By now, readers are probably aware of the MassWildlife Advisory to report dead birds and remove feeders.  (Berkshire Eagle, July 17-18, 2021, State warns of mysterious disease killing birds written by Berkshire Eagle reporter Jimmy Nesbitt) .  If you aren’t, the advisory reported the following:

“In late May, wildlife managers in Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky began receiving reports of sick and dying birds with eye swelling and crusty discharge, as well as neurological signs. More recently, additional reports have been received from Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. While the majority of affected birds are reported to be fledgling common grackles, blue jays, European starlings, and American robins, other species of songbirds have been reported as well. No definitive cause(s) of illness or death have been determined at this time.

While there is always an increase in reports of dead birds at this time of year due to natural high mortality rates of young birds, MassWildlife is encouraging the public to report any observations of sick or dead birds (with unknown cause of mortality) as a precaution to help track this widespread mortality event. However, the mystery disease is not known to be in any of the New England states at this time. It is not necessary to report dead birds where strong evidence links the mortality to collision with glass or vehicles or predation by cats. Please email reports to mass.wildlife@mass.gov and include your location, number and species of birds, symptoms observed, and any photos.

As another cautionary measure, MassWildlife is also recommending the public to stop using bird feeders and birdbaths including hummingbird feeders. Birds congregating at bird feeders and bird baths can transmit diseases to one another. MassWildlife, as well as other affected states, recommend taking the following precautions:

• Cease feeding birds until this wildlife morbidity/mortality event subsides.
• Clean feeders and bird baths with a 10% bleach solution (one part bleach mixed with nine parts water), rinse with water, and allow to air-dry.
• Avoid handling birds unless necessary. If you do handle them, wear disposable gloves and wash hands afterwards.
• If picking up a dead bird, place an inverted plastic bag over your hand to avoid direct contact with the bird. To dispose of dead birds, place them in a plastic bag, seal, and discard with household trash or alternatively bury them deeply.
• Keep pets (including pet birds) away from sick or dead wild birds as a standard precaution.

At this time of year, birds are able to find plenty of natural foods on the landscape without needing bird seed. MassWildlife advises that seed from bird feeders can draw the unwanted attention of squirrels, chipmunks, turkeys, mice, rats, and even black bears. Wild animals that become habituated to human-associated foods like bird seed can become a nuisance, spread disease, and cause problems.

Gobi’s budget amendment reimburses lost funds to MassWildlife

State Senator Anne Gobi (D-Spencer), co-chair of the Massachusetts Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus and past chair of the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture, fought successfully for the inclusion of an amendment to the FY22 state budget aimed at addressing lost revenue that the state is failing to reimburse to the Massachusetts Division of Fish and Wildlife. The bipartisan amendment targets the nearly $1 million/year the agency forfeits each year by providing free hunting and fishing licenses to residents 70 and over that is not currently being reimbursed by the state and ensures that these funds are appropriated annually from the General Fund. Governor Baker has subsequently signed the budget and the amendment stayed in.

Gobi had this to say on the amendment’s acceptance in the conference committee report, “Offering free licenses to those over a certain age is the right thing to do, especially now, when we want people to enjoy the outdoors. Our sportsmen and women play a critical role in conservation, and the fees from licenses make sure that land is set aside for all types of outdoor recreation. Reimbursing the lost revenue is also the right thing to do, and I am proud that our body recognized and prioritized these important agencies in this budget.”

“The work of MassWildlife benefits all residents of Massachusetts,” says Emily Myron, policy manager at The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts. “It conserves and manages lands that provide habitat for our most imperiled and iconic species, recreational opportunities, and clean air, water and carbon sequestration, as well as hosts educational programs that inspire residents of all ages. The impacts of climate change and the pandemic have made this work even more essential. We are grateful to the legislature for recognizing MassWildlife’s important role and for working to close its funding gap.”

Massachusetts Division of Fish and Wildlife (MassWildlife) provides free fishing and hunting licenses to residents over 70 years of age, but is not reimbursed for this loss in revenue. As a result, the agency is losing approximately $1 million per year, and that loss is expected to increase as the 70+ population continues to grow. At the same time, MassWildlife is reimbursed each year by the state to offset losses associated with discounted fishing and hunting licenses offered to people ages 65 to 69. This amendment addresses this inconsistency while simultaneously raising desperately-needed dedicated funds for this important agency, tasked with overseeing sportsmen and women’s activities while conserving and restoring critical habitat.

In addition to this the conference committee report saw the inclusion of $1 million for the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, a significant boost for MassWildlife that will enable them to continue their work on behalf of Commonwealth residents.

HVA’s Beginner’s Paddle

If you missed the first Housatonic Valley Association paddle which took place last Thursday, you have another chance on August 3 from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm.  This session is for you if you want to be prepared for other paddle trips, just experience canoeing or maybe gain confidence. You will learn how to safely enter and exit a canoe, perform basic paddling strokes, steer safely, and just enjoy paddling on the Housatonic River. It will be led by HVA volunteer & ACA certified instructor Charles Murray. Families with children 10 years and older are welcome.

The location will be at the Lenox (Decker’s) Landing and the trip length is 1 – 2 miles at the beginner level. Canoes and equipment provided or register to bring your own canoe.  Trip information provided upon completion of registration.  There is limited space so registration is required. (413-298-7024).

Northern Black Racer snakes

According to MassWildlife, these snakes are at risk from habitat loss and fragmentation, and it appears the species is declining in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts State Wildlife Action Plan ranks the black racer as common across the state, but it is of concern because little is known about their current abundance and distribution.  If you see a northern black racer, (could be five feet long) MassWildlife encourages you to report your sighting using Heritage Hub, mass.gov/heritagehub.

Issue No. 2, 2021 of Massachusetts Wildlife magazine will have a pretty comprehensive article about them. Other topics included in the issue will be hooded mergansers, an endangered species art exhibit, and advice on becoming a hunter on a budget. To subscribe, visit mass.gov/dfw/magazine

That duck is no fool

Last week, I did a piece in this column reminding people not to feed the ducks.  Remember Raymour the duck with a messed-up beak and tongue and how Ron Smith had been feeding him by hand?  Since then, Paul Dufur of West Housatonic Street, Pittsfield contacted me and said that last year he also had been feeding that duck.  The last time he saw him was last February.  Dufur lives about a mile from Ron Smith so it appears that Raymour can fly if he wants to.

Ron said that he has not seen that duck since last week’s article came out and that it might have jinxed him.  Or, maybe a predator got him.

I prefer to think that Raymour is embarrassed now that he has been exposed as a two-timer, mooching food off of two sympathetic people and is afraid to show his face around here for a while.

Michael Fabrizio, Nashville singer/songwriter and son of Dr. Michael Fabrizio, a respected local pediatrician, sent us a fish story.  We’ll let him tell you in his own words:

“This morning, July 2, 2021 my father and I and our neighbor Peter Rando forged ahead with a last-minute fishing trip out on Onota Lake. We reserved a pontoon boat from Onota Livery the day before despite the chance of rain and went out at 6:30 am this morning. The owner of the livery, Rick (Wendling), couldn’t believe we actually showed up. The rain was spitting and we were doubting getting out on the water but since there were no thunderstorms in the forecast, we figured we would weather a little rain, dress warm, pack essentials and see what the morning would bring us. We all had been wanting to pull something BIG out of Onota Lake FOREVER. Peter and I had fished the lake as kids and my father and grandfather had fished the lake with me beginning over 30 years ago. We’ve been more focused however the last 3 summers since I had been coming back up from Nashville with my family for a month to enjoy a solid taste of summer back home. “

“We weren’t on the water for more than 30 minutes when I heard Peter yell from the back out of the boat “fish on!” I reeled in my line and rushed to get my phone (in its waterproof case) to capture whatever was about to happen. Peter handed the rod to my father to reel in and grabbed a long-handled net. The next 5 minutes were such a rush it’s hard to describe. We knew we had a bass and we knew it was BIG. Peter was using 10 lb test (line) on a sturdy medium weight rod and it was being TESTED the whole time. Peter stuck his net out and pulled the fish into the boat.  My father had landed a roughly 7-9 lb smallmouth bass. Incredible colorings and simply a natural beauty of a fish. We were all dumbfounded like three kids who just caught their first fish. We did our photoshoot with a blurry camera lens (due to the waterproof case I had on).  We shot a video as well which captures the emotion of the moment. We really wanted to weigh and measure but the time the bass had been out of the water was dangerously close to lethal. The last thing we wanted to do was let a creature which had grown that large and lived that long die because of our need to document it. When we put him back in the water he was moving very slowly and sluggish and we were nervous. I got around to him reached into the water, grabbed his tail and rocked him back and forth allowing the water to rush through his gills rapidly and within a few seconds he took off with a few pops of his powerful tail back to the depths.”

(Incidentally, they caught that fish on a purple artificial worm).

“We were young again. We were free. We had conquered the unconquerable Onota Lake. Finally!”

“However, we didn’t realize what we had. When we got back to the dock, we asked Rick at the livery what the state record for smallmouths was. He wasn’t sure. His son Drew came out and looked at the picture and said that’s the biggest smallmouth bass we have seen! That’s a lot coming from a family who sees fisherman day in and day out all year round, year after year. On the way home I looked up the official records and the WORLD record is 11 lbs. 15 oz. The MA state record is 8 lbs 2 oz caught 30 YEARS AGO in the Wachusett Reservoir. We will never know if we had a record breaker. But, all-in-all, persistence on a gloomy, rain spitting, wet and cold morning turned out to be one of the most thrilling fishing stories that I will get to pass on to my children.”

It certainly was a huge smallmouth bass, there’s no denying that, even though the picture was taken through a waterproof case and came out cloudy. We can’t see the faces of the lucky anglers, but the main attraction, the bass, came out fairly well. Estimated to be over 22 inches long, that fish would have easily qualified for a bronze pin from MassWildlife in the Catch and Keep or Catch and Release categories, perhaps a gold pin.  In the last several years smallmouths in the 4 to  5 lb weight category have been winning the gold pin.

However; regulations of the MassWildlife Freshwater Fishing Program clearly stipulate that to qualify, a catch and release fish must be measured at the site of capture, photographed against a standard measuring device, then immediately released. A clear, side view, close-up photograph of the fish against a flat, clearly labeled measuring device must be included with all affidavits. The photo must include the entire fish and the measurement must be clearly discernible. A total length measurement will be used and all fish measurements will be rounded up to the nearest ¼ inch.

The anglers have no remorse for letting that fish go and not collecting a pin.  They are happy that the bass is presumably still swimming around in Onota Lake today. Who knows, without precise measurements, that fish may grow a tad larger each time they tell the story.

Boat Parade

Meanwhile, on another local lake, there were different happenings.  The Fourth of July Boat Parade on Ashmere Lake in Hinsdale.  The day started out a bit raw, cloudy and rainy, but by the time the parade started, the weather turned nice.  About 15 boats, mostly pontoon boats all decked out with red, white and blue flags and buntings, participated this year.  The parade proceeded to most coves with boat riders tooting horns, playing patriotic music and waiving to all the people who had congregated along the shoreline.  Of course, the parade observers waived, applauded and waived their own flags, too.  “Happy Fourth of July” could be heard all over the lake.  It was nice.

Antlerless deer permit applications due next week

If you want to hunt antlerless deer this fall, you need an antlerless deer permit. If you apply for a permit by the July 16 deadline, you then must check back after August 1 to find out if you have been awarded the ability to purchase the permit. Hunters can apply online using MassFishHunt on a computer or smartphone. You need a valid hunting or sporting license to apply for an antlerless deer permit. There is no fee to apply; a $5 fee is charged only if you are awarded a permit during the instant award period.

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

Learn more about Antlerless Deer Permits, including how to apply and permit allocations by zone by clicking on Apply for an Antlerless Deer Permit | Mass.gov .

Good news for turtles

Recently, Eversource workers hosted a Turtle-Palooza to teach others how to protect wildlife.  The turtle protection program is designed to train the energy companys’ crews in locating and protecting endangered turtles. Denise Bartone, manager of licensing and permitting at Eversource Energy, explained that “these turtles are state-listed endangered species, so we work with the Department of Fish and Wildlife in Massachusetts to make sure we are still protecting the species while  providing reliable services to our customers.”

This initiative is part of their work with the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife under the Natural Heritage Program.

State wildlife experts recently ascended to the top of the W.E.B. Du Bois Library at UMASS Amherst to band four peregrine falcon chicks.  David Paulson and Tom French (retired) of the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MA DFW) removed three female chicks and one male from the nest situated on the edge of the library’s roof. The fluffy, white birds were then banded, coded by color and location, to allow wildlife researchers to track the movements and histories of the falcons over time. These efforts have even traced one female falcon born and banded at a nest in Brockton all the way to the UMASS Amherst campus.

Annual falcon banding is part of statewide initiatives to improve the conservation status of peregrine falcons from “Threatened” to “Special Concern” under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act. For decades, the peregrine falcon population declined with the use of DDT. By 1966, not a single nesting pair could be found in any state east of the Mississippi River. Now, peregrine falcons can be seen year-round across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

At UMass Amherst, the falcons have become a staple of the campus community. Follow along with them via the FalconCam, a live video feed that allows viewers to check in on the falcons each spring on Twitter, @DuBoisFalcons, to muse over the latest falcon sightings, births, and happenings.

Also, recently, MA DFW personnel and noted biologist and TV personality Jeff Corwin have assessed for health and banded some four-week-old peregrine falcon hatchlings in Boston.    Corwin will be showcasing this important conservation work in a new TV series airing this fall.  Hope we can pick it up around here in the Berkshires.

In-person fishing class

Adults and families who want to learn how to fish on their own are invited to join MassWildlife’s Learn to Fish Class to learn all the basics for having a fun and successful fishing trip. Feel free to bring your own equipment or borrow theirs. You will need to bring their own bait. This class will cover all the fishing basics from baiting, to setting up your line, and casting followed by time to do some fishing.  The location and time in the Berkshires are Pontoosuc Lake on July 20 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.

Classes are free, but pre-registration is required and space is limited. Register by clicking https://www.mass.gov/service/angler-education-calendar.  To get the most out of the in-person class, participants are encouraged to watch MassWildlife’s online video tutorial prior to attending the class. You will receive a link to video with your confirmation email when you register. Any participants ages 15 and younger are required to be accompanied by an adult.

Fishing Derby

The Berkshire Hatchery Foundation in Hartsville-New Marlborough is scheduled to have a youth fishing derby next Saturday, July 10 from 9:00 to 10:30 am at its Lower Pond at the Berkshire National Fish Hatchery, 240 Hatchery Road, Hartsville, MA.  Children aged 13 and under must be accompanied by an adult.   These fishing derbies will run once a month through September.  The following of State guidelines regarding social distancing, face masks etc., is required.

A comical fishing day I’ll never forget

In a recent column, I noted the death of a well-known local sportsman and close friend Paul Ouellette of Lanesborough.  In that column, I mentioned that he used to play a jaws harp while his brother Homer played the harmonica whenever we sat around the campfire. The jaw’s harp (a/k/a Jew’s harp, mouth harp) is a small musical instrument which is held against the teeth or lips, and plucked with the fingers making a twangy boing-boing sound. (Click onto Wikipedia to hear it).  Whenever I hear it, I associate it with the sounds coming out of the Appalachian Mountains.  Paul was pretty good at playing it.

I decided to buy one.  Actually, once I got it, I didn’t have much use for it and most of the time I couldn’t find it.  It would show up in my fishing vest, glove compartment or laying on the floor somewhere.

One day, for some reason, I took it with me when I went fishing the East Branch of the Westfield River near Chesterfield.  The area I fished was downstream from Chesterfield Gorge but upstream of the Indian Hollow Campgrounds.  It is really remote there and one would never suspect that he is fishing in Massachusetts. It is an area more like the wilderness of Maine or New Brunswick.

I should mention here and now that this occurred sometime in the late 1980’s, after the movie Deliverance came out.   Readers may recall that movie was about some folks who went for a canoeing trip together in the Georgia wilderness, only to come into terrifying conflict with some inbred locals, tapping into very primal fears — man vs. nature, town vs. country, etc., and preying on masculinity, thanks to an unforgettable scene.

On this beautiful sunny, spring morning, I was walking a trail to a nice fishing spot which required about a 1-mile hike to reach. The birds were chirping, the grouse drumming – one of those mornings that you feel great to be alive.

Upon arriving at the destination, to my disappointment, there was a guy already flyfishing there.  He never saw nor heard me approach from behind.   Not wishing to disturb him, I went to another spot to fish about a quarter of a mile away.  After an hour or so fishing there without any luck, I went back to that spot where that other guy was fishing.  He was still fishing there so I sat on a nearby fallen log patiently waiting for him to leave.

He kept fishing and showed no signs of moving on.  After about an hour of waiting, I took out the jaws harp from my vest and started to twang a tune.  “Boing, boing, boing”, it went.

The guy froze in his place in the middle of the river and slowly turned around to see from where the sound was coming.  I also froze, holding the harp at my lips, and stopped playing.  Even though he looked in my direction, he didn’t see me, probably because I wearing camouflage and partially concealed by the surrounding vegetation.

He resumed flyfishing, and I resumed playing – “Boing, boing, boing”.  He looked back again and I stopped again.  This went on for a period of time.  I should have waived to him, but something stopped me.  I varied the timing of playing the harp, sometimes I would wait 5 minutes before resuming, each time when he was focusing on the fly that he was casting.

Oh, you should have been there!  After a while I got laughing so hard, I could hardly play the instrument and I almost choked on it.  In fact, as much as I tried to stifle my laugh, he heard it.  Out of the river he splashed, with a panicked look on his face, crashed through the brush to get on the trail and off he rushed away.  I never saw a person in chest waders move so quickly.  His fly got stuck in some brush along the trail, but he didn’t stop to retrieve it.  He just snapped it off and high tailed it out of there, periodically looking behind.  He never saw me, but if he had, he would have been even more freaked out seeing this guy sitting on a log all by himself in the middle of the woods and laughing his head off.

Shame on me you say, I was probably under the influence of the Devil.  Hey, I was only playing a tune on the harp.

I prefer to think that maybe the Good Lord allowed it to happen because he felt that the three of us needed a good laugh that day at the expense of that angler.

Have a great 4^th of July weekend!

Bills filed by State Representatives Lori Ehrlich and Ann-Margaret Ferrante and Sen. Michael Moore   (H 904 / S 587), would enter Massachusetts into the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, a network that seeks to reduce wildlife poaching through information sharing across state lines and reciprocal recognition of license suspensions and revocations for fishing, hunting, and trapping.  This legislation would update the Commonwealth’s outdated penalties for illegal hunting, some of which have not been updated in a century and currently amount to little more than a slap on the wrist,” Ehrlich said recently at an Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture virtual hearing.   Simply put membership protects wildlife, supports law-abiding hunters and anglers, and provides the Massachusetts Environmental Police (MEP) additional resources to combat poachers and other wildlife criminals.

Stephanie Harris of the Animal Legal Defense Fund feels that Massachusetts is a poacher’s paradise and it is uniquely vulnerable to poachers. “(The Compact) simply adds another tool to our agencies’ tool belts. (It) ensures that MEP has access to the information that they need to determine where an out-of-state violation would or should result in license suspension here in the Commonwealth,” she said.  “The legislation mainly updates penalties for illegal hunting to strike a balance between modernizing certain century-old penalties without becoming too punitive.”  “For instance, the bill increases fines for hunting in a wildlife sanctuary from a range of $50 – $100 to a range of $100 – $500 and allows for the suspension of licenses for up to three years for a first offense and up to 10 years for a third offense.

“It similarly updates fines and license suspensions for other violations unchanged since the 1930s, when there was a major boom in state wildlife laws because certain species were hunted or trapped nearly to extinction,” Harris said. “And for context, a fine of $50 in the 1930s would, keeping up with inflation, be about $800 today. The (proposed) updates are more modest.”

Massachusetts and Hawaii are the only two states not in the Compact, though legislation is pending that would enter the Aloha State into the national compact. “Massachusetts has always led the way in terms of the protection of animals, but for some reason we’ve missed the opportunity to work collaboratively with other states and stop wildlife criminals.”  said Christopher Borgatti, a member of the New England Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers.  “The Commonwealth’s initial membership to the Compact is long overdue.  Simply put membership protects wildlife, supports law-abiding hunters and anglers, and provides the MEP additional resources to combat poachers and other wildlife criminals.” he said.

Should Massachusetts pass the legislation, it would authorize the Commissioner of the Department of Fish and Game (currently is Ron Amidon) to join the compact.  Then, MassWildlife and the Division of Marine Fisheries would have a year to promulgate regulations around implementing the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, according to the bill.

Good sized bowfin hauled out of Onota Lake

Crystal Taylor of Pittsfield was fishing for crappie with her fiancé Tara Taliaferro on the Dan Casey Causeway on Onota Lake recently.  Using minnows as bait, she hooked into a large fish that put up a good fight.  When she got it near the shore, Tara, who is also an experienced angler, netted it for her.  It turned out to be a large bowfin. measuring about 26 inches and weighed approximately 5 lbs.  According to Chuck Pero, who lives on the lake and who happened to be walking by, Crystal was obviously a seasoned angler for she “landed it like a true professional despite the fight it put up”.

Unfortunately, they didn’t have a measuring tape or scale, said Pero, but it looked over 26 inches and weighed about 5 lbs, probably worthy of a state pin.

After posing for pictures, Crystal released the fish.  She was experienced enough to know not to put her fingers in or near its mouth to retrieve the hook.   Instead, she clipped the fishing line right next the hook

Massachusetts Environmental Police Lt. Tara Carlow saw this picture and asked that I please identify it as a bowfin and not a snakehead which is a different species. Contrary to messages on Facebook claiming otherwise, it was a bowfin. They are not one and the same and don’t necessarily have to be killed, she said.

Public hearings on license and fee increases

MassWildlife has released a new license proposal, which incorporates public input on the original February proposal. In the new proposal, most fee increases will be phased in over five years beginning in 2022 and fee increases for hunting permits and stamps are lower than originally proposed.

The current proposal incorporates public feedback gathered through six information sessions held in February and March, phone calls, emails, letters, and a webform. Although many stakeholders expressed an understanding of the need to raise fees after 25 years, there was a strong desire to see fee increases phased in over time, and to lower the proposed increases to hunting permits and stamps. In response, MassWildlife and the Department of Fish and Game worked with the Baker-Polito Administration to revise the original fee proposal. Recognizing that all Massachusetts residents benefit from MassWildlife’s work to conserve wildlife, protect open space, and preserve clean water and air, the Baker-Polito Administration will work to diversify MassWildlife’s funding and reduce the burden on the fee-paying sporting community. This change will make it possible to maintain MassWildlife’s programming and services with lower fees than originally proposed.

Public hearings will be held on June 22, 23, and 24 on Zoom to provide the public an opportunity to comment on the new proposed changes. Check out the MassWildlife web page for instructions on how to join the hearings. You can also provide written comment up until 4:00 pm on July 8. The hope is that the entire process will be finalized in time to incorporate the changes into the 2022 Fish and Wildlife Regulations.

Enjoyable fishing derby at the Hatchery

The way the day started last Saturday you would have thought that no one would attend the monthly Youth Fishing Derby at the Berkshire National Fish Hatchery pool in Hartsville (a hamlet of New Marlborough). Fifteen minutes before the scheduled opening, cars carrying kids and their parents started arriving and by opening time, the rain had stopped. Out of the cars and to the pool ran the kids awaiting opening time and looking for some of the 300 or so trout which were previously stocked there. The parents signed them in at the official measuring station, manned by Friends of the Berkshire National Fish Hatchery President Dave Ziegler.

The rules of the free fishing derby stipulated that only youths aged 13 years or younger could participate and they had to be accompanied by an adult.  Each fish had to be checked in and officially measured at the checking station.  Kids could keep as many fish as they caught or release them back into the pond.  Prizes for the winners were fishing poles and a tackle box.   If someone caught a tagged trout, they received an official Friends of the Berkshire National Fish Hatchery T-shirt. The derby officially starts at 9:00 am and ends at 10:30 am.

At 9:00 am sharp, Dave yelled “Start fishing!”  Out flew the bobbers and baited hooks.  No sooner had they hit the water when the brook trout starting hitting.  Each time a kid caught a trout, he or she ran to the measuring station to have it measured and checked in.  Some kids carried them in their bare hands and others wrapped them in towels so that they wouldn’t slip away.  Some released their fish back into the water and some kept them to bring home to eat.

The weather turned nice and some 19 or 20 kids entered and had a great time.

The weather was perfect, a sunny morning with a gentle, warm breeze blowing just enough to keep the mosquitos away.  The pond had been previously prepared and the brook trout were eagerly awaiting the arrival of some VIP’s.  The fish had been purchased by the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen (BCLS) and transported to Reynolds Pond in Cheshire a few days earlier from the Berkshire National Fish Hatchery in Hartsville/New Marlborough. Volunteers from the Cheshire Rod & Gun Club, Adams Outdoor for Youth (AOFY) and the BCLS arrived earlier to assemble the fishing gear – brand new fishing poles, reels, line, sinkers and bobbers which were donated to MassWildlife by Cabelas.  MassWildlife, in turn, provided them free of charge to the anglers who would be arriving shortly.  (Through the MassWildlife Angler Education Program, led by Jim Legacy, MassWildlife provides equipment for just such cases). Prior to the VIPs arrival the volunteers attached the hooks and sinkers to the lines, meted out the worms and grubs into styrofoam cups along with the soil to keep them fresh.  And, get this, anglers had their choice of using red or green worms!  Yes, you read that right. Pond owner, Mr. Reynolds even talked some songbirds and woodpeckers to provide the background music.

The bonfire was crackling away and preparations were under way to prepare the food and drink for lunchtime.

So, who were these very important guests?

Fifteen tots from the North Adams area who were bussed in by the folks from the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, which is the umbrella agency for many social services in the area.  They were accompanied by Alex Daugherty, Probation Officer with the Northern Berkshire District Court, Jason Hooks a Court Officer there as well, Colleen Murphy, a Probation Officer with the Berkshire Juvenile Court, Liz Boland, a staff person with the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, Wendi Gore a Para Professional with Greylock Elementary School in North Adams.   Kids who probably would not otherwise have had the opportunity to obtain the necessary fishing equipment and to go fishing.  They were all well behaved kids who could hardly wait to cast for those trout. Most of them, some as young as 6 or 7 years old, were able to cast their lines on their own.  (Just don’t stand too close on any side of them when they casted, for one never knew in which direction the bobbers would fly, and that included up into trees).  Most had no problem hooking the wiggly worms onto the hooks.  In fact, one little girl named Zulma insisted not only on putting the worms onto her hooks, but also wanted to gut one of the trout that she caught.

And boy, the fish were cooperating!  Lots of healthy, fat brookies were caught by every kid.  Volunteer Jim Loughman of AOFY was kept busy cleaning most of the fish that were caught. At times he was aided by Dan Miraglia of BASS organization.  The cleaned fish were placed in plastic bags and were brought home to be eaten. I’ll bet they were tasty, too, some with nice pink flesh.

One little fella named Quinton told me that he had never been fishing before and was hoping he would catch a fish.  Well, as time went by, he mastered the art of casting and had caught four trout before noon.  He really didn’t enjoy putting the worms on the hook, though.  He assigned that job to me. Another youth, William was elated when he caught his first fish, especially when his aunt Colleen and Uncle Nuchie (or was it Uncle Butchie) there to see it.  There was even a set of triplets there having a great time

Around noon, the anglers broke away and enjoyed a lunch of hamburgers and hot dogs cooked up by Mike Cutler, Rick Gurney and Wayne Tinney of AOFY.

Most of the people involved in putting on this event are used to helping getting kids get interested in the outdoor sports.  Assisting that day were Karen and Mike Kruszyna, Jodi Goff, Mike Cutler, Wayne Tinney and Dan Miraglia, all BCLS Sportsmen Award recipients. But there was also help from people who could not attend that day.  The BCLS donated around $1.000 to cover the cost of obtaining the fish and providing the food.  Thanks to a grant from the Berkshire Chapter of Whitetails Unlimited, most of that expense was recovered.  The grant application was prepared and submitted by BCLS delegate Phil Hiser, another Sportsman Award recipient.

Yes, all in all, it takes a lot of people to pull off something such as this.  It takes a community (of sportsmen and women). And I would be willing to bet that those who experienced the most satisfaction that day were the volunteers and supporters.

Are unstocked wild Tiger Trout swimming our waters?

Some experts tell us that generally speaking, no, that they do not exist naturally and only appear where they are produced in hatcheries. A Tiger Trout is a sterile hybrid that is the result of crossing a female brown trout with a male brook trout. They appear to grow faster than natural species.   But actually, the Tiger Trout might occur anywhere that Brook Trout and Brown Trout inhabit the same waters.   Only on rare occasions does this hybrid occur naturally in the wild so most areas require stocking efforts to keep their populations stable.  Coloring, markings, and tail shape can vary but generally is a dark maze-like pattern all over a brownish, gray, or silver body.  Apart from their aggressiveness, Tiger Trout are easily distinguished from other stocked trout by their vibrant colors and unique markings.  Tiger Trout are highly aggressive fish eaters, and are a good control against rough fish populations. Some bass tournament friends of mine frequently catch them on bass lures.  For a while, Tiger Trout were exclusively stocked in the Great Lakes. After the stocking program was discontinued, a 20-pound-plus world-record Tiger Trout was caught in one of the Great Lakes.

Here in Massachusetts, MassWildlife stocks them in selective waters.  Approximately 2,500 tiger trout were stocked statewide this year.  Some of them, which measured around 14 inches long, were stocked in Western District waters, mainly in Littleville Lake in Chester/Huntington and Lake Buel in Monterey.

Back to the original question, are there any unstocked wild Tiger Trout in our area?  The answer is definitely yes. Brian Majewski, of Lenox Dale, caught one recently out of a stream in Pittsfield.  In fact, he believes he caught either the same trout or possibly another one on two separate occasions. They measured around 6 inches, much smaller than the size that the State stocks.  He reported it to MassWildlife’s Western District Aquatic Biologist Leanda Fontaine Gagnon, who is quite interested and is hoping to do a fish survey this summer in that stream in order to learn more about them.

HooRWA offers beginners fly casting session

The Hoosic River Watershed Association will offer a free beginners’ guide to fly fishing session, including the basics of fly-fishing equipment and technique, focused on the methods used to catch wild trout of the Hoosic River.  The event will be next Saturday, June 19 from 9:00 am to noon near to the access for the Williamstown, MA transfer station.  If you have never touched a fly rod before, but are curious to do so, HooRWA says this is the event for you. All participants will have a chance to practice casting, as well as to walk the river to learn about how to approach fishing from a “biological approach.”  Contact HooRWA at 413-458-2742 or office@hoorwa.org to register.

Last month Karen and her husband David Fachini of Pownal, VT went turkey hunting on Mt. Greylock in Massachusetts.  The spring season was winding down and they decided to hunt there, a place they enjoy.   They were familiar with the good hunting areas on that mountain having grown up nearby in MA.

While calling, David got a response from two jakes (immature tom turkeys).  He asked Karen if she wanted him to call the jakes in and she said yes.  She already got a longbeard (adult) tom this season so why not a jake, too.  She got ready and waited with her gun in hand and he started calling one in.

It took about an hour to get one close enough for a shot.  When the jake approached within 30 yards, she fired and dropped it.  She ran to the turkey and turned it over to see how long the beard was.  To her surprise, it had several beards with the main one being about 6 inches long and the others got progressively smaller.  It turned out that there were 7 beards on it.  Not only that, but the bird had double spurs on one leg, also unusual for a jake.  When she got home, she called the DFW in Dalton and told them about the beards, they said they had heard of multiple bearded turkeys in MA but only with two beards, three at the most.  They suggested she contact a biologist from their DFW headquarters in Westborough.   When she did, they requested that she pluck the feathers around the beards to clearly show all the beards and send them the pictures.

I asked MassWildlife Turkey Biologist David Scarpiti for some comments.  He said that a turkey with 7 beards is going to be rare anywhere, including Massachusetts. He said that MassWildlife doesn’t really track that kind of information on harvested turkeys, but every year they get a couple of calls asking about what the longest beard, or longest spurs, or this many beards. His guess is that it’s probable that someone has harvested a turkey like that before in Massachusetts but he just couldn’t 100% verify that. So, certainly rare indeed.  They more normally (hear of) several birds every year with 2 or 3 beards.  It was last year or the year before that someone sent him a picture of a bird with double spurs. A quick scan of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) record books show a few multiple bearded birds from Massachusetts, but these are just the handful of birds that are officially scored and registered with NWTF, which David guesses is maybe only a few compared to the roughly 3000 birds harvested in Massachusetts every year.

Incidentally, I believe the world record number of beards on a turkey is 13, at least that is what stands in the record books of the NWTF. It was taken in Pennsylvania in 2018 by 11-year old Tyler Mumpower.

I asked Karen if they were sure that it was a jake and not an adult tom and she said that based on certain characteristics, it was a jake.  It unofficially weighed 14 lbs 8 oz. (On average jakes weigh 12 to 14 lbs)

She shot the bird with a 20-gauge shotgun.  (I guess that I am not with the times, for I thought you needed a 12-gauge shotgun with special turkey loads).  Heck no, in fact her daughter Mandy Fachini Southworth gets turkeys with a .410 bore TSS (Tungston Super Shot) loads. She uses the .410 not necessarily by choice but rather to abide by her doctors’ orders.  You see Mandy had chemo and radiation treatment for her stage 3 breast cancer a while back and her doctor thought that perhaps her shoulder couldn’t handle anything more powerful.  It’s easier to bring to bear on target and hold steady once there and it doesn’t kick as much as the larger gauge guns.  Fortunately for Mandy, TSS, made by Federal, extends the range of turkey guns beyond the reach of lead and you can kill a bird over 50 yards away with a .410 now.   The new wad designs, pellet materials and cleaner burning powders have changed things dramatically. In fact, TSS is slowly becoming the gold standard as tungsten is nearly twice as dense as lead and five times harder than steel.  The problem is the cost, they are not giving away this ammo.

Incidentally, outdoor sports writer David Willette wrote two articles about Mandy in the Northwoods Sporting Journal -one in the July 2020 issue entitled One Tough Turkey Hunter and another in January, 2021 entitled Cancer Can’t Stop Her. I highly recommend you read them if you want to find out what determination is all about.  Mandy is an inspiration to us all.

The Fachini family loves turkey hunting.  They come from a long line of hunters and trappers. Every member of the Fachini family was successful in harvesting turkeys this season.  Each year they hunt turkeys in MA, VT and sometimes in NY.  They run a little family turkey pool each year with winners for the longest beards and the heaviest bird categories.  Karen won the pool this year with the total beard length coming in at 17 5/6 inches.   David won the weight category with a bird weighing in at 23 lbs.

Invasive Bushes

Hey turkey hunters, in the future don’t set up your turkey blinds near barberry bushes!  Scientists have found the invasive plant to be a prime environment for deer ticks. They found higher densities of deer ticks carrying Lyme disease in barberry infestations than in other habitats. Property with barberry has seven times the tick population?  That is information relayed to us from the Westfield River Wild and Scenic River volunteers.   They invite you to come to their workdays and they will tell you why. They will be working in various areas in the watershed to remove that “Barberry Beast”.  Contact Meredyth Babcock, Volunteer and Projects coordinator, Wild & Scenic Westfield River Committee at http://www.westfieldriverwildscenic.org/ or Westfieldriver@gmail.com or Home /office 413 623-2070 or cell 413 207-4282.

Incidentally, the Wild & Scenic Westfield River Committee’s latest wild and scenic video features John Burns, local well-known botanist (and superb flyfisherman).  Entitled “Walkin the Watershed with Burnsie, Early detection of Glossy Buckthorn, Autumn Olive and Honeysuckle”.   Click onto YouTube: how to recognize invasive Glossy Buckthorn, Autumn Olive and Honeysuckle and why it matters.

Trout Stockings

According to the MassWildlife web page Stocking Report, Laurel Lake in Lee/Lenox was stocked with rainbow trout last Tuesday. Be sure to check its stocking report to see if there were other stockings.

Fishing Derby

The Berkshire Hatchery Foundation in Hartsville-New Marlborough is scheduled to have a youth fishing derby next Saturday, June 12 from 9:00 to 10:30 am at its Lower Pond at the Berkshire National Fish Hatchery, 240 Hatchery Road, Hartsville, MA.  Children aged 13 and under must be accompanied by an adult.   These fishing derbies will run once a month through September.  The following of State guidelines regarding social distancing, face masks etc., is required.

As most outdoor sportsmen and women are aware, MassWildlife is proposing changes to hunting, freshwater fishing, and trapping license fees. The existing fee schedule has been in effect for the last 25 years and it is no secret that fees must increase or the MassWildlife will go broke in a few years. A little over a week ago, MassWildlife released a new license fee proposal, which incorporates public input on the original February proposal. In the new proposal, most license fee increases will be phased in over five years, and the proposed increases for hunting permits and stamps are lower than originally proposed.

The current proposal incorporates public feedback gathered through six information sessions held in February and March, as well as phone calls, emails, letters, and a webform. Although many folks expressed an understanding of the need to raise fees, there was a strong desire to see the proposed increases for license fees phased in over time, and to lower the proposed increases for the costs of hunting permits and stamps. In response, MassWildlife and the Department of Fish and Game worked with the Baker-Polito Administration to revise the original fee proposal.

Recognizing that all Massachusetts residents benefit from MassWildlife’s work to conserve wildlife, protect open space, and preserve clean water and air, the Baker-Polito Administration will work to diversify MassWildlife’s funding and reduce the burden on the fee-paying sporting community. This change will make it possible to maintain MassWildlife’s programming and services with lower fees than originally proposed.

Public hearings will be held on June 22, 23, and 24 on Zoom to provide the public an opportunity to comment on the new proposed changes.  Stakeholders can provide public comment by speaking at one of the hearings or providing written comment through July 8 using a convenient feedback form available on the MassWildlife web site or by mail to: MassWildlife Re: License Fee, 1 Rabbit Hill Road, Westborough, MA 01581.

Phasing in the license fee increases over a 5-year period certainly makes the change more palatable than the original proposal.  You may recall that the original proposal for the permits and stamps were to jump immediately from $5.00 to $20.00.  With this new proposal, the fee increase would only be $10.00, at least for the next 5 years.   Instead of an immediate drastic $20.00 pheasant permit fee, it would start at $4.00 in 2022 and would gradually increase to $20 in year 2026.

The Massachusetts Conservation Alliance, a group comprised of the various county leagues of sportsmen and other sportsmen’s clubs from across the state really did a yeoman’s job in unifying 100,000 or so sports folks to put pressure on MassWildlife to come up with a more realistic schedule of fee increases.  Co-chaired by Joe Alfonso and Paul Johnson, they actually came up with their own recommended fee schedule which MassWildlife seriously considered before making its final recommendations.  (Outdoor sportswriter David Willette of North Adams has an excellent article about the MCA in the June, 2021 issue of the Northwoods Sporting Journal.)  Massachusetts outdoorsmen and women will be hearing more about the MCA in the future as more and more clubs and leagues join it’s ranks in order to have a little more political clout on Beacon Hill.

It is especially gratifying to hear that the Baker-Polito Administration will work to diversify funding in some way.  Hopefully, they can do something about funding the free licenses for 70+ older folks.  Sen. Anne Gobi (D-Spencer), co-chair of the Massachusetts Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus and past chair of the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture, has filed a bill in the 192nd session of the General Court aimed at addressing lost revenue that the state is failing to reimburse to MassWildlife.  An Act to Reimburse the Inland Fisheries and Game Fund (SD. 1453) would target the more than $1 million per year the agency forfeits each year by providing free hunting and fishing licenses to residents aged over 70 that is not currently being reimbursed by the state.  You may want to call your local legislators and ask them to support this legislation.

Trout Stockings

Last week, subject to last minute change, the following local waters were scheduled to be stocked by Massachusetts DFW: Ashfield Pond in Ashfield, Deerfield River in Buckland, Charlemont and Florida; Westfield River-East (C&R) in Chesterfield, North Pond in Florida, Laurel Lake in Lee and Lenox, Richmond Pond in Richmond, Onota Lake in Pittsfield, Goose Pond in Lee and Tyringham, Pontoosuc Lake in Lanesborough and Pittsfield, Stockbridge Bowl in Stockbridge, Housatonic River (C&R) in Lee and Stockbridge, Lake Buel in Monterey and Otis Reservoir in Otis and Tolland.

Deb Lipa, MassWildlife Western District Clerk, said that she believes they finished the stocking trips last week, but couldn’t verify that.  She suggested that anglers keep checking the stocking report online to see if there are any further deliveries next week.

Deb does a lot of extra work for us to ensure that this column has the latest stocking reports.  Many, many thanks Deb!

Don’t forget, next weekend is free fishing weekend in MA, so round up the family, get out there and catch a few of these trout.

Leigh Perkins remembered

Leigh H. Perkins, who transformed Orvis from a niche fishing tackle business into a global sporting emporium and lifestyle brand, selling everything from graphite fly rods and Gore-Tex rainwear to linen dresses and engraved drinking glasses, died May 7 at his home in Monticello, Fla. He was 93.  He bought Orvis in 1965 for $400,000, taking over a company that C.F. Orvis had founded in Manchester, VT in 1856.  By the time Leigh retired as President and CEO in 1992, Orvis had grown from 20 employees to more than 700, and from annual sales of $500,000 to more than $90 million. The company currently operates more than 80 retail stores in the United States and Britain, with sales driven by online shopping and catalogues that Leigh sent to millions of homes each year.  After his retirement, his son Leigh H. “Perk” Perkins Jr. became CEO, with his younger son David helping run the company.  Now, his grandson Simon Perkins leads the company.

Leigh Sr. started a fly-fishing school and a wing-shooting program. The classes were among the first of their kind in the United States, offering formal training in activities that were often considered upper crust.

He was also one of the first executives to start dedicating corporate earnings to conservation, donating 5 percent of pretax profits to conservation organizations beginning in the 1980s.  He wanted to protect these places to be able to connect and share with others, but he also saw it as good business — investing in the landscape and the habitat.

An online tribute published on the company’s website said Perkins was a lifelong outdoorsman who hunted or fished more than 250 days a year into his 90s, and who had a reverence for nature and conservation.

He certainly left a wonderful legacy.

The above information was gleaned from Leigh’s obituary written by Brian Gallagher, Senior Staff Editor at The New York Times.

Correction

In last week’s column, I erroneously listed the name of an angler whose picture was shown holding a 10 lb. brown trout.  I listed him as being Mark Lucier when, in fact, his name is Mark Markham. My apologies!  This is especially embarrassing to me as Mark is a close personal friend with whom I have deer hunted and/or ice fished for several years.  He is a superb deer hunter and many times our ice fishing group has enjoyed his grilled venison meals while out on the ice.

Memorial Day

It’s that time again when we honor those who have fought, suffered and/or and died in defense of our country.  Let’s hope that as a nation we can set aside our differences and come together this weekend to remember them and their sacrifices.  They deserve nothing less.