were long gone, but as I lifted her into her crate, her eyes said it all:  Let’s do this.”

It was a reasonable December day with little snow on the ground.  As we entered the field, I could see she was eager to find birds.  It did not take long.  She was quartering at half speed.  Her legs would stumble.  My heart ached.  Was I making a mistake?  As she continued to work it was obvious there was nothing wrong with her nose nor her desire.

It was not long before she flushed a bird, then another, and returned them to hand. After an hour. A couple more birds were brought to hand and in my vest.  She was working slowly, but never missed a beat.  When I knocked a bird down, a near miss, I saw it hit the ground running.  Angie picked up the scent and plodded off.  I thought I’d give her a few minutes then call her back.  Ten minutes later, she came trotting out of the stubble, pheasant very much alive, held gently in her mouth.

Thinking that was a great way to end our hunt, we headed for the truck.  As we walked out, she jumped a beautiful late-season rooster.  Eric pulled a couple of feathers but the bird sailed down to a small stream and beaver pond.

After a few minutes of searching, we assumed the pheasant had made it across the stream.  As I called Angie to recall, we both spotted the telltale sign of the white ringneck and blue-green splash of color on the far bank.

It was cold.  I hesitated, but I could see she wanted that bird.  Reluctantly, I sent her in.  As she neared the far bank, she caught a whiff of the bird.  She would not come back without it.

She got a hold of the tail feathers and pulled.  Back she came, only this time she was above where she had entered, and an obstacle awaited her.  There was ice two feet out into the water.  When she got to it, we realized she did not have the strength to pull herself up.  As I turned to put my gun down, Eric shot by me and landed in freezing water up to his waist.  With one lunge he had Angie by the collar, and they both came flying out of the water—Angie with the rooster still cradled in her mouth. With tears in my eyes, I carried her back to the vehicle.  She rode home in the front seat with the heater on high.  No one spoke.  We all knew this would be Angie’s last retrieve and it was one for the record books”.

When I read that story, it almost brought me to tears.  There is a special bond between hunters and their hunting dogs, be they beagles, coon hounds, labs or as in this case Springers.  They spend so many enjoyable hours together in the woods and fields.  It’s such a joy to see your dog pick up a scent, follow it and lock on it in a point.  Or, if bunny hunting, to see your beagle’s white-tipped tail start wagging a mile a minute seconds before it takes off following the scent and barking its heart out.  It’s so rewarding to see, with infinite patience, that puppy mature into a really good hunting dog.

So many times, at the end of the hunt, you and the dog are sore, scratched up and dead tired.  It’s a toss-up who snores the loudest when you get home.

It’s always so sad, after a dozen or so years, to see your dog, one of your closest friends, age and begin to slow down.  Their enthusiasm won’t wane, but their bodies tell you that it’s time –the walk back to the vehicle takes longer and your old buddy can’t keep up with you anymore.

Thank you Gary for sharing this story with us. You have captured the feeling perfectly.

What do you think fellow readers, do you agree that he did a good job on that story.?  If so, then you aren’t alone in that opinion for the national publication of Gun Dog ran that article in its Summer, 2021 issue in its “Tails Gone By” section.  We thank the folks at Gun Dog for allowing us to copy it into this column.

It’s an appropriate time to run that article for pheasant, ruffed grouse, rabbit, duck and goose hunting seasons opened today.  Be sure you are knowledgeable of all of the hunting regulations.  This year will be the last year that hunters won’t have to pay a special fee to hunt pheasants.  Starting next year there will be a permit fee, currently planned to be $4.00. and rising incrementally until 2026 when the permit will cost $20.00.

Don’t forget to bring the deer tick spray and check yourself and your dog for the ticks immediately after the hunt. This could be another bad year for them.

Archery deer hunting seasons opens Monday

Also, the archery deer hunting season opens in Zones 1 – 9 on Monday, October 18. An Archery Stamp is required. Two antlered deer may be taken, but if you have an antlerless permit, you can take a third deer. All bows, (recurve, long, and compound) except permitted crossbows, must have a draw weight of at least 40 lbs. at 28 inches or at peak draw. Crossbows may be used by certain permanently disabled persons by permit only. Arrows must have well-sharpened steel broadhead blades not less than 7/8 inches in width. Expanding broadheads and mechanical releases are permitted. Poisoned arrows, explosive tips, air bows and bows drawn by mechanical means are prohibited.  Be sure to check the regulations for more information

Here’s wishing you all a safe and enjoyable hunting season.

Last week, this column was about a 10-day flyfishing trip taken by me and 3 other local anglers to Yellowstone National Park (YNP), Montana and Idaho.    After that trip was over, my wife Jan then joined me in Bozeman, MT to do some sightseeing in Yellowstone National Park. It was time to pack the fishing stuff and lift my eyes from the gin clear waters and rising fish and look at the beautiful surroundings.

Why vacation in YNP?  Well, it’s an interesting place.  It’s the world’s first and arguably most famous national park and is home to one of the planet’s largest and potentially most destructive volcanoes. The Yellowstone caldera complex is so massive that it can really be appreciated only from the air. But although the caldera isn’t always visible on the ground, it’s certainly no secret: Copious thermal features like hot springs and geyser basins dot the landscape and have attracted people to the uniquely beautiful and ecologically rich area for at least 11,000 years. That’s about the time Native Americans started hunting bison and bighorn sheep, fished for Cutthroat trout, and gathered bitterroot and camas bulbs there.  (Incidentally, a caldera is not the same thing as a crater. Craters are formed by the outward explosion of rocks and other materials from a volcano, whereas calderas are formed by the inward collapse of a volcano.)

After driving to Gardner, MT and settling into our room at the Yellowstone Bear’s Den, we ate at the Iron Horse Bar and Grill.  On the menu was bison shepherd’s pie.  It was the first time I ever ate buffalo meat and it was delicious. Jan ordered a different meal, being not quite ready to eat buffalo.

The following morning, we entered YNP through the North Entrance, drove to the Mammoth Hot Springs Historic District, where we saw wild elk grazing on the lawns, (no hunting allowed in the park) and we later walked the boardwalks at Mammoth Hot Springs.  At an altitude of over 6,700 feet, it is a large complex of hot springs on a hill of travertine (terrestrial limestone). It was created over thousands of years as hot water from the springs cooled and deposited calcium carbonate.  Truly a sight to see.

From there we drove to the Lamar Valley (often called America’s Serengeti for its large and easy-to-see populations of large animals).  There we saw lots of buffalo where they roam free and frequently cross the roads and hold up traffic.  Visitors don’t mind though, for it affords opportunities to see and photograph them close-up.  It was Jan’s first live sighting of them and she was quite impressed.  In the Valley, we also saw elk and antelope.  Some people parked along the road were using spotting telescopes looking for grizzly bears and black wolves.

While there, we visited Soda Butte, where my fellow anglers and I fished the creek the previous week.  The butte is all that is left of a hot spring cone located just off the road in the valley’s east side.

On the way back to Gardner, we stopped to see a petrified tree, basically a redwood similar to those currently in California.  It was a clue to the warmer, damper landscape that once existed in YNP.  When a chain of volcanoes erupted there in the Eocene times, 50,000,000 years ago they triggered massive landslides.  The rolling mix of ash, water and sand buried whole forests.  Before the trees could rot, abundant silica in the volcano flow plugged the living cells creating forests of stone.  What an awesome feeling standing near something that is 50 million years old!

On our second day, we visited the Upper Geyser Basin which is home to the largest number of this fragile feature found in the Park. Within one square mile there are at least 150 of these hydrothermal wonders. Of this only five major geysers are predicted regularly by the naturalist staff. They are the Castle, Grand, Daisy, Riverside, and of course, Old Faithful. There are many smaller geysers to be seen and marveled at in this basin as well as numerous hot springs.  We spent the whole day there seeing as many of them as we could.  It is said that YNP as a whole, possesses close to 60 percent of the world’s geysers.

On day 3, we traveled south past Yellowstone Lake headed for the Park’s South Entrance into Wyoming.  Yellowstone Lake lies at an altitude of 7,730 feet above sea level and is the largest body of water in North America, and the second largest in the world, at so high an elevation.   It stretches 20 miles long and 14 miles across and its shorelines are dotted with geothermal features.

After leaving Yellowstone Lake, we traveled south into Wyoming along the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway to see the Teton Mountains, a segment of the Middle Rocky Mountains.  They extend 40 miles across northwestern Wyoming, from the southern boundary of YNP and into southeastern Idaho.  The peaks of the Teton Mountain Range are regal and imposing as they make one of the boldest geologic statements in the Rockies. With no foothills to suggest their presence, they rise through steep conifer forests into alpine meadows strewn with wildflowers, past blue and white glaciers to naked granite pinnacles.

We viewed the Tetons from Jackson Lake, a glacially carved, approximately 400-foot-deep lake.   But more than a century ago it was impounded, and today the Jackson Lake Dam adds about 37 feet of depth — or 847,000 acre-feet of stored water. This summer, 90% to 95% of that added water was expected to go downstream into Idaho, ultimately to irrigate potato fields in Idaho’s Snake River plain and grow crops for cattle.  Where we were at the boat ramp near the Colter Bay Marina, the water was gone and nothing but docks were seen on dry land and the 60 boats normally anchored there for the summer had been trailered away.  As far as we could see, there existed a lake with no water.

On our last day, we visited the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.  About 640,000 years ago, a huge volcanic eruption occurred in Yellowstone, emptying a large underground chamber of magma (partially molten rock). Volcanic ash spread for thousands of miles. The roof of this chamber slowly collapsed, forming a giant caldera 30 miles across, 45 miles long. The caldera began to fill with lava and sediments. Infilling of lava flows continued for thousands of years.  Scientists think some of it filled in with rock and sediments about 150,000 years ago. This paleo-canyon was not as deep, wide or long as the canyon that’s there now.  Past and current hydrothermal activity altered and weakened the rhyolite, making the rocks softer. The Yellowstone River eroded these weakened rocks to deepen and widen the canyon, a process that continues today. The current canyon begins at Lower Falls and ends downstream from Tower Falls.

The 308-foot Lower Falls may have formed because the river flows over volcanic rock more resistant to erosion than the downstream rocks, which are hydrothermally altered. The 109-foot Upper Falls flows over similar rocks. The large rocks upstream from Upper Falls are remnants of a lava flow resistant to erosion.

The multi-hued rocks of the canyon result from the hydrothermally altered rhyolite and sediments. There are dark orange, brown, and green areas near the river that indicate still-active hydrothermal features. Their activity—and that of water, wind, and earthquakes—continue to sculpt the canyon.

Jan and I agree that the Yellowstone Grand Canyon was the most remarkable sight of them all in YNP. (Yes, even greater than Old Faithful). There are boardwalks and viewing areas around the canyon rim so that you can see both waterfalls.  It’s kind of scary looking down the canyon walls with the river so far below that you could barely see it.  Definitely white-knuckle time.  Jan said that she held her cell phone camera so tight that she feared it would pop out of her hands and drop into the canyon.

There were many other amazing sights in the Park which would require several more columns to describe.  You can search the internet to see pictures of all the amazing sights mentioned here.  At the risk of sounding like tour guides, Jan and I highly recommend that you keep YNP in your future travel plans.

Recently four of us traveled out to Montana/Wyoming/Idaho to do some flyfishing. Making up our party were Craig Smith and Attorney Michael (Mike) Shepard from Dalton, Paul Knauth from Hinsdale and me. We were going to spend 10 days fishing famous rivers in those areas which included Yellowstone National Park (YNP).  Rivers such as the Yellowstone, Gallatin, Gibbon, Madison, Teton, Henry’s Fork Rivers as well as some smaller waters such as the Slough Creek, Soda Butte Creek at Pebble Creek, Sentinel Creek and others. Our quarry were West Slope Cutthroat, Rainbow, Brook, Brown and Cutbow Trout.  (A Cutbow is a hybrid fish between rainbow and cutthroat trout. They do occur naturally in the wild in areas where the native range of rainbow and cutthroat trout overlap). We familiarized ourselves with the YNP fishing regulations, such as:  only catch and release, no felt bottomed waders, use of barbless hooks only, use of non-toxic weights, etc.

Craig and Mike usually teamed up to fish together, doing three float trips (Yellowstone River, Idaho’s Teton River and Henry’s Fork of the Snake River) and a day fishing the private waters of Nelson’s Creek on Nelson’s Farm in Montana, and they did very well.  The remainder of the time they waded the rivers.  Paul and I usually fished together and opted not to float but only wade the rivers.

To make a long story short, we all caught and released lots of nice trout.  But one angler stood head and shoulders above us others and that was Craig. He consistently caught the most and the largest fish just about every day.  One day, he caught 6 trout over 20 inches, and showed us pictures of them as proof.  Every night, we would look at his cell phone pictures of the large fish that he caught that day.  He made no secret as to what flies he used and how to fish them.  He often lent us some of his flies and equipment, but although we used his tactics and caught some fish, we could not emulate his success.  He has been fishing these rivers since he was a child and pretty much knows where and how to catch big trout. As a child, he accompanied his father who would frequently take 3-week vacations there.  When fishermen have good days, people say they are lucky.  With Craig, it’s not luck, it’s out and out skill.

We all had good days and caught lots of fish.  There was one short stretch of Soda Butte Creek where Mike and I in one day caught 11 Cutthroat Trout out of it.

With the altitude usually over 6,000 feet and afternoon temperatures frequently in the high 80’s, it didn’t take much to get winded.  We usually had to hike 3 to 4 round trip miles wearing fishing boots and carrying backpacks to reach the good fishing spots, so we always carried 2 bottles of water to keep hydrated.  A couple of days Paul and I did 6-mile round trips (uphill all of the way) to a great fishing spot on Slough Creek where there were trout swimming and rising all around us in the gin clear water.  I never caught one but Paul caught a few.  Even though the fish saw us, they didn’t stop their feeding activity.  They simply were not interested in what we had to offer.  Sometimes these big fish would only take tiny size 22-24 flies.  Over the course of the 10 days of fishing, wearing fishing boots and carrying backpacks, I walked about 25 miles and Paul 30, based upon his pedometer.

There were no forest fires near us, but we could see the smoke when we looked at the distant hills.  The color of the sun at sunset was usually orangish-red.  Whether it was the altitude or the effects of the smoke, we all suffered nasal/sinus problems and nosebleeds every day.

There were signs everywhere warning us of the bears and to always carry bear spray.   One day when Paul and I were hiking a mountain trail to reach a meadow on the other side of a ridge, we came upon a couple (from Florida) that had stopped and were looking at something ahead.  It was a brown black bear gorging itself on chokecherries right on the edge of our trail. We must have waited 20 minutes and still it was in no rush to move on.   Paul and I wanted to get to our fishing spot so we and the couple had to walk maybe 10 feet from it in order to get by.  We tapped our walking sticks/wading staffs, and softly talked while Paul had his pepper spray canister aimed at it as we carefully walked by.  He didn’t have to use it as the bear seemed to be more curious than aggressive.  I’m not sure we would have been so lucky had it been a grizzly bear.

On this trip, we learned some new fishing techniques from Craig.  One was using high density sinking line to get our dragonfly nymph flies to the river bottom and then to twitch them so that they would kick up mud.  The Cutthroats went nuts over them.  Another trick we learned from him was how to fish tiny creeks with grasshopper imitation flies.  Basically, the method was not to get near the creeks (they were actually out of sight) cast your fly to an area where you thought the creek was, and listen.  If you heard a splash then you raised the rod and hooked the fish.  If you can see the creek, said Craig, then the fish can see you.  It worked wonderfully, until the afternoon winds were tossing our fly lines all over the place.

Another new technique for me was “wet wading”.  No waders but only wading shoes, with your legs exposed to the water.  We all enjoyed fishing that way except for one morning when Mike and I fished the Gallatin River where the water temperature was 40 degrees.  Obviously, we didn’t stay in that river too long.

I’ll never forget one place on Slough Creek when a herd of buffalo decided to drink and cross it where Paul and I were fishing, virtually surrounding us.  Paul led the way out to some large boulders in the middle of the creek for protection, figuring they couldn’t stampede us there.  He must have learned about that tactic from some old cowboy movies.  Without getting into the particulars of that encounter, let’s just say that we came home with handfuls of buffalo hair. Another time, I put my net on the ground while I went a short distance to get a drink of water from my backpack.  Before returning a big buffalo decided to lay down right next to it.  After some time, it finally got up and ambled off, and I retrieved my net.

One day, we fished Henry’s Fork in Idaho.  Where we fished was shallow, wide and filled with long weeds swaying in the current. The fish were just out of casting range, and the weeds prevented us from wading too far out to them.  They acted like ropes around our legs and we just couldn’t get past them.  They didn’t bother Craig for he managed to catch a nice brown trout.

It’s interesting that in the morning we could fish the Madison River in YNP which flows into the Missouri River, to the Mississippi, to the Gulf of Mexico and ultimately to the Atlantic Ocean; whereas that same afternoon we could fish the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River (an hour away) which flows into the Columbia River and ultimately flows into the Pacific Ocean.  It depends upon which side of the Continental Divide (Rockies) you are on.

All too soon, our fishing trip was over and it was time for Paul and Mike to fly back home.  Craig was able to stay 4 more days and continued to send us pictures of the large fish that he continued to catch.  It had been a wonderful fishing trip.

Within minutes after Paul and Mike’s plane took off from the Bozeman, MT airport, my wife Jan flew in and we spent the next 4 days sightseeing YNP and the Teton Mountains in Wyoming. I’ll tell you about our sightseeing trip next week.