Category Archives: shooting

Spring turkey hunting season opens tomorrow

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The season opens tomorrow and runs through May 25. Hunting hours begin ½ hour before sunrise and end at noon. Hunters can harvest up to 2 bearded birds in the spring (1 per day).
MassWildlife predicts this spring turkey season will be a productive one for hunters across Massachusetts. In 2017, there was a record high spring harvest, and 2018 was the third highest spring turkey harvest ever. These continued high harvest years indicate a strong, resilient turkey population across all Wildlife Management Zones.
Spring and summer brood productivity can locally influence turkey populations, but overall brood success has been strong over the last several years. Winter severity may sometimes reduce turkey populations in northern climates, but habitat conditions are very good across the state and help buffer the effects of winter.
But don’t let the high abundance of turkeys fool you, says MassWildlife, it’s still very important to scout pre-season. Turkey hunting is very popular in the spring, especially during the first week of season, so scouting will help you identify multiple areas where hunting may be productive.
As always, remember to be respectful when hunting on private and public lands, watch out for ticks and be careful.
Rainbow trout liberated
The skies were leaden colored and there was a chilly wind which whipped across the lake into our faces, at the Stockbridge Bowl boat ramp on Thursday, April 18. But that didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the 50 or so people who were gathered there to witness or take part in the great trout liberation. Little tykes along with their siblings, parents and grandparents helped the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (DFW) release about 800 rainbow trout (which had a total estimated weight of approximately 1,000 lbs).
Everyone was focused on getting those trout into the lake. They were beauties, averaging around 14 inches with brilliant reddish pink bands along their sides
Aquatic Biologist Leanda Fontaine trucked the fish in from the McLaughlin Hatchery in Belchertown, MA. Prior to releasing the fish, she gave a little talk about the DFW and the various functions it provides. She talked about the 5 state hatcheries, the number of fish that are stocked statewide (500,000) and in our area (100,000), how long the stocking will take place this spring and other tidbits of interesting information. The overall reason for the event was to get kids, their parents and the general public aware of MassWildlife and its activities.
Leanda and her boss, DFW Western District Supervisor Andrew Madden then netted some fish from the truck fish holding tank, put them into buckets and had the kids rush them to the water’s edge and toss them into the lake. Some of those kids weren’t much taller than the buckets but there were plenty of adults to help them. When everyone got tired of racing to the water’s edge with the buckets of fish, Leanda and Andrew flushed the remaining hundreds of fish directly from the truck to the water.
I am happy to announce that there were no casualties, all the fish survived the ordeal and no buckets were accidentally tossed into the lake with the fish in them. I’m not sure who had the most fun, the adults or the kids.
Warning to the parents/grandparents: Many of these kids are old enough to remember where those fish were stocked and you can safely bet that they will be looking to you to bring them back to catch some of them. Perhaps you may want to catch a few yourself.
Look at that cute girl in the photo. The look of joy and excitement in her face tells it all. Don’t you just love seeing happy kids enjoying the outdoors. Who knows, maybe she was so inspired that someday she will become an aquatic biologist.
Trout stockings
The following local water bodies were scheduled to be stocked with trout last week.
Rivers and Brooks: Bronson Brook in Worthington, Depot Brook in Washington, Factory Brook in Middlefield, Green River in Alford, Egremont and Great Barrington; Little River in Worthington and Huntington, Mill Brook in Plainfield, Walker Brook in Becket and Chester, West Branch Brook in Chesterfield and Worthington, Westfield Brook in Windsor and Cummington, Westfield River (East Branch) in Cummington and Chesterfield, Williams River in West Stockbridge and Great Barrington and Yokum Brook in Becket.
Lakes and Ponds: Big Pond in Otis, Lake Buel, Lake Garfield, Goose Pond, Greenwater Pond and Otis Reservoir.
Firearms Safety Course
The Cheshire Rod & Gun Club will be hosting a scheduled live fire NRA & Massachusetts State Police Certified Firearms Safety Course next Sunday, May 5. This is to qualify MA residents and non-residents alike for the MA License-To- Carry or FID Card. It will be a hands-on live firing, one day course. A full lunch and a $10 gift certificate to Pete’s Gun Shop will be provided.
The cost is $100 which covers all ammo, safety gear, class materials, certificates, an NRA Firearms Safety textbook and the food. The class starts at 9:00 am and lasts until about 4:30 pm. 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. This live fire course fills up very quickly and you should call or stop in early to pre-register. They also ask you to be there by 8:45 am to sign in.
New Land Protected

MassWildlife recently acquired 13 acres in the town of Worthington on Sam Hill Road. This small but strategic acquisition provides greatly improved access to the part of the Fox Den Wildlife Management Area which is in Worthington. Beware, Sam Hill Road is an unpaved dead-end road which can get very muddy at times.

Map, Compass & Survival Course

On Saturday, May 11, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, MassWildlife will be conducting a Map, Compass, & Survival course at the DCR/Mass Park’s Visitor Center, 740 South Street, Pittsfield. This course is not recommended for students less than 12 years of age. To enroll call (508) 389-7830 Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:00pm.
Let’s not take this anymore!
What’s going on with those aggressive wild animals lately? Not too long ago, a young girl from Norwell was chased into her house by a coyote. It bit her arm and ran off with one of her shoes. Then there was the bear incident in Hinsdale a couple of weeks ago where a family’s small horse was killed. Now comes news of gangs of wild turkeys becoming aggressive, intimidating and pecking people near Boston.
Lock em up! That’s what I say. Build a wall! They’re thugs, bad actors! They’re intimidating us. Let them know that they are not welcomed in our neighborhoods. Round them up and drop them off in a sanctuary town, like Ripton!
Or we could take a more sensible approach by taking down those bird feeders to help keep the bears and turkeys away. We could put our garbage pails near the curbside in the morning instead of the night before. We could cover windows and shiny objects to keep turkeys from responding aggressively to shiny objects and their own reflections while they’re trying to assert dominance within their flock.
Pardon the levity this morning, but I think you get the point.

Small game hunting season closing for the year

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According to the MA fishing and hunting regulations, last Thursday, February 28, marked the end of cottontail rabbit, snowshoe hare and fox hunting seasons until they reopen next fall. This week, March 8, the bobcat and coyote hunting seasons end.

You must report your fox and coyote harvest within 4 working days of the end of the season by reporting them at official check station or online. If you report your harvest online, write the confirmation number on a tag and attach the tag to the carcass or pelt. These confirmation numbers must stay attached to the pelt or carcass until that pelt or carcass is prepared for mounting or sold or tanned.

While we are on the subject of regulations, please be aware that there are several hunting season date errors in the printed version of the 2019 Guide to Freshwater Fishing, Hunting, and Trapping Laws involving the bear, snowshoe hare, and furbearer seasons. While all digital versions of the Guide have been corrected, hard copy versions distributed at state offices, retailers, and other license vendors contain hunting season date errors. Click onto https://www.mass.gov/files/documents to find a 1-page hunting season summary with corrected season dates.

Jimmy Fund Ice Fishing Derby
The winners of the 33rd Annual Jimmy Fund Ice Fishing Derby which was held on February 10 were as follows:
Kids Division: 1st Place – Levi Starbird, a 9.25 lbs Pike; 2nd Place – Ricky Rando a 9.25 lbs Pike; 3rd Place – David Bonomi an 8.75lbs Pike.
Young Adults Division: 1st Place – James Lambert a 3.75lbs Brown Trout; 2nd Place – Andrew Clement a 2.75lbs Pickerel.
Adult Division: 1st Place – Ralph Wendling a 14.75lbs Pike; 2nd Place – Jake Burke a 12.25lbs Pike and 3rd Place – Jeff Kucka a 9.75lbs Pike.

Congratulations to all!

Public Meeting on the Conservation and Management of Hoosic River Fish

The Hoosic River Watershed Association (HooRWA) will be having a State of the River Conference on March 11 at 6:00 PM on the campus of Williams College, Williamstown, MA. The event will be held in Room 3 of Griffin Hall. A campus map is available at: https://map.williams.edu.

This year’s conference will feature presentations from three state fisheries biologists from Massachusetts, Vermont, and New York. They will speak on the status and conservation of the fishery resources of the Hoosic River. Following their talks, HooRWA will moderate a panel discussion to enable in depth question and answer, and discussion.

The Hoosic River is known as an outstanding trout fishery through most of its passage from its headwaters in Massachusetts down river into New York. In the lower New York reaches, it also provides excellent smallmouth bass and panfish angling.

Yet the River has challenges, including long-term warming trends, disturbance to the banks of the River causing erosion and siltation, presence of harmful environmental contaminants, and on-going development pressures throughout the watershed.

The HooRWA, with the assistance of the Williams College Center for Environmental Studies, will provide the public an opportunity to ask fisheries experts about the status of the fishery and the current management challenges. By bringing together agency professionals from all three states, the HooRWA seeks to cultivate a tristate discussion that could lead to a greater level of collaboration and cooperation in efforts to monitor the status of the fishery resource, and to adopt appropriate conservation measures to ensure long term benefits for our citizens.

Light refreshments and snacks will be provided

Archery Tournament

The Stockbridge Sportsmen’s Club will be having its Berkshire Championship Archery Tournament on March 16 and March 17. It is a 450-Round Archery Shoot for the benefit of its Scholarship Fund – Aim for Higher Education at the Buckhorn Archer’s Indoor Range, 24 West Stockbridge Road, Stockbridge, MA. The classes of competition are: Adults: compound, freestyle men, compound freestyle women; Bow Hunter Compound Men (Release and Fingers combined); Bow Hunter Compound Women (Release and Fingers combined); Traditional Longbow or Recurve. Choose any one of 3 shooting times: Saturday March 16 at 4:00 pm, Sunday March 17, 9:00 am or 1:00 pm, Youth Shoot 11:00 am Sunday.

There will be a Chinese Raffle and Silent Auction.

Tickets Only – Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner Saturday at 6:00 pm – Adults $25 and 12 & Under $10. a Pancake Breakfast on Sunday 7:30 to 11:00am – Adults $8 and 12 & Under $5.
For tickets to dinner, preregister, directions or questions, contact John Mange (518)794-7868 or John Davis (413) 446-9062.

They really take archery seriously at the SSC. This winter, they are having the biggest youth league that they have seen with more than 70 people taking part. The shooting takes place on Saturday mornings.

Keeping with the SSC, congratulations go to Bob Cameron for winning the Red Nose Skeet Championship which was held on December 30. This win follows up his Club Championship last fall.

Its “Déjà Vu” for our Onota Lake Bald Eagles

A message from local wildlife photographer Mark Thorne is as follows: “Its that time of year again for the eagles to be setting up “house” in preparation for another (hopefully) successful year. Same pair as the past several years: female (blue band T98) now in her 17th year, and her mate (gold band WR8) now 13 years old. They have been a pair nesting here since 2014. The female has been at this lake for much longer. I’ve been photographing her since 2007, although I was only able to confirm her identity in 2011”.

“As always, the female is very tolerant of my presence; the male less so. If I pretend that I’m going about some activity he stays, but if I stop and look up at him, he bolts within a minute or two. She will sit watching me for hours without moving.”

“I never tire watching them every year”, Mark said.

Thank you, Mark, and we never get tired of admiring your outstanding photos.

Fly-fishing Film Festival

The Taconic Chapter of Trout Unlimited invites you to enjoy its fly-fishing film festival at the
Chrissy Farm at the Barrington Brewery in Great Barrington on March 7 at 6:30 pm.
There are 9 award winning film shorts that take you to Alaska, French Polynesia, Yellowstone, the South Fork, and Australia to witness fly-fishing adventures in full color and sound. Trout, sharks, salmon and steelhead are found in some of their grandest habitats.

Taconic TU organizer Bill Travis encourages you to get there early and have a meal and/ or sample their on-location homemade beers. There will be an opportunity to enter a silent auction to win Costa sunglasses, Scientific Angler line, Simms Guide nippers, a Thomas and Thomas Avanti Rod, Yeti Roadie, Ross Reel and other items. (Ooh, bring some cash. This is high quality stuff!)

Tickets are $15 on-line and $20 at the door. On-line tickets are $15 and are available at: https://flyfilmtour.myeventscenter.com/event/Great-Barrington-Ma-31230.

Club Turkey Shoots

The Lenox Sportsmen’s Club and Lee Sportsmen’s Association will be having turkey shoots at their respective clubhouses starting today and running every Sunday through March 31. The hours for the Lenox shoots are from noon to 3:00 pm and the Lee club shooting hours are from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. Both clubs will be offering the winners NY strip steaks, turkeys, pork loins and spiral hams.

The “Greek” now fishes beyond the riverbend

John Kastrinakis, of Lenox, formerly of Lee, fondly referred to as “the Greek”, passed away this past week at the age of 84. A Taconic Chapter TU founding member and its treasurer for the first four or five years of existence, he was a long-time TU Board member. He was also a member of the Atlantic Salmon Federation and he took frequent salmon fishing trips to New Brunswick fishing for the “king of fish”. with friends from the Springfield area. He taught fly tying and fly fishing classes and developed his own well-known killer trout fly called the Greek Grabber. He was a recipient of Taconic TU’s prestigious Crooked Staff Award. He was a valued member of the ROMEOS (Retired Old Men Eating Out).

Our sincerest condolences go out to John’s wife Joyce and family who also recently lost a son/sibling Paul.

Its ice fishing time

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Now that the weather has finally turned cold, the ice on our lakes should now be safe to go ice fishing. Most ice fishermen that I know have been chomping at the bits waiting for this time. They already dug out their heavy clothes and ice fishing equipment. Their power augers are tuned up and ready to start drilling holes. Some folks probably rummaged through their freezers for deer burgers. All they have to do is purchase some hamburger rolls and live bait, grab a kid or two and head out onto the lake. Of course they already purchased their 2019 fishing or sporting licenses……..right?

I’m guessing that the ice thickness is somewhere between 6 and 12 inches thick, depending where you go. The higher up in elevation, the more ice on the lakes.

Actually, MassWildlife doesn’t want us to guess the ice thickness. They caution us to always consider ice to be potentially dangerous. One can’t judge ice conditions by appearance or thickness alone; many other factors like water depth, size of waterbody, water chemistry, currents, snow cover, age of ice, and local weather conditions impact ice strength.

New ice is stronger than old ice. Four inches of clear, newly formed ice may support one person on foot, while a foot or more of old, partially thawed ice may not. Ice doesn’t freeze uniformly. They caution you to continue checking ice conditions frequently while venturing out onto the ice.
Stay away from ice formed over flowing water. Avoid traveling onto ice-bound rivers and streams, as the currents make ice thickness unpredictable. Many lakes and ponds may contain spring holes and other areas of currents such as stream inlets that can create deceptively dangerous thin spots.
MassWildlife cautions that before heading out onto the ice, tell someone your plans, including where you are going and when you expect to return. Carry a cell phone in case of emergency and always carry ice picks and rope with you on the ice.
They suggest that you wear a life jacket because it will keep you at the surface and can provide insulation against the effects of cold water. (I suspect that for most of us wearing a life jacket is not practical. We are bundled up so much that we can’t fit the life jacket under or over our bulky clothes. Lately, ice fishing clothes manufactures are making parkas with flotations built inside them. That may be the way to go when you purchase your next parka).
The guidelines below are for clear, blue ice on lakes and ponds. White ice or snow ice is only about half as strong as new clear ice and can be very treacherous. Use an ice chisel, auger, or cordless drill to make a hole in the ice and determine its thickness and condition.
The general rule is that if there is 2 inches or less, stay off the ice. Four inches should support an individual on foot, 5 inches for snowmobiles or ATV’s and a foot or more for a small pick-up truck.
If you fall through the ice try not to panic. Call for help if there are people nearby. Don’t remove winter clothing as air trapped in your clothes can provide warmth and help you float. Turn in the direction from where you came because ice previously walked on should be the safest. Place your hands and arms on an unbroken surface and kick your legs. If you have ice picks or a pair of nails, use them to pull yourself up onto the ice while kicking. Lie flat and roll away. Once your torso is on firm ice, roll toward thicker ice to distribute your weight.
Find shelter and get warm: Change out of wet clothing and find warm, dry coverings. If you are in a remote area, get to or start a campfire. Otherwise, get to a car or house. Seek medical advice from your physician on medical attention.
If someone else falls in: Remember the phrase “Preach-Reach-Throw-Go.” Preach: Call 911 if you can. Shout to the victim to reassure them help is on the way. Reach: If you can safely reach them from shore, extend an object like a rope, jumper cables, tree branch, or ladder to them. Throw: Toss one end of a rope or something that will float to the victim. Go: If the situation is too dangerous for you to perform a rescue, call 911 or go to find help. Untrained rescuers can become victims themselves.
If your pet falls in, don’t attempt to rescue it. but rather go for help. You could become a victim yourself when trying to assist your pet. Always keep pets leashed while walking on or near ice.
For years the group that I ice fish with had a tongue-in-cheek rule that the oldest guy should go out on the ice first. What the heck, we would laugh, he had lived the longest life. Now that I am the oldest in the group, it doesn’t seem so humorous anymore. Lately, for one reason or another, I just haven’t been able to show up at the lake as early as the others. Darn! There’s usually someone out on the ice by the time I get there.
Firearm Course
The Lee Sportsmen’s Association (LSA) will be having a Multi-License Firearm Course next Saturday from 9:00am until 4:00pm for a proprietary LTC course that qualifies for licenses in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Florida, Utah, Arizona, etc. This comprehensive one-day course includes information for federal and state firearm laws, operation and safe handling of firearms, shooting fundamentals, care and cleaning, concealed carry methods, a live fire session on the pistol range, and much more.
Course fee is $180 for the entire course or take just the MA/CT segment for $150, with live fire. State license application fees and processing are not included. Participants will receive a course certificate, application forms, an informative student resource CD, and supporting documents. All firearms, ammunition, and eye and ear protection will be provided, including lunch as well.
To register, visit https://nrapistolinstructor.com/contact, and provide your full name including middle initial, date of birth, course date, course selection (Multi-License Firearm Course at Lee Sportsmen’s Association), address, telephone, and email contact information. Payment is due in cash at the course. Contact Robert McDermott at (413) 232-7700 or email robmcdermott@verizon.net.

Pheasant Fundraiser Dinner
The LSA will be having its Annual Turkey Shoot and Pheasant Fundraising Dinner next Sunday beginning at 1:00pm. Turkey shoots will be conducted from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. Prizes include: NY Strip steaks, turkeys, pork loins, and spiral hams. Dinner is served at 5:00pm. The cost is $15 per Adult and Children 12 and under are $7. For any questions or if you are interested in helping, contact John Polastri at (413) 822-8278.
Bunny Hunt
The Berkshire Beagle Club will be having its rabbit hunt next Saturday. It is advertised as a fun time with good food and raffle prizes, as well as prizes for largest hare and cottontail rabbit. Participants must the bring their game to the Beagle Clubhouse for the 5:00pm check-in. Hunting takes place on your own, away from clubhouse and grounds. The entrance fee is $20 which includes raffles and dinner. For more information, contact Hunt Chairman John Demary, at (413) 441-2253.
Incidentally, the club held its election of officers for 2019. Al Costa of Westfield, MA was elected President, Dick Kalisz of Adams as Vice President, Tim Cahoon of Pittsfield as Treasurer and Pat Barry of Pittsfield as Secretary.

2018 black bear harvest was down 25% from previous year

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At the January Meeting of the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen, DFW Western District Supervisor Andrew Madden presented the statewide 2018 preliminary black bear harvest report. He reported that during the three hunting seasons in 2018, a total of 201 bears were harvested. This represents a drop from the 270 bears taken in 2017 and the record 283 bears taken in 2016. A breakdown by season is as follows: First season (Sept. 4 – Sept. 22): 150 bears harvested, Second season (Nov. 5 – Nov. 24): 26, and the Shotgun season (Nov. 26 – Dec. 8): 25.  
He reported that the September and November seasons were virtually identical in 2017 (151 and 26). The big decrease in harvest in 2018 was during the Shotgun season. He speculated that bears were active very late in 2017, resulting in a high Shotgun season harvest, 91 bears taken. The lack of hard mast in 2018 saw bears enter their dens early which resulted in a corresponding reduction in the Shotgun season harvest, with only 25 bears taken.
Although these were preliminary figures, Madden does not expect the total to change significantly. There are a lot of bears out there and he expects that the 2019 harvest will climb back to the 270 range.
Sportsmen’s Clubs archery/shooting leagues gearing up for the new year
The Lee Sportsmen’s Association (LSA) in-house Winter Pistol League will commence Tuesday, January 15 at 6:30pm and continue every Tuesday for 10 weeks. It will feature both rim fire and center fire pistol matches, and rim fire rifle competitions. There will be 4 events in all. The cost will be $40.00 for one event and $5.00 for each event after that.
They will start at 6:30pm shooting the rim fire rifle match. Each shooter will shoot 30 rounds at a 50 ft. small bore rifle target. Shooters may lean against the front of the port and rest their elbows on the top of the port. Rifles may be equipped with scopes.
At 7:00pm, they will shoot an NRA gallery rim fire bullseye pistol match. Each shooter will shoot 10 rounds at a standard 50 ft. slow fire target, 10 rounds at a standard 50 ft. timed fire target, and 10 rounds at a standard rapid-fire target. The NRA gallery match is shot one-handed; however, they do allow a two-handed class for their league for those who would rather shoot two-handed.
There will be a combat match when the NRA gallery match is finished. Shooters will fire 25 rounds into a silhouette target at three different positions. The ammunition used will be any 9mm or larger.
For more information, please contact Larry Curtin at (413) 822-3764 or clcurtin9@hotmail.com.

The LSA will be having a Youth Archery League on Saturday mornings beginning January 12 through March 16. It is advertised as a safe, fun, and educational experience, where children ages 6 to 17 can learn and practice archery skills. The club provides everything the student needs, but if you would like to bring your own, that is OK, too.

The cost is $20 per participant and includes: indoor archery range use, bows, arrows, targets, weekly snacks, and t-shirts for new students. Session 1 for Ages 6-12 are from 9:00am to 10:30am and Session 2 for Ages 13-17 are from 10:30am to 12:00pm. Call or text Coach Doug Frank at (413) 822-0720 for more information, or if you wish to discuss placing a student in a different session for any reason.

The LSA is also having a Thursday Night Archery League. It runs from January 17 through March 7 and begins at 6:00pm. You will be shooting at foam 2D targets. There is a $20 fee. Contact Todd Bush at (413) 441-2094 for more information.

The Lenox Sportsmen’s Club (LSC) will be having its Bullseye League starting tomorrow night at 7:00pm and running 11 weeks until March 19. The shoots include .22 Caliber at 50 feet and Centerfire at 75 feet. The same Bullseye League also runs on Thursdays at 12:00 noon. That one started last Thursday.
The LSC Rifle League started this morning at 10:00 am with .22 Caliber rifle at 50 ft. & 75 ft
For more information contact Ray Scheufler- 413-443-3059 or E-mail rps94@msn.com.

The LSC Adult and Youth Archery Leagues start the first and second weeks in January. Its Youth Archery League started on January 12 from 9:00 to 10:30 am for youths 8 to 12 years old and from 10:30am to 12:00pm for 13 to 16-year olders. They are free and some equipment is available for beginners. Contact Mark Jester (413)499-8482. They also have a Club 3D Archery League on Mondays (contact Brian Vincent at (413)443-2098 for details) and a 2D Archery League on Wednesday – Friday and Saturdays (contact Jim Ferguson (413)499-0212.)
The LSC will be having a .22LR Rifle League this year. For those interested in participating, the league will run on Sundays starting at 10:00am. For more information contact Charles Kronick at 413-448-6065 or email chak219@yahoo.com.
The Stockbridge Sportsmen’s Club began its Youth Archery League yesterday. Although sign-up was yesterday you might still be able to enter it. The league will run for 10 Saturdays, starting on January 12. The club provides all equipment or you may bring your own. Non-members are welcome. You can download and mail a registration form along with a $40 fee. Anyone of interest and is able to assist should contact Mike Buffoni.

Coyote Derby
Dave’s Sporting Goods in Pittsfield is having its Coyote Derby again this year. It will run until the end of coyote hunting season which is March 8, 2019. Entrance fee is $10 and prizes will be awarded to the person who bags the most coyotes, the largest coyote and there will also be a random draw.
Marlborough FlyFishing Show

The 2019 Fly Fishing Show will take place from January 18 through 20 at the Royal Plaza Trade Center,181 Boston Post Road, West Marlborough, MA. The show’s newest edition features a tribute ceremony to the late fly-fishing icon Lefty Kreh on Saturday, plus more than 10 demonstrations or audio/visual presentations each hour together with wall-to-wall displays of the newest fly rods, reels, lines, boots, waders, clothing and flies during the three-day mid-winter run.
In addition to tackle, lodges and exotic destinations, show visitors can view continuous fly-tying demonstrations, how-to-do-it seminars and presentations ranging from the Rangeley Lakes in Western Maine to Surf Fishing for Striped Bass.
Seminars include Euro-nymphing, Tightline and Other Nymph Fishing Secret Weapons by Jason Randall to Catching Difficult Trout by Ed Engle. Casting demonstrations are scheduled by Gary Borger, George Daniel, Jeff Currier and Sheila Hassan among others.
Featured fly tiers include Borger, Alan Caolo, Tim Flagler, Joe Cordiero, Bob Clouser and Engle.
The northeastern premiere of the 2019 Fly Fishing Film Festival is Friday at 6:30. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door.
Scouts in uniform can earn credits toward a fly-fishing merit badge.
The FlyFishing Show® admission is $15 for one day, $25 for two days and $35 for three days. Children under age 5 are free as are Boy and Girl Scouts under 16 in uniform. Children under 12 are $5. Active military with an ID are $10.
For a complete list of fly-fishing films, classes, seminars, door prizes, demonstrations and the Scout Merit Badge program, visit flyfishingshow.com/marlborough-ma/ or phone (814) 443-3638.

Shotgun deer hunting season opens tomorrow, prompting another sleepless night

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Well, here we go again. Tomorrow marks another opening day of shotgun deer hunting season and tonight marks another sleepless night. I’ll be so hyped up about the anticipated thrill and excitement of the hunt that sleep will be next to impossible. Some people count sheep while trying to get to sleep, tonight I’ll count deer.
Inevitably, I’ll be going over my list of things that must be brought tomorrow; gun, bullets, knife, drag rope, hunting license, a fully charged cell phone, etc. Boy, does that 4:00 am alarm come fast.
This year marks my 60th year of deer hunting (with the exception of those years away in school or serving Uncle Sam). While tossing and turning tonight, inevitably, some of those past deer hunts, which evoked vivid memories, will be relived.
I especially remember one year, nearly 25 years ago, when I decided to hunt land in West Stockbridge. Early that morning I left a note telling my wife Jan where I would be hunting. Unfortunately, I saw neither a deer nor fresh track there. Even though there was no snow on the ground, I should have been able to see ruffled leaves, hoof prints in the mud or something that would give an indication that there were deer in the area. Around noontime, I decided to call it a day and go home.
While nearing my street, I started thinking that deer hunting season comes only for a short period once a year. Why am I going home so early? I made a last-minute decision to hunt October Mountain for a couple of hours that afternoon. (I know! I know! I shouldn’t have done that).
I planned to take a stand no more than 100 yards or so down the hill, on the edge of a swamp. (For you old timers, it was behind the remnants of the old fire tower). I didn’t take my backpack for I had already consumed my lunch and coffee. I just carried some shells, the drag rope and knife. What the heck, I wasn’t going that far and could almost see my truck from there. Before reaching the stand, I spotted freshly disturbed leaves and hoofprints and decided to follow them. The leaves were a little crunchy and noisy, but the wind was in my favor so I thought I might be able to sneak up on the deer. After trailing it for about a half an hour, I spotted the deer.
It was standing still in some brush facing the other way. It was a fairly long but makeable shot and I got down on one knee to steady my aim. The only problem was that I couldn’t determine if it was a buck or doe and I didn’t have a doe permit. The size and location of the brush (around its head) was such that I couldn’t make the determination. Another concern was that the slug might deflect off of some of the brush and I would miss it.
I stayed on one knee with gun aimed for a long time, but the deer refused to move. I knew that as soon as I moved, the deer would bolt off. After a while, my legs and arms started aching from being locked in that position, and I couldn’t take it any longer. I dropped to my second knee and, sure enough, it spooked the deer and off it ran. I never did determine if it was a buck or doe.
Oh well, it was getting late (around 3:00 pm) and time to head back to the truck. I back-tracked the best that I could, but every time I tried to go back up the hill, I hit that swamp. Funny, I didn’t remember going through it while tracking that deer, but then again, I was so focused on the tracks that I didn’t pay much attention to the surroundings. I could see the hill that I came down from the truck, but I just couldn’t get across a brook in that swamp to get to it. I tried crossing it several times at different locations, but to no avail. By the time darkness set in, I realized that I was turned around (Not lost!). Great! I thought, my compass was with the backpack in the truck. Fortunately, it was a bright moonlit evening and I could see fairly well.
Even though I was hunting a mountain with which I was somewhat familiar, my heart started pounding indicating panic, whether I liked it or not. Guess what Gene, it told me, you are going to spend the night here.
Oh boy! If I wasn’t home by 8:00pm, Jan would probably call the police, report me missing and tell them I was hunting in West Stockbridge! No way for me to call her for there were no cell phones at that time.
Well, I thought, if I am going to spend the night here, I might as well get out of this swamp, head up the hill behind me, find a big tree to shelter me from the wind and hunker down. Besides, I reasoned, when I get high enough on this hill, I might be able to look east across the swamp, see the tree line in the moon light and perhaps find my way out. It was bright enough out that I could take periodically short walks around the tree to warm up. (Forget a fire, my lighter which I always carry, was also in the backpack).
Every now and then while trudging up the hill, I looked back and tried to see if I could find a passage through that swamp and up the hill to the road. I was hoping a vehicle would drive by on that road and I could see its headlights. No luck.
About half way up my hill, I spotted something shining up ahead. As I neared it, it appeared to look like an automobile, reflecting the moonlight. Strange, I thought, how did someone get a vehicle up here, there are no roads.
As I closed in, the mystery was solved. It was my own truck! Talk about being happy! All that time, I was trying to go the wrong way. What if that deer was a buck and I shot it. I would still be dragging it.
This true event occurred when I was in my 50’s and I am ashamed to say that I made some major blunders. Let’s recap them: Hunting in an area where no one knew where I was; not taking mental notes of landmarks and such as I was trailing the deer; not carrying the compass in my pockets but rather attached to the backpack; not bringing the backpack with me which contained an extra shirt, fire starter, food, etc. Some would even argue that I shouldn’t have been hunting alone to begin with.
Deer hunters please remember

If you harvest a deer during the first week of shotgun deer hunting season, you must bring it to a physical check station to allow biologists to collet important data needed for deer management. During the second week and during the muzzleloader deer hunting season, deer harvested may be reported online. Reporting is required within 48 hours of harvest.

Firearms Safety Course
Pete’s Gun Shop will be having an NRA & Massachusetts State Police Certified Firearms Safety Course next Sunday December 2nd, at the Cheshire Rod & Gun Club in Cheshire, MA. This is to qualify MA residents and non-residents alike for the MA License -To-Carry or FID Card. This will be a hands-on LIVE FIRING, one day course.
Lunch will be provided as well as a give-back of a $10 gift certificate to Pete’s Gun Shop. The cost of $100 covers all ammo, safety gear, class materials, certificates, a hardcover NRA textbook and food. Sign-in is at 8:45am, class starts at 9:00am and it ends around 4:30pm Interested parties should pre-register by calling or stopping in at Pete’s Gun Shop at 413-743-0780, as space is limited.
The Massachusetts LTC is now recognized for concealed carry in 29 states including:
Arizona, Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Check with Pete’s periodically for new additions.
Residents of Vermont can get the MA Non-Resident LTC by taking this course, and if National Reciprocity passes, they can then take advantage of it.

More than 1,300 acres of Western District lands protected by MassWildlife in f/y 2018

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In his October report to the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen, DFW Western District Supervisor Andrew Madden announced that MassWildlife completed 14 land protection projects totaling more than 1,300 acres in the Western District in Fiscal Year 2018. Lands were protected for wildlife habitat as well as for hunting, fishing, and wildlife dependent recreation.
Local DFW Land Agent Peter Milanesi had a busy and productive year. Some of the projects he worked on had been previously noted in this column earlier this year, such as the 57 acres in Otis, 170 acres in the Hinsdale/Peru area and 232 acres in Hancock.
In West Stockbridge, two parcels of land were acquired. One was 15 acres named the Maple Hill Wildlife Management Area (WMA). This was a gift by the Pachas family and consisted mainly of land along the Williams River, which is stocked annually by the DFW. The Berkshire Natural Resources Council was instrumental in helping DFW acquire the property by removing an old building on the property. At this time, there is no public access to the property but hopefully, sometime in the future public access can be acquired. It protects a section of river behind the Ida Lane area, downstream of downtown West Stockbridge
The second piece in West Stockbridge was a 2.5 acre which abuts the Maple Hill WMA
In Egremont, working with NRD Funds and with the help of the BNRC (removed another building) some 59 acres were preserved. Part of the Jug End Fen WMA, access is off of Route 23. Karner Brook flows through part of the land.
Two pieces of land totaling approximately 7+ acres along Notch Road in Cheshire were acquired. They abut the Chalet WMA.
DFW acquired a Conservation Easement on 26+ acres near the Plainfield/Cummington town lines thanks to a donation by the Franklin Land Trust.
Another piece of Plainfield property where DFW acquired a Conservation Easement was some 99.66 acres of land formerly known as the Guyette Farm. Once again, the Franklin Land Trust donated the easement. Situated on Gloyd and South Central Roads and named the Meadow Brook Wildlife Conservation Easement, it has full public access.
Also, working with the Franklin Land Trust and using Landscape Partnership monies some 466 acres of land in the Plainfield, Cummington and Ashfield areas were protected. The North Branch of the Swift River which flows through the land is not stocked, but it has a population of wild, native trout.
Incidentally, on November 3, from 10am to 12pm, the Franklin Land Trust will celebrate this newly conserved Swift River Wildlife Management Area at the Plainfield Town Hall, Plainfield, MA. It is free and open to the public.
Hear from Mass Wildlife’s John Scanlon and Brian Hawthorne about the role this important piece of land plays in the broader landscape and the special habitat found there. An optional walking tour of Swift River WMA will follow. Light refreshments will be served. Call 413-625-9151 to reserve your space.
About 87 acres of land was preserved in Worthington. Access off of West Street but there is no formal parking area. It is now part of the Fox Den WMA.
Lastly, a 102.73- acre parcel of land was purchased in South Lee along the Housatonic River behind the old Country Curtains, on both sides of the river. The access points are through the Windsock Industrial Park near the cul-de-sac on the western side, and on the eastern side from Meadow Street which connects with the existing Hop Brook WMA. The Housatonic River, which runs through this property is a premier trout Catch and Release area.
All new land has been added to the MassWildlife Land Viewer system and can be viewed at www.mass.gov\masswildlife.
Loon project showing signs of success

After 4 or 5 years of dragging a loon raft out onto Cleveland Reservoir, DFW Supervisor Madden reported that they had their first successful nesting pair of loons in Berkshire County. They were able to band the adults and the young ones.

They actually built the loon raft and “It was nice to have it actually work”, said Madden. They are now looking at some additional sites.

There is a program in the eastern part of the state where DFW got some loons from up in Maine and brought them down as chicks and put them out in the wild and they also are getting returns.

If there is a sound that epitomizes the remote northern lakes and ponds it is the call of the loon, especially during the quiet twilight hours. It truly is a call of the wild. Once you have heard its call, you will never forget it. Rarely will you hear its call from close proximity for it is a shy, elusive bird. If you hear one at all, it will usually be from a great distance.

An important part of my trips to northern Maine, and eastern Canada is hearing the sound of these birds echoing across the undisturbed, remote ponds in or near God’s country.

Unfortunately, these magnificent birds are susceptible to picking up and digesting fishermen’s lead sinkers, presumably mistaking them for pebbles for their craw, and many have died from lead poison because of it. Some years ago, Massachusetts established regulations banning the use of lead sinkers and jigs under a certain size.
Although it was an inconvenience for the fishermen because they had to divest themselves of the lead sinkers and use other materials such as tin, bismuth, steel, and tungsten-nickel alloy. But, I believe the rewards of having the loons in our midst again makes it all worthwhile.
Incidentally, if you are unfamiliar with the sound of loons, just google “loons”, then “loonsong”, sit back and enjoy their music.
Pistol shooters
Remember my column of July 1, 2018 (State title for Lenox) where I mentioned that the Lenox Sportsmen’s Club Pistol Shooting team took first place at the State finals? According to Team Captain David Cimini, that could be the first State title ever for the club and perhaps for a Berkshire team, at least in recent memory.
They scored 4,126 out of 4,500 possible points, beating the 2nd place Merrimac Valley Pistol League by 21 points.
The Lenox team shooters were: Team Captain – David Cimini, Co-Captain Ray Scheufler, Peter Kirchner, Tom Greenleaf, Gregg Proctor and James Denault. All are Pittsfield residents except for Proctor who resides in Hinsdale. The top shooter was Denault who scored 834 out of 900 possible points.
At that time, I mentioned that if I ever get a picture of these shooters holding their trophy I would run it. It took a while to get, but here it is. Congratulations gents! Might fine shooting!.
Fisheries & Wildlife Board Meeting
The October meeting of the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board will be held this Tuesday, October 30, at 10:00 am at the Lenox Library, in the Welles Gallery, 18 Main Street, Lenox.

An estimated 150 Black Bears taken during the September Season

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The September Back Bear hunting season, which began on September 4 ended on September 22. Preliminary results show that approximately 150 bears were harvested. Most of the bears were checked in on-line and there may still be some checking stations yet to report. Last year’s September total was 151.

There were some large bears taken during this season. For example, there was one checked in on-line estimated to weigh 450lbs, (non-dressed) taken in New Marlborough, one weighing 435lbs (dressed) that was checked into the Buckland check station, one which weighed in at 342lbs (dressed) taken in Lee and another one weighing 375lbs (dressed) taken in Otis.

The November bear hunting season opens on November 5 and runs through November 24. There are different regulations, such as the type of hunting implement, applicable to this hunt so be sure to check the Massachusetts Guide to Hunting Laws (abstracts).

Teddy Bears picnic

The Lenox Historical Society (LHS) will be having a Teddy Bears Picnic on Saturday October 6 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Museum of Lenox History (Academy Building) 65 Main Street, Lenox. Dale Abrams, Education & Volunteer Coordinator for Mass Audubon’s Berkshire Sanctuaries will be the guest speaker. His talk will be geared toward children and will address living with the bears in our midst – where and what their dens are like, how they will spend the winter, what is appropriate behavior if they see a bear, etc. The LHS wants kids (and adults) to learn about their environment, especially since there are so many encounters with bears in the Berkshires.

The LHS will have an exhibit of teddy bears in its museum.

The presentation will last about an hour in order to have enough time for kids to ask questions. Light refreshments will be served after the talk. The event is free and open to the public.

Woodcock hunting season opens this week
The season opens on Thursday, October 4 and runs through Saturday, November 24, excluding Sundays. The daily bag limit is 3 and the possession limit is 9. Woodcock (Timberdoodle) hunters are required to complete a Harvest Information Program (HIP) survey, but no State or Federal waterfowl stamps are required.
Non-toxic shot is not required for woodcock, snipe or rails; however, if you are planning to hunt other species at the same time, no lead shot may be in the hunter’s possession while hunting ducks, geese or coot.

DFW talk on Chronic Wasting Disease
On Thursday, October 4, the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen (BCLS) will be hosting a presentation by David Stainbrook, MassWildlife’s Deer and Moose Project Leader at the Cheshire Rod & Gun Club, 310 Curran Rd, Cheshire, MA. Beginning at 7:00 pm, he will be giving a presentation on the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) which is a contagious neurological disease that is fatal to cervids, including deer, elk, and moose. The BCLS encourages you to attend this informative presentation which is free and open to the public.

Prior to Stainbrook’s presentation, beginning at 6:00 pm, the BCLS will conduct a short monthly meeting. The League is made up of delegates from the various Berkshire County sportsmen’s clubs, and the meetings include monthly reports by DFW Western District Supervisor Andrew Madden and MA Fish & Wildlife Board Member Stephen Sears. League and club delegate members discuss various subjects of interest to sportsmen. If you are a local outdoor sportsman who has never attended a BCLS meeting, you might want to come to that meeting and see what it’s all about. Who knows, you might want to represent your club at future meetings.
Dalton’s John Ballard takes 1st in trap shooting
Representing the Lee Sportsmen’s Club, John took 1st Place in a Registered Trap Shoot on September 1 and 2 in North Leominster, MA. He shot 195 out of 200 tries while competing against 150 others in the “C Class” category. No, he didn’t come home with a blue ribbon or trophy, but received a check in the mail.
John says that the Lee Sportsmen’s Club is always looking for new trap shooters. He and others teach trap shooting at the club on Saturday mornings. One caveat, don’t bother him on Saturdays during the goose hunting season.
According to Wikipedia, trapshooting is one of the three major disciplines of competitive clay pigeon shooting (shooting shotguns at clay targets). The other disciplines are skeet shooting and sporting clays. They are distinguished roughly as follows:
• In trap shooting, the targets are launched from a single “house” or machine, generally away from the shooter.
• In skeet shooting, targets are launched from two “houses” in somewhat “sideways” paths that intersect in front of the shooter.
• Sporting clays includes a more complex course, with many launch points.
There are variations within each group.
Trapshooting is practiced all over the world with certain variants. Olympic trap, also known as “International Trap”, “Bunker”, “ISSF Trap” and “Trench”; Double Trap is also an Olympic event. Other non-Olympic Trap include: Down-The-Line, also known as “DTL” and Nordic Trap. American Trap is the predominant version in the United States and Canada.
American Trap has two independent governing bodies. The Amateur Trapshooting Association (ATA) sanctions events throughout the United States and Canada, as well as the Pacific International Trapshooting Association (PITA) which sanctions events on the West Coast of North America.
Trapshooting was originally developed, in part, to augment bird hunting and to provide a method of practice for bird hunters. Use of targets was introduced as a replacement for live pigeons. Indeed, one of the names for the targets used in shooting games is clay pigeons. The layout of a modern trapshooting field differs from that of a skeet field and/or a sporting clays course.
Trapshooting has been a sport since the late 18th century when real birds were used; usually the passenger pigeon, which was extremely abundant at the time. Birds were placed under hats or in traps which were then released. Artificial birds were introduced around the time of the American Civil War. Glass balls (Bogardus) and subsequently “clay” targets were introduced in the later 1800s, gaining wide acceptance.

Field Trial
The Berkshire Beagle Club will be having a Small Pack Option Field Trial at its Richmond Club next weekend, October 6 and 7. The female beagles will run on Saturday and the males on Sunday. They will be having another TT15 Mini Collar raffle for $10 a ticket.
Beaglers come from all over the Northeast to participate in these trials and have wonderful remarks about the condition of the grounds, the numbers of the bunnies available and how the field trials are conducted and judged. The grounds cover some 80 plus acres with both cottontail and snowshoe hares inhabiting them.
In the Beagle Club’s August field trial week-end they had 173 entries over the three days but there were no local winners. Maybe this time one of own local dogs will win. In all fairness, they are competing against some of the best beagles in the Northeast.

Lenox Sportsmen’s Club Pistol Team claimed State title

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Last month, the Lenox SC Pistol Team went on a shooting rampage and took 1st place in the Berkshire County pistol competitions which they have won for the last few years, and then competed in the State Finals and won that, too. According to Team Captain David Cimini, that could be the first State title ever for the club and perhaps for a Berkshire team, at least in recent memory.
They scored 4,126 out of 4,500 possible points, beating the 2nd place Merrimac Valley Pistol League by 21 points.
To get to the State finals, the 11 to 15- member pistol team had to win the Berkshire County title. Once that was accomplished, they qualified to represent Berkshire County at the State level.. They had to trim their number of shooters down to 6, selecting their top scorers. Eight teams competed at the State level, representing the different counties.
The rules state that teams must shoot .22 caliber pistols, using open or red dot sights, one handed, at a bull’s eye target at a 50- foot range. The scores entered can only be from the accumulation of the five top scorers. It is called a 900 match. Each shooter has 90 shots at 10 points apiece with a maximum score of 900 points.
The Lenox team shooters were: Team Captain – David Cimini, Co-Captain Ray Scheufler, Peter Kirchner, Tom Greenleaf, Gregg Proctor and James Denault. All are Pittsfield residents except for Proctor who resides in Hinsdale. The top shooter was Denault who scored 834 out of 900 possible points.
According to Cimini, there are some very good shooters at the eastern end of the state, many of them are in weekly leagues, similar to bowling leagues. The Lenox Club only shoots 10 or 12. One of those eastern teams usually takes the State title every year. “This year was our year”, he said, “We worked hard., we practiced hard and we really put a lot into it. And it paid off.” Over the years, they have placed anywhere from 2nd to 8th. Last year, Lenox finished 3rd.
I was hoping to get a picture of these sharpshooters holding the trophy and medals, but the awards are late and have not arrived yet. When they do arrive, I hope to include a picture in a future column.
Congratulations, gents! Mighty fine shooting, mighty fine!
Recent Massachusetts DFW activities now that trout stocking is over
Recently, they completed stocking Quabbin Reservoir with its annual allotment of 10,000 landlocked salmon raised at the Palmer Fish Hatchery. It will take about 3 years for these fish to reach the 15″ minimum size for harvest.

According to Western District supervisor Andrew Madden, they successfully banded bald eagle chicks at Richmond Pond and the Westfield River in Russell.

They are also continuing deployment of black bear GPS radio collars. They added 1 collared female this past spring.

Teachers are tutored on fly fishing

Ronald Wojcik, of Windsor, MA is a teacher at Taconic High School in Pittsfield, coaches the Hoosic Valley Girls’ Basketball Team and also is a superb fly fisherman. So, it makes perfect sense for him to start an after-school fly fishing club for the Taconic High students. About 12 years ago, he did just that and since then about 50 students have taken the course.

The course includes lessons in fly fishing and casting, fly tying (depending on interest), fly fishing equipment, entomology, species of trout, videos, etc. His availability to teach these subjects depends on his basketball coaching schedule for the Hoosic Valley Girls’ Basketball Team.

This past year, Ron had no students available to take his fly fishing course, in spite of sending e-mails and posting fliers about the course. The students were tied up in other sports or had after school jobs. When the teachers saw the flyers, they asked, “What about us? We would like to learn to fly fish, too.” Ron agreed and as a result, 4 Taconic teachers, and the Wahconah High School Girls’ Basketball Coach, Liz Kay, attended the fly fishing lesson. (Ironically, Liz’s team defeated Hoosic Valley in the play-offs last year, but Ron welcomed her anyway). The Taconic teachers were Kris Pearson, Patrice Lattrell and Ana Larkin. Amy Green is a health technician volunteer.

On the evening of June 19, Ron invited the teachers up to his house to learn to fly fish for trout in his private pond, a body of water of about ¾ acre. Also invited were 5 members of the Taconic Chapter of Trout Unlimited to do the one-on-one tutoring. They were Stephen Smith, William Travis, Marc Hoechstetter, Paul Knauth and me. After dining on pizza, we got down to the business of casting for and catching trout.

The teachers were a mix of novice anglers and those with some experience. The teacher that I was mentoring, Kris Pearson, had never fly fished before, and on her second cast, a large trout hammered her black wooly bugger fly and went deep to the bottom and put up a fierce fight.

You should see the excitement that ensued with Ron rushing over joining me with instructions. I think Kris was a little intimidated and tried to hand the rod over to me. But it was it was her fish to catch or lose. It was a brute, probably one of Ron’s rainbow trout that he stocked in the 6 to 10- inch range 4 or 5 years ago and now weighed around 5 lbs. After swimming around the pond, it finally got off. Liz immediately became sold on fly fishing and now wants to buy a starter fly fishing outfit.

About halfway through the fishing lesson, Ron’s wife Diane Wojcik brought down to the pond some freshly made and still warm cookies. Their labra-doodle dog, Hershey, checked on all of the lady fly fishers, too. And then they went back to fishing.

Ron made sure that all of the fish that were caught were resuscitated and swam away to fight another day.

So, did these teachers pass or fail? They passed with flying colors. By the end of the session, all of them were decent fly casters and all either caught trout or had them on. They appeared to be having a great time, as did the mentors.

There was no need to send them home with bad report cards. They can now advance to the next phase, that of catching fish out of our local lakes and rivers and enjoying all of the beautiful sights that our Berkshires have to offer. Also, they can go on summer vacation now!

Small fry are liberated into Windsor Brook

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In January brook trout eggs were received from the Sunderland State Fish Hatchery and placed in an aquarium at Taconic High School in Pittsfield. This was part of the Trout-in-the- Classroom program which MassWildlife sponsors. The eggs hatched about two weeks later and they were raised by some 80 or so Taconic High School students from grades 9 through 12. They have been attended to by the students, under the watchful eyes of teachers Michelle Potash and Tonya Michaud. They were fed pellets and remained there until last Thursday when they were set free.

I had hoped to get pictures of the kids releasing them but due to transportation issues (funding to provide bussing to bring the kids to Windsor) and other issues, none of the kids were able to make it. It’s a shame that after all of the attention and care that the kids gave to raise these fish, they could not be there to watch their liberation. Thanks to the above-mentioned dedicated teachers, who took the time to drive the brook trout to the release location. And thanks to teacher Ron Wojcik who coordinated the release site and time.

Youngsters take note! The unnamed stream where they were released runs across property owned by Tom Garvey (Maybe we should name it Tom’s Brook?) One could not choose a better place to release these fish, for it is a cold, clean little brook that doesn’t dry up in the summer and is a tributary to nearby Windsor Brook in Windsor. All of the little fry (perhaps 1 ¼ inches in length) appeared happy in their new home. They immediately acclimated to the currents, and back currents so that they constantly faced into them. Care was taken to not put them in pools where larger trout were likely to live and, given the opportunity, would gobble them up.

Those fish are not forgotten once released, for Tom keeps a close eye on them and feeds them daily. He even covers the stream with wire mesh in order to keep the blue herons from getting at them and eating them up. (herons love small brook trout, they can’t get enough of them). Tom has been through this routine before for this marks the 4th year that they have been released on his property. He observes them until the fall when the fish by that time are perhaps 3 inches long. That is when they disappear up or downstream and find new territories in which to reside.

Trout Stockings

The following waters were scheduled to be stocked with bigger trout last week, subject to change. Please note that Onota Lake in Pittsfield and Windsor Pond in Windsor have also been stocked with tiger trout. In addition to those waters, the following waters have been stocked: Deerfield River in Buckland, Charlemont, and Florida; East Branch of the Westfield River in Chesterfield, Cummington, Savoy and Windsor; Littleville Reservoir in Chester and Huntington, Upper Highland Lake in Goshen, Housatonic River C&R in Lee and Stockbridge, Farmington River in Otis and Sandisfield and Laurel Lake in Lee.

Northern Pike Stocking

The DFW stocked more than 16,000 fingerling-sized northern pike into Cheshire Reservoir on Friday, April 27. These 4″ fish, which will take about 3 years to reach the 28″ minimum harvest size, were obtained from New Jersey DFW as part of a cooperative exchange program.
Northern Pike naturally reproduce in several waterbodies in the state. In the Berkshires, the natural reproduction is able to sustain the fishery in the Housatonic River (including Woods Pond) and in Pontoosuc, Onota, Buel, and Cheshire lakes.
MassWildlife also stocks some locations with sterile Tiger Muskellunge, which is a cross between a northern pike and muskellunge, and is a member of the esocid family. MassWildlife does not have a warm water hatchery in which to rear esocids but usually obtains a small number of 3–12 ” fish each year from the NJ DFW. They are stocked in selected Massachusetts waters with sufficient habitat to support them. It takes 5 or more years for them to attain the 28″ minimum legal length.
Training Range Safety Officers
The Lee Sportsmen’s Association will be conducting Range Safety Officer (RSO) Training on May 19 at 9 am. The minimum age to become a credentialed NRA RSO is 21, and one must provide a valid and current NRA membership number on the day of the course. After the instructor submits the training report, applicants will be able to complete credentialing process online (nrainstructors.org). The Cost of this course is $100, and the Cost of a 2-year credential for NRA members is $30 ($50 for non-NRA members). If you are not already an NRA member, and would like to become one prior to taking this course, it is recommended you call the NRA rather than join online.

Registration is required, and the registration form can be downloaded and printed from nrainstructors.org website, RSO Course Registration Form. Contact Rob McDermott for questions, concerns, and registration at 413-232-7700 or email robmcdermott@verizon.net

International Defensive Pistol Association

The IDPA will be having a Steel Action Shoot on Sunday, May 20 at the Lee Sportsmen’s Association. For information, contact Shawn Sullivan at ssullee@icloud.com.
Endangered Species Day

This year, Endangered Species Day is observed on May 18. The United States Congress appointed this day to recognize efforts in conserving rare species. Through the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act, Massachusetts also protects local native species that may or may not be federally protected. Over 425 endangered, threatened, or special concern animals and plants live in Massachusetts. Species from the majestic bald eagle to the unusual mountain cranberry need protection. Even though many, like the peregrine falcon, have come a long way, our native species still need help.
MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program implements the state’s Endangered Species Act. This happens through field surveys and research, regulations, habitat management, land protection, and education. But the Program needs you to help monitor rare species by telling MassWildlife when you see them. You can also help by donating directly to the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program. Find out more by visiting mass.gov/supportnhesp.
Fishing Derbies

The Stockbridge Sportsmen’s Club is having its Spring Fishing Derby at the boat ramp on Stockbridge Bowl next Sunday, May 20 from dawn until 3:00pm. Prizes of $100 will go the heaviest trout, pickerel, bass and bullhead. There will be free lures for all kids 12 and under. Hot breakfast and lunch will be available. Pre-registration fee is $10 and post registration is $15. Tickets are available at the Minkler Insurance Agency, 31 Main Street, Stockbridge, (W)413-644-3590, (H)413-298-4630 or from any club member.

DFW Director Jack Buckley retires
After 30 years of service with the DFW (MassWildlife), Director Jack Buckley retired on April 30, 2018. Appointed as Director by the Fisheries and Wildlife Board in 2015, Buckley supported new outreach initiatives such as social media and agency re-branding; focused efforts on hunter and angler recruitment, retention, and reactivation; accelerated habitat management activities on MassWildlife lands; procured habitat management grant funding for private landowners and municipalities; and partnered with the Massachusetts Water Resources Agency for a pipeline to supply the McLaughlin Hatchery in Belchertown with gravity-fed water from Quabbin Reservoir. During this time, MassWildlife celebrated its 150th Anniversary, opened its new LEED Platinum certified Field Headquarters in Westborough for meetings and events to a wide variety of state agencies and conservation groups, and continued to protect and manage over 200,000 acres of important fish and wildlife habitat to benefit both wildlife and people.
The majority of Buckley’s career with MassWildlife was spent as Deputy Director of Administration and Personnel. He was responsible for personnel, fiscal, and budgetary management, legislative and external affairs, federal aid, information and education, licensing and permits, land acquisition, and the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program. In 1998–2002, he also served as a Special Assistant to Secretary of Environmental Affairs Robert Durand for Forest Policy and Land Protection. Probably his most important contribution to the agency was his work on the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act (MESA) legislation, the creation of MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, and his involvement with a lawsuit that went before the Massachusetts Supreme Court. The Court ultimately affirmed the agency’s authority and actions relative to enforcement of MESA.
Buckley was MassWildlife’s representative on the Public Access Board and the Pesticide Board. In addition, Buckley represented the Division on several committees of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, including Legislative Affairs, Federal Budget, and International Affairs. He was the regional representative of the northeastern states to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Technical Work Group.
Jack Buckley earned a Bachelor of Science and Master’s Degree in Fisheries Biology from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst where he studied the endangered shortnose sturgeon in the Connecticut River. He worked at the Massachusetts Cooperative Fishery Research Unit at the University of Massachusetts as a Research Assistant and was promoted to Project Leader. Buckley then performed a stint as first Chief of Fisheries Management in Washington D. C. where he was responsible for developing the fisheries management program for the District of Columbia. His work in advancing fish and wildlife conservation has been recognized on local, regional, and national levels. Buckley was honored by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies with a Special Recognition Award in 2011 for his outstanding commitment to the work of the Association and with the Ernest Thompson Seton Award in 2013, honoring his leadership in scientific wildlife management as a CITES representative. The Massachusetts Sportsmen’s Council recently honored Buckley with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Fisheries and Wildlife Board has appointed previous Deputy Director Mark Tisa as Acting Director of the DFW.

Local youth turkey hunting results were low, but enthusiasm was high

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The special mentored youth turkey hunting day took place on Saturday, April 28. The combined turkey harvest for the Lee and Stockbridge Sportsmen’s clubs was only 4 birds. Its hard to figure out why as the weather wasn’t bad, the mentors are eminently qualified, the kids are decent shots and there appears to be a lot of turkeys strutting their stuff out there. Maybe the toms detected an accent in the turkey calls this year and became leery. Well, that’s the way it goes…..no excuses were offered.

This year, I covered the Lee Sportsmen’s Association which had 9 participants in the program and two birds were taken. Alex Navin, while hunting with mentor Doug LaPlante managed to bag a 15 lbs. bird around 6:00am with one clean shot to the head. They called in 5 or 6 other gobblers, too. He is very pleased with his new 20-gauge Mossberg Shotgun.

Daniel Epe, who was mentored by Mark Bartini, heard at least 6 toms all around them. The trouble was that some were in back yards and obviously he couldn’t go there to hunt them. He had one bird interested in Mark’s call, but he got busted (bird detected them and took off).

A similar situation occurred to Will Loring who was mentored by Isaac Winters. They had a bunch of gobblers nearby but couldn’t call them in. One bird had the nerve to strut nearby, but it got away. Matt Ranzoni was mentoring Will’s brother Charlie Loring and he bagged a 17 lbs. bird. No luck for Taylor Salice, who was mentored by Josh Hurlihey, but she had a good time hunting never-the-less.

John Ranzoni mentored Hunter Briggs, and he took a shot but didn’t drop the bird.

After having a burger or two excellently prepared by Tom and Virginia Dubois, the youngsters learned how to dress out the birds. In addition to the meat, they were shown how to save the tail feathers, beards, spurs, other feathers, etc.

Meanwhile, the folks at the Stockbridge Sportsmen’s Club also bagged two birds. Some 18 youths went out turkey hunting this year. Thanks to information provided by spokesman Mike Buffoni, here is how they did:
Two youths got birds and Mike reported that at least 3 other youths had shots but missed. Every kid had great action and heard birds gobbling. Colby Carlson (Mike’s nephew) who was mentored by Brian Korte went on his first hunt ever and got a jake. Brady Donald also got a nice bird. Pretty sure it was his first also. “Very cool to see the excitement in these youth hunters” said Mike.

As usual they had a really nice lunch put on by Chef Peter Delgrande at the club. After eating, they also learned how to tend to the birds. Quite a few of the kids didn’t come for lunch and most were in shorts so they didn’t get a group photo this year. We did get a picture of young Colby Carlson with his turkey. The expression of joy and pride says it all, hey?
Few details came from North County except that Scott Krzanik of Adams, MA was mentoring his daughter Grace when she bagged an 18-pound bird with a 9 inch beard and 3/4″ spurs. She did this at 6:35 a.m. I believe I interviewed her back in 2016 when she got her first bird on youth day as well. Scott said that Matthew Tassone also got a nice tom North county.
According to Astrid Huseby, DFW Youth Turkey Hunt Coordinator, they don’t have exact numbers of how many youths participated. They do know that 270 youth ages 12-17 obtained the required permits/authorizations to hunt on the youth day, but not how many of those 270 actually went out hunting.
As for how many turkeys were harvested, they have a preliminary number of 52 birds reported online. More birds may have been harvested and taken to a check station that doesn’t use online reporting so they won’t have total numbers until the end of the season when all harvest reports are collected from check stations.

Free Fishing Days

In order to plan your fishing trips, here is a listing of free fishing days, where no freshwater license is needed: In Massachusetts, the dates are June 2 and 3. (You can also take advantage of free saltwater fishing on Father’s Day weekend – June 16 and 17). While you can fish for free on June 2-3, a license is required at all other times if you’re 15 or older. If you’re aged 15-17, your license is free.

In New York the free fishing days are June 23-24. They also have two additional free fishing dates in 2018 which are September 22 and November 11. In Vermont it is June 9. (Be sure to verify that date as I am receiving conflicting dates for Vermont). In New Hampshire the day is June 2; in Maine, the dates are June 2 and 3; the Connecticut Free Fishing date is May 12 and in Rhode Island they are May 6 and May 7. Now’s your chance to “test the waters” in our neighboring states free.

Pistol Shoots
The Cheshire Rod & Gun Club, 310 Curran Rd., Cheshire, MA, will be having outdoor pistol shoots this year. The monthly shoots take place on Saturdays starting at 10:00 am. The entry fee for the first shoot is $10.00 and $5.00 for the second shoot. The winners will split ½ the first shoot take and all of the second shoot take. On May 12, there will be “Wood Blocks Standin’ on a Log” centerfire. 5 shots at 5 blocks at 10, 15, 20 and 25 yards.

Rules: For Rimfire – .22 Caliber, Semi-Automatic Pistols or Revolvers. For Centerfire – Semi-Automatic Pistols or Revolvers, no caliber over .45, red dot scopes are allowed, 1 or 2- handed allowed.

Also, on Sunday, May 20, they will be having a Steel Action Shoot, and on Thursday, May 24 they will be having their first Thursday Night Steel Match.

For more information contact: Martha Lee (413) 212-4154, Evelyn Jones (413) 684-3391.

Trout Stocking

The following waters were scheduled to be stocked with trout last week: Hoosic River in Adams. Cheshire and Clarksburg; Greenwater Pond in Becket, West Branch of the Westfield River in Becket, Chester, Huntington and Middlefield; Westfield River Mainstem in Russell, Potash Brook in Blandford and Russell, Deerfield River in Buckland, Charlemont and Florida; Hudson Brook in Clarksburg, Pontoosuc Lake in Lanesborough and Big Pond in Otis.

Fishing Derby
The Berkshire Hatchery Foundation in Hartsville-New Marlborough is having its next free children’s fishing derby next Saturday, May 12, from 9 to 10:30 am at its lower pond. Children aged 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

Bass Fishing Tournament

The bass fishermen have started their 2018 tournaments and the first event was at the Congamond Lakes in Southwick, MA on April 29. The results are as follows: 1st place went to Ricky Terzak with 16.4 lbs. of bass. In 2nd place was Paul Procopio with 12.13 lbs. Dave Benham took 3rd with 12.4lbs, 4th place went to Bill Gates with 11 lbs. and in 5th place was Bill Pigott with 8.7 lbs. These are 5 fish totals weights. All were caught, weighed in and released.

The lunker (largemouth) bass was taken by Bill Gates, one weighing 4.1 lbs. Paul Procopio caught a 3.3 lbs. smallmouth. Both are currently leading in the Lunker of the Year contests.

Registration is open for the next tournament which takes place on May 13.

HVA to conduct Stream Assessments of the Konkapot and Williams Rivers

The Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) invites interested individuals to help form “Stream Teams” to complete Stream Assessments this spring and summer. “Stream Team” volunteers will walk, sometimes in the river, or paddle along an assigned segment of the river and record information along the way. All of the information collected will be compiled into a final Stream Assessment Report which will include conditions and use of the river sections plus possible recommendations for future projects. Assessments are to be completed from May to July and can be scheduled according to the volunteers’ availability.

HVA has scheduled a Stream Assessment volunteer training on Tuesday, May 15 from 5 to7pm in the Community Room of the Mason Library, Great Barrington. Registration is required, space is limited. They will also conduct an on-stream training practice review with date and time to be determined.

These surveys help HVA assess the health of the river and work with the community to improve that part of the watershed. All of the information collected will be compiled into a final Stream Assessment Report which will include conditions and use of the river sections, plus possible recommendations for future projects. These reports should be available in October 2018 on HVA’s website (hvatoday.org). Copies of the report, both digital or hard copy can be requested.

Funding for the Stream Assessments is provided by The Berkshire Environmental Endowment Fund, a fund of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. The Green River and Southwest Branch of the Housatonic River Stream Assessments were completed in 2017. Copies of these reports and other previous reports are available at hvatoday.org or you can call and request a copy. If you are interested in participating in this project, call HVA at 413-298-7024 or email Alison at adixon@hvatoday.org.

The two Stream Assessments that are to be completed this year are the Williams and Konkapot Rivers. Both of these rivers are tributaries of the Housatonic River. The Williams River flows south and southeast through West Stockbridge and Great Barrington where it joins the Housatonic River while the Konkapot River begins in Monterey and continues south through New Marlborough and, after a dip into Canaan, Connecticut, flows into the Housatonic River in Sheffield.
“Stream Teams” for each of the rivers will be made up of small groups of 2 – 3 volunteers and the teams are typically assigned a 1 – 2 mile section of the river. HVA will train “Stream Team” volunteers on how to conduct the survey, what information to record, and safety protocols. Volunteers will be asked to record things of note such as: pipes that are seen, invasive plants or wildlife observations, and general river conditions and usage. Following the surveys, the “Stream Team” volunteers will come together to share their findings and discuss suitable recommendations. The information gathered will be compiled into final Stream Assessment reports – one for each of the tributaries.
Not all “Stream Team” members need to be involved in conducting a survey. If you have an interest or expertise in either the Williams or Konkapot Rivers, HVA welcomes your input. Trainings are expected to be scheduled in May. Surveys will be completed from May – July weather and water levels permitting. The final reports, which are expected to be compiled in late summer, will be submitted to the local municipalities and state government and should also be available to the public by October 2018. The assessment will be placed on the HVA website along with their past reports. Feel free to check out these past reports to help understand more about this program. Contact HVA at 413-298-7024 for more information about volunteering for a “Stream Team.”
Fisheries and Wildlife Board Meeting
The May meeting of the Fisheries and Wildlife Board will be held on Wednesday, May 16 at 1:00 p.m. at the Stationery Factory ,63 Flansburg Avenue, Dalton, MA.