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

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

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

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

Other provisions in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act include:

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

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

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

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

A game-changer for wildlife

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

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

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

New land projects

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

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

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

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

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

Mark Blazis

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

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

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

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

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

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

Frank Sousa

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

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

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

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

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.