New Turkey Regulation Changes are being proposed

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At the request of the Fisheries and Wildlife Board, and in response to a request submitted by the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), MassWildlife initiated a review of wild turkey hunting regulations with the goal to evaluate potential changes to enhance turkey hunting opportunities. The Fisheries and Wildlife Board is considering the following regulatory changes:
1. Youth Day – Expand hunting hours to ½ hr before sunrise until 5 P.M on the single day designated for the Youth Turkey Hunt.
2. Allow all permits issued to youths aged 12-14 to be utilized across the entire spring AND fall season.
3. Spring Season – Increase the daily bag limit to 2 per day.
4. Fall Season – Expand fall season (ARCHERY ONLY) to overlap the exclusive archery deer season.
5. Allow 2 spring tags and 1 fall tag (3 turkeys total per year) for all permit holders.

In making the case for the above proposed changes, David Scarpitti, MassWildlife Turkey Project Leader, presented the following background information to the Board:
The goal is to maintain hunter satisfaction in a way that will not compromise other hunters (pheasant, deer, rabbit, etc.). In order to find the right balance, an elaborate review was conducted with a good cross section of people and agencies
They looked at the harvest data from the 1980’s until present and learned that turkeys now exist in over 350 municipalities and towns in MA. After sharp harvest rises in the early years, the population and harvest stabilized over the last 10 years to around 35,000 turkeys and annual harvests of about 3,000 birds.
They analyzed the ratio of adults in the spring season to the juvenile ratio and determined that hunters are choosing to select adults. There is a good brood production year after year and they are getting lots of recruitment of mature birds. The ratio is 3 to 3 ½ adults to juvenile. MassWildlife is confident they have a high robust population and high satisfaction of hunters across the state. Allowing 3 turkeys total per year should pose no problems.
They have never had a lot of harvested birds in the fall. The harvest sex ratio is 50/50. With 350 towns in MA, and hunters harvesting 100 hens a year, and that is less than 1 female for every 3 towns. “That tells us we have a lot of potential in the fall season and can harvest considerably more females. There is little threat from over harvesting”, Scarpitti said.
One component of fall turkey hunting season that is increasing is the archery component. Last fall archers took 40% of last year’s total fall harvest. Studies show that half of the fall turkey hunters are doing so in conjunction of archery hunting season for deer.
Scarpitti cited figures showing that 20 to 25% of successful spring turkey hunters do not have an opportunity to hunt in the fall. By expanding the archery turkey hunting season in the fall, it will allow archery deer hunters to hunt turkeys. He recommended expanding the current 2-week season to overlap the archery deer hunting season.

MassWildlife is looking for feedback on these proposed changes. Berkshire hunters are welcome to contact the Western District Office (413) 684-1646 or David Scarpitti, Turkey Project Leader (508) 389-6300 David.Scarpitti@mass.gov .
At its November 1, 2018, Berkshire County League of Sportsmen Meeting, DFW Western District Supervisor Andrew Madden discussed the proposed changes. After discussions, the League delegates voted and unanimously approved going on record as supporting the proposed turkey regulation changes.

Update on Youth Deer Hunt Harvest Report
The 2018 Youth Deer Hunt Day was held on September 29. This unique opportunity allowed young hunters to hunt deer with their own permit during a special one-day season that preceded the Commonwealth’s regular annual deer hunting seasons. This year MassWildlife issued 1,115 youth permits and 125 harvested deer were reported online. Deer reported at physical check stations will be tallied and added to the total at the conclusion of the regular deer hunting seasons.
Disturbing Environmental Police statistics

During the latest MA Fisheries & Wildlife Board Meeting which was held on October 25 in Lenox, the Massachusetts Environmental Police representative, Major Loos, reported that there were 59 ORV/ATV accidents in 2018 with 9 fatalities. There were also 104 boat accidents with 12 fatalities.

How tragic! Please, please exercise caution when out on these vehicles/water craft.

Do you know about the 37-mile Taconic Crest Trail?
If you’ve ever hiked through the Pittsfield State Forest, over Berlin Mountain, to the Snow Hole in Petersburg or along some of the Shaker Trails above Lebanon Mountain, you’ve seen the bright blue triangles that mark the Taconic Crest Trail.
If you love this kind of access to recreational opportunities along the Taconic Range, the Taconic Hiking Club (THC) wants to extend an invitation to you to join them.
The THC has been in existence since 1932 and has a strong legacy of trail advocacy at the state and local level. It maintains thirty-seven miles of the Taconic Crest Trail and five of its access trails. It also protects and secures parking and trail access and offers seasonal outings for hikers, bikers, and paddlers. It runs a well-attended and supported biennial End-to-End hike over 29 miles of the trail from Berry Pond to Vermont.

Over the years the Club has provided social opportunities for people who love the outdoors and has published two series of professional-level maps of the trail. Members have volunteered hundreds of hours of trail clearing, blazing, and marking and have turned out in force to keep the trail motor-free and free of irresponsible logging.

The trail winds along the Taconic Ridge in and out of New York and Massachusetts. When either DEC (Dept. of Environmental Conservation in NY) or DCR (Dept. of Conservation and Recreation in MA) have issues in that region they include THC in the discussion. The Club is an important agent for protection of this large forested area.

Both New York State and Massachusetts cite the Taconics as areas of special interest in their Open Space Plans, and there is a new consortium of land trust groups from the surrounding 4-state area that is focused on the Taconic Range. The Taconic Range provides recreation in one of the last remaining intact forested areas and serves as an important wildlife corridor.

The Club is seeking new members. By joining you help solidify the membership base and give recognition to the Club’s mission and purpose. Dues are minimal at $10.00. No activity is required, but you might want to order that map and check out the trail on some beautiful fall day.

Many thanks to Karen Ross of New Lebanon, NY for the info. She has forwarded it to us because she believes that many people in the Berkshires have never heard of the Taconic Crest Trail or the Taconic Hiking Club. For more information on the Taconic Hiking Club, click onto http://taconichikingclub.org.

Incidentally, Karen began volunteering her time with the Berkshire Natural Resources Council in 2001, “doing monitoring, blazing, boundary marking, trail clearing, map making, writing, editing, documentation—whatever was needed”.

Paraplegics enjoy another deer hunting season

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According to Susan (Ingalls) McCarthy Wildlife Biologist and Paraplegic Deer Hunt Coordinator for the MA Division of Fisheries & Wildlife (DFW) the weather statewide was “pretty terrible” for this year’s paraplegic hunts which were held on November 1 through 3, but participants and volunteers alike still had a positive experience. Here in the Berkshires, the same six hunters who participated in last year’s hunt showed up again this year. – four in the southern and two in the northern Berkshires sites.
The southern Berkshires folks hunted in the Mount Washington area and the hunt was coordinated out of the DCR Headquarters at Mount Washington State Forest. Adam Morris is the Beartown Complex Forest and Park Regional Coordinator which includes the Mount Washington State Forest. Fred Lampro and Mark Portiere once again headed up the hunt this year. The hunters were as follows: Sidney Eichstedt of Lee, Greg Baumli of New Lebanon, NY, Steve Gladding of Westfield, MA and Vyto Sablevicius of Norwich, MA.

The helpers and the number of years they have served as volunteers included: Shaun Smith (45 years), Al Vincent (45), Marc Portieri (29), Greg Arienti (23), Paul Mullins (20), Matt Roache (13), Chuck Pickert (11), Rick Thelig (11), Fred Lampro (10), Tom Dean (7), Rohan Nair (1), and Adam Morris (1)) all from the Berkshires.

Hunter Sidney Eichstedt looks forward to this hunt every year. “Spending time in the woods is relaxing and therapeutic”, he said. To other paraplegics, he recommends that they “give it a try, they have nothing to lose”. Vyto Sablevicus agrees with Sid. “Cold and rainy weather is a big factor with paraplegic hunters” he said, “and these new ground blinds are a blessing.” This event is their “deer camp” each year. “This hunt was established to provide these hunters a safe environment to hunt as well as to enjoy the camaraderie of fellow hunters. It is kind of a social event for them.” Said Shaun Smith.

The volunteers are amazing. They did a lot of prep work by scouting several areas and placing (donated) trail cameras to see where the best deer activity was. They analyzed the pictures to determine the best places in which to place the hunters. This year, thanks to donations, they were able to provide ground blinds (tent-like enclosures) where the hunters could hunt from inside them and be sheltered from rain and inclement weather. Volunteers transported the hunters to the locations and helped to drive the deer toward them. If a hunter shot a deer, they tracked it, field dressed it and dragged it to the vehicle.

The volunteers want no credit and I practically had to drag the names and other information out of them. I found out that they do fund raisers to buy cameras, blinds, and other equipment. They are usually held at the VFW in Dalton in February or March. They promised to let me know when so that I can mention it in this column.

And what can I write about Chuck Pickert, his wife Beverly and Tricia Volmer. For the last 10 year in a row, Chuck brought his trailer-mounted smoker/grill and they cooked breakfasts and lunches for the three days. Tricia Vollmer made the fish chowder, Beverly made the potato salad and other individuals prepared the desserts and other food needed for the three-day event. A lot of friends who own restaurants and businesses donate food, charcoal, condiments, etc. every year (See donor list below).

A friend of mine, George Smith of Egremont, and I arrived there on Friday, the second day of the hunt, not accidentally, just before lunch. On that day, the lunch menu was: homemade Manhattan clam chowder, smoked pork soup, smoked pork gravy served over noodles, smoked pork loin roll-up, smoked sausages with marinara sauce over noodles, potato salad, cole slaw and home-made desserts. We both were greatly impressed with how tasty the food was, how well the hunt was managed and how the volunteers took great care to see that the hunters had an enjoyable hunt.
So how did the hunt go this year in the Southern Berkshires? Everyone saw deer. No deer were taken on Thursday, but Vyto shot at a deer. On Saturday, 3 deer (an 8 point buck by Steve, an adult doe by Fred and a button buck by Greg) were taken. MassWildlife confirmed that these turned out to be the only deer taken statewide. (On Saturday, the hunters wanted to get home and out of their wet clothes, so I was unable to get any pictures of the successful hunters.)

Rick French coordinates the hunt with the volunteers and hunters at the Northern Berkshires site. The two hunters at the Northern Berkshires site were: Dale Bailey of Clarksburg and Shawn Mei of Baldwinville, MA. Volunteer included French, Alex Daigle, Tony Mei, Robert Mei, Stacy Sylvester, and J. Sylvester. With permission, they hunted private properties in the Williamstown area. They had a couple of shots but clean misses there.

DFW Western District biologist Nate Buckhout along with DFW staff Jacob Morris-Siegel, Derek McDermott and Ray Bressette were on hand at the sites to help out and check in the deer.

Statewide, the other sites include Quabbin Reservation, Fort Devens, and Joint Base Cape Cod (Otis AFB/Camp Edwards). There were a lot of deer seen and pushed by volunteers at Quabbin, but they just couldn’t get the deer to walk past the hunters. There were a few shots and misses at Fort Devens and no shots taken at JBCC.

Since 1972, this hunt has provided thousands of hours of recreational opportunities for paraplegic sportsmen and women. Volunteers are integral to the program and MassWildlife thanks them all for their enthusiasm and commitment. There is some concern that the numbers of hunters taking advantage of the paraplegic hunt have been dwindling, mainly due to their aging or passing away. If you are a paraplegic sportsman or sportswoman interested in participating in the 2019 hunt, contact Susan (Ingalls) McCarthy at (508) 389-6326 | or: Susan.Ingalls@state.ma.us.
Incidentally, the definition for paraplegic per 321 CMR 2.06 states: “(b) Paraplegic: A Division (MassWildlife) application form completed by the applicant and an attestation on the form by a physician that the applicant is a person who has total paralysis of the lower half of the body, or a condition that prevents any use of the lower limbs. I am told that it must be an injury or disease of the spinal cord in the thoracic or lumbar region.
If that is indeed the case, perhaps the State Legislature should consider changing that regulation to include those who have lost use of one or both of their legs regardless of the spinal injury stipulation. Many if not all of the volunteers that I spoke with feel that if servicemen have lost one or both legs due to an IED in Iraq or Afghanistan, they should be able to participate in the paraplegic hunt.
Lake Symposium
On Saturday, November 17, from 9:30am to 1:20pm, the Lakes and Ponds Association (LAPA) will have a symposium at the Zion Lutheran Church, 74 First St. Pittsfield, MA. The theme is “How can we balance competing interests to meet lake management goals in our complex regulatory system?”
Sponsored by the LAPA-West member associations, it is free. Registration with light breakfast starts at 8:45am. Invited exhibitors include state agencies with responsibilities for lake management and contractors who work on our lakes. There will be opportunities to network with experts in lake ecology and management, and with other lake advocates. Bring lake plants you want identified. Any other questions you have specific to your lake can be raised with the experts and other attendees during the presentation breaks.

Southern Berkshire Paraplegic Hunt Donors:
Roma Pizza, Pop’s Diner, C A Lindell, Jay Lawn Care all from North Canaan, CT, Cranes Outdoor Power Equipment from Canaan, CT, Wood Creek Bar & Grill from Norfolk, CT, Mill River General Store, Mill River, MA and JTC & Sons, Greg S. Massini Bus Co. and Massini Bus Co. from Sheffield, MA

 

George (Gige) Darey received a most prestigious award

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Last Tuesday, Lenox resident George L. (Gige) Darey, former board member and chairman of the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board, received the Francis W. Sargent Conservation Award from the Fisheries and Wildlife Board for his contributions to the sporting community and to the conservation of the Commonwealth’s natural resources. The Sargent Award honors the former governor and noted conservationist who directed the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) in 1963-64.

Darey, a lifelong angler and hunter, received the award – a framed photograph of
a loon by the late MassWildlife photographer Bill Byrne – at a ceremony held at
the Lenox Sportsmen’s Club. In addition, Senator Adam Hinds presented Darey with
a Senate citation honoring his award. The ceremony was attended by MassWildlife
Director Mark Tisa, Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Ron Amidon as well
as representatives from state environmental agencies, sporting and other local
conservation organizations, previous Sargent award attendees and family members.

“I have been following conservation issues all my life and served in the Fisheries and Wildlife Board (F&W) with Gige Darey since 1986,” said Board Vice President Mike Roche. “No individual I know has ever had a greater positive impact or contributed more to the natural resources of Massachusetts in so many critical ways. “

“I have been lucky to be involved for so many years with something I love. It has been a fun ride,” said Darey, “I have been even more fortunate to have worked with and get to know so many people and organizations with a passion for our environment. Words can’t express how much this day and what you all mean to me.”

Representing the Western Wildlife District on the F&W Board, Gige served for 38 years, 35 of which he was chairman, until December of 2016. He served under eight different governors and worked with four MassWildlife Directors.

During his tenure on the F&W Board, Gige was instrumental in generating public support for important wildlife issues including funding of the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program; the establishment of the Wildlands Conservation Stamp, a $5 assessment to the sale of hunting and fishing licenses dedicated exclusively to the protection of wildlife habitat open to hunting, fishing and other wildlife related recreation; and science-based management of wildlife and wildlife habitat. He was honored by the F&W Board in 2004 when the Housatonic Valley Wildlife Management Area in Lenox was renamed the George Darey Wildlife Management Area.

Darey, a retired teacher has been a long-time environmental advocate for the Berkshires since returning from military service. He served on the first Lenox Conservation Commission as well as on the Board of the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions and served on the Lenox Board of Selectmen. Darey has a BA from the State University of New York (Plattsburg) and an MS from the University of Massachusetts.

His leadership role in environmental stewardship was recognized in 1996 when he was presented a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Award. He is a board member of the Berkshire Natural Resources Council, Green Berkshires, and of Sportsmen for Land Preservation. He is also a founding member of the Housatonic River Initiative, the Massachusetts Outdoor Heritage Foundation, Lenox Land Trust and was instrumental in forging forestland protection and management partnerships between MassWildlife and the Nature Conservancy, the Ruffed Grouse Society, and the National Wild Turkey Federation.

He was also heavily involved with the Edith Wharton House, Shakespeare and Company, coached cross country ski teams, was a guide for Canyon Ranch and started a high school fish and game club.

Established in 2000 by the F&W Board, Darey is the 14th recipient of the Sargent award and is the 3rd person from our area to receive it. The late Ted Giddings received it in 2003 for his many years of writing the Our Berkshires’ outdoor column for the Berkshire Eagle. In 2016, the Berkshire Natural Resources Council received it for its near 50 years of protecting the open spaces of Berkshire County, owning and managing over 10,000 acres and protecting more than that through conservation restrictions.

Private/Public Partnership Results in Enhanced Access to Three Mile Pond

Board members of the Massachusetts Outdoor Heritage Foundation (MOHF) were joined by officials from MassWildlife and the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) in mid-October to mark the completion of a joint recreational public access project at Three Mile Pond Wildlife Management Area (WMA) on Brush Hill Road in Sheffield.
An existing access at Three Mile Pond was improved and a new gravel parking lot and pond access was created on the upper end of the pond. In addition, two new signs were installed noting the public access points and available opportunities for waterfowl hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing.

Attendees were given an overview of the completed project by Andrew Madden, MassWildlife Western District Supervisor. Three Mile Pond is approximately 160 acres in size with a large area of wetlands. It is part of a 1000+-acre WMA managed by MassWildlife for wildlife, habitat and wildlife-related recreation. The WMA is stocked with pheasants in the fall and mowed annually to maintain field and shrubland habitat for many kinds of wildlife.

“The Foundation is excited to enhance access to Three Mile Pond for hunters, paddlers, wildlife enthusiasts, and most importantly future generations of outdoorspeople—an activity which aligns with the Foundation’s mission,” said MOHF board member and former Secretary of Environmental Affairs Bob Durand. “It was great to partner with Ducks Unlimited (DU) and MassWildlife on this important project.”

“We truly appreciate the commitment of DU and the Massachusetts Outdoor Heritage Foundation who provided the funds to make this project a reality,” said MassWildlife Director Mark Tisa. “Access to the outdoors is in high demand in Massachusetts and this project helps address the outdoor community’s needs.”

“The Department of Fish and Game is happy to see the partnerships with NGOs such as the Outdoor Heritage Foundation and Ducks Unlimited continue to grow,” said Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Ron Amidon. “Anytime we can help with access projects to support outdoor recreation, our engineering staff from the Office of Fishing and Boating Access is pleased to contribute.”

“DU would like to thank the partners for advancing such a great access project,” said Sarah Fleming, DU Manager of Conservation Programs in the North Atlantic. “We are pleased to be able to support our partners, volunteers and outdoor enthusiasts by helping increase access to public recreational areas that all users can enjoy. We look forward to continuing to work with the Massachusetts Outdoor Heritage Foundation and MassWildlife on other projects that will not only benefit waterfowl and other wetlands wildlife, but will also benefit people.”

(Most of the above Darey and Three Mile Pond information came from MassWildlife press releases.)

Multi-Gun Event
The Lee Sportsmen’s Association, 565 Fairview Street, Lee, is hosting a Fall Finale Multi-Gun event next Sunday, November 11. It is a 2-gun (pistol/shotgun) event with 6 stages including IDPA, USPSA and Action Steel. There will be a safety briefing at 9:45 am and the event will start at 10:00am. Participants will need at least 30 rounds shotgun and 150 rounds pistol. The event, which is open to members and the public, costs $25 with lunch available for purchase. For more information, contact Shawn Sullivan at ssullee@icloud.com.
Bear Hunting
The Second Season of bear hunting opens tomorrow and runs through November 24. During this season only rifle, muzzleloader and archery hunting is allowed (no pistols or shotguns). A hunter orange hat is required on WMAs stocked with pheasant or quail during the pheasant or quail season.

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chronic Wasting Disease – A scary subject, Part 2

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In last week’s column, I paraphrased MA DFW Moose & Deer Project Leader David Stainbrook’s presentation to the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen about Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). Scientists are stymied as to how to control the disease. Thankfully, so far, humans have not been affected and only cervids are.
In studying the disease, scientists injected the brain tissue of a CWD infected deer into brain of a mouse and it got infected. When they fed a mouse the infected meat, it didn’t become infected. Monkeys that were injected with the infectious material directly into their brain all became infected. Interestingly, 3 out of 4 monkeys that were fed the infected meat did become infected.
So, can the prions mutate? Maybe, eventually. Scientists are now becoming concerned about the safety of our livestock.
Can we derive any comfort from the fact that they haven’t found many new cases of CWD in other states? Not really, because of the reduced Federal funding, some states couldn’t afford to do the tests and they had to drop down to a low level of testing. They simply can’t test as many deer as they want to.
Stainbrook says that MA DFW wants to test any deer that is exhibiting disease-like symptoms, such as an emaciated deer that is circling or acting unusual.
We have a regulation in place. If you get a deer, moose, elk caribou while deer hunting in a state that has CWD, you cannot bring that carcass back to MA without deboning the meat and cleaning the skull cap. That means you have to quarter it and take out the bones. If you get a nice buck, you have to think about that. You may have to drop it off at a taxidermist there to be caped and cleaned, go back home, and then pick it up in a few days later. When Stainbrook hunted in South Dakota, he had to drop off his deer head at a taxidermist, have them cape it out, and then ship the antlers and cape to him. He also had to debone the meat prior to bringing it back.
“In Massachusetts, we have a regulation that no live deer may come into the state”, said Stainbrook. Every year he gets about 10 calls from people wanting to bring live Santa Clause reindeer from out-of-state. You can’t bring them into Massachusetts. If you do, there is a risk of CWD, because reindeer are captive deer from other states.
In Massachusetts we have regulatory authority over captive deer facilities. In a lot of states, their state wildlife agencies do not have the authority but rather their Departments of Agriculture who tend to be very much against prohibitive regulation because they are all for helping the farmers thrive in business.
White-tailed deer are not on the list of allowable captive deer in MA. There is potentially an escaped red deer in the Williamstown area, possibly from VT or NY. If that deer is infected it is now out around infecting other deer. That’s the kind of thing Stainbrook worries about. If you have regulatory authority over captive farms you could require really high fences, double fences and require tags on your deer.

A lot of deer can travel 1 or 2 miles and could cross state border lines; and you may be hunting them.
Deer disperse out, and in studies they have found 75% of yearling males will disperse from 2 miles on up from where they were born. Stainbrook cited that one yearling disperser in PA which had a GPS collar on it went over 90 miles. This could be a major contributor to how CWD can spread across the landscape. There are ongoing studies to try to determine the average distance that deer will disperse. If the average males travel 4 or 5 miles, one can estimate after 10 years how far has CWD been spread. It is a consideration that scientists have to take into consideration as to what to do to control the spread. CWD could be silently creeping throughout the state.
In states that have detected CWD, the action has been to reduce deer density in a designated area around the detection and test harvested deer for CWD to establish and understanding of prevalence. The lower the density, the less likely it will spread. Unfortunately, by the time it is detected, it has probably been in that state for 10 to 20 years and they didn’t know it. The best thing that we can do is everything possible to prevent it from coming into our state. If it comes into our state, it is going to change everything.
To prevent risk, they could restrict the use of deer urine. A typical bottle could have a mixture of urine and feces from hundreds of deer from all over the country. They can’t take a bottle of deer urine and stick it into a lab tube and if it turns red, it tested positive. There is no test to look for those prions in that urine. The way to do it is very expensive and time consuming and not feasible for them to scan all of those bottles. So, a lot of states have banned them.
There are other options – synthetic urine lures. They tested pine tree air fresheners that you use in your car and they actually found that they are quite effective. Not sure why, some deer just come to investigate it and others “high tail” it when they get a whiff. But, it is something scientists are looking into. “It depends on the state agencies and their ability to take action”, Stainbrook said, “We can’t ban the sale of it, but we could prohibit the use or possession of it while hunting.
Instead of only banning harvested deer from states with CWD, some states are considering not allowing a deer carcass from any state (like Maine). The reason for that is that many of the states that are reporting being CWD free don’t have the resources to test enough deer to be confident that they don’t have it. If a state is not testing its deer, how can we say it doesn’t have CWD. Maybe there should be disposal regulations. If you bring a deer into the state you have to dispose of it a certain way. Some states are looking at carcass disposal regulations.
So, after hearing or reading Stainbrook’s comments, do you think the state would/should relax the CWD regulations? I don’t think so, do you?
Taconic Trout Unlimited presentation
On October 25 at 7:00 pm, the Taconic Chapter of Trout Unlimited will have as its guest speaker Steve Culton. His presentation is entitled “The Little Things” that you can do to catch and land more fish. The presentation will take place at the Cork n Hearth Restaurant, Laurel Street (Rte. 20) in Lee, MA.

There will be a social hour at 5:00 pm followed by a business meeting. There is also the opportunity to stay for dinner as well.

Chronic Wasting Disease – A scary subject

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MA DFW Moose and Deer Project Leader David Stainbrook attended the October Berkshire County League of Sportsmen (BCLS) meeting to discuss Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) a disease that affects cervids (members of the deer family). The League delegates were hoping that because there weren’t many new cases reported in nearby states, our state would ease up on the restrictions over bringing them into MA. Currently, the regulations state that it is illegal to import, process, or possess whole carcasses or parts of any cervids from states or provinces where CWD has been detected. It is legal to import deer meat that is de-boned, cleaned skull caps, hides without the head, or a fixed taxidermy mount. No live deer, of any species, may be brought into Massachusetts for any purpose.
Well, I suspect the sportsmen will have to wait a long time before that restriction is lifted.
Stainbrook’s talk was very important and informative. I will attempt to paraphrase what he said in this and next week’s column.
CWD was first discovered in 1967 in Colorado at a penned-in facility when 12 mule deer became emaciated and died. Biologists had no idea of what caused it and thought it was a virus of some sort. It wasn’t until 1978 that they figured out that it was basically the same kind of disease that sometimes exists as scrapie in sheep and mad cow disease in cattle and caused by a protein. Once it gets into the animal’s system it causes brain damage and certain death. But they still didn’t know enough about it, why and how it spread.
Biologists developed several hypotheses about how it originated – Perhaps it was already present in the wild and brought it in to the Colorado pen. Another was that there were nearby pens that were raising sheep and maybe it was scrapie that mutated to infect deer. No test for CWD was available until 2003. Much was still unknown about how it spread. Thus, movement of captive deer across state lines was not known to be a risk factor at the time, which allowed the disease to spread throughout the country relatively undetected, with hunter harvested deer movement also being a potential route. The very first wild case was an elk in Colorado in 1978 and through the next 30 years it spread to white tail deer, elk and other cervids.
In 2005 they first discovered it in Oneida County, NY. They found 5 captive deer in 2 different farms that tested positive. Somehow, CWD escaped from the farmed deer into the wild population and they found 2 wild deer with it. Was it caused by deer escaping and getting in contact with wild deer? Was it caused by those wild deer coming into contact with the penned-up deer (nose to nose)? Was it from a deer carcass that was brought in from one of the CWD positive states?
Meanwhile, CWD showed up in WV, PA, Virginia, and Maryland. Luckily, they have not found any in New England, but the recent discovery of it in Quebec, Canada (just about 100 miles from the VT/NY border) is concerning.
According to Stainbrook, tests in one area in Wisconsin revealed that half of the bucks tested are infected, but to look at them you would never know. The adults don’t become symptomatic until 18 months or longer. You can have what appears to be a healthy deer and never know it is infected, but is spreading infectious material across the landscape. They looked at every hunter that took a deer from that area and determined where they brought the carcasses, which was all over the country, highlighting how quickly it can be spread if those hunters did not follow current regulations on importing carcasses. That’s the thing that worries the biologists.
Around 2008 the Federal Government allocated $15 – $18 million for testing, allocating the monies among all of the states. It cost anywhere from $25 – $50 to test a carcass, and the costs added up very quickly when there were thousands of deer to test.
In 2012 most of the federal funding disappeared and states had to severely cut back in testing. Many had to get rid of all CWD employees. This possibly explains the drop in reported CWD cases and appeared to look like it was decreasing.
When the Federal monies were available, scientific tests discovered that CWD exists as mis-folded proteins called prions. One of the first things they found out was that if it was in the spinal cord and if another deer got in touch with it, that would spread the disease. Then they found out that saliva and blood could cause its spread, they found out that it was in the feces and urine in addition to the saliva.
Another study found that when it goes onto the ground from the urine and feces, it can last in the soil and be infectious for 10 years. If it binds to the soil particles, it becomes even more infectious. They subsequently found out that plants absorb it and it doesn’t wash away with rain. Even most incinerators are not hot enough to kill it. Bleach apparently does work.
Because it is taken up into the plants, there are whole new issues because of the agricultural products that are coming out of the states that have high incidences of CWD like Wisconsin, where they have corn, alfalfa, soybean and all products that are going into our food and livestock. They found that crows eating on deer carcasses could also spread it. “There is a potential for it to be spread throughout the country”, said Stainbrook.
The scary part is that many deer look healthy, but they may have it and it may take 2 years for them to show symptoms and die from it. “They are spreading it well before we can tell that a deer has it”, said Stainbrook.
Are there any human issues? Are the people who have been eating deer affected? So far nothing has come up. (incidentally, cooking the meat at oven temps will not get rid of prions). Fortunately, only deer and other cervids get it. More on this subject next week.
Archery deer hunting season opens tomorrow
In Zones 1 – 9, Archery Deer Hunting Season opens tomorrow, and runs through Saturday, November 24, excluding Sundays. The regulations state:
• Hunting hours begin ½ hour before sunrise and end ½ hour after sunset. (Except on Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) stocked with pheasant or quail during the pheasant or quail season, hunting hours are sunrise to sunset.)
• Only archery equipment can be used during this season.
• Arrows must have a well sharpened steel broadhead blade not less than 7/8 inches in width. Expanding broadheads are legal.
• All bows must have a draw weight of at least 40lbs at 28 inches or at peak draw.
• Poisoned arrows, explosive tips, and bows drawn by mechanical means are prohibited.
• Crossbows may be used by certain permanently disabled persons by permit only.
• During Archery Season, hunter orange is not required unless on a WMA stocked with pheasants
• Season Limit is 2 antlered deer per year in Zones 1 – 9 and as many antlerless deer as you have valid antlerless deer permits for.
• Reporting is required within 48 hours of harvest
• There is no daily limit. If you have unused antlered tags or antlerless permits, you may continue hunting after reporting your harvest.

Be careful out there in your tree stand. We don’t want to be reading about your falling out of it and becoming a fatality. Also, be mindful of ticks.

Let’s go hunting!

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The Duck and Regular Canada Goose hunting seasons open tomorrow in the Berkshires. The daily bag limit for ducks is 6 with a possession limit of 18. For geese, the daily bag limit is 3 and possession limit is 9. (Remember, the 15 daily bag limit for geese only applies to the early goose hunting season which ended on September 21).

There is a myriad of regulations which apply to duck hunting. For example, note the daily bag limits: The daily bag may contain no more than 6 ducks, and no more than 4 of any species, not additionally restricted; only 2 black ducks, 4 mallards of which only 2 may be females, 3 wood ducks, etc. Waterfowl hunters need a HIP number, State and Federal stamps, must use non-toxic shot, etc., etc. Hunters really need to refer to the 2018-2019 Migratory Game Bird regulations.

The upland game (ring-necked pheasants, ruffed grouse and quail), cottontail rabbit and snowshoe hare hunting seasons open next Saturday, October 13.

About 40,000 ring-necked pheasants will be stocked in the Commonwealth this fall and we can assume that about 8,000 of them will be stocked in the Western District. To get a complete listing of the stocking locations, click onto the MassWildlife web site and then onto “Pheasant Stocked Areas”. Not only are the stocking locations listed but also the frequency of stocking.”
Also, a couple hundred additional pheasants, which were raised by the Lee Sportsmen’s Association during the year, will be stocked onto certain public lands.
Really, upland game and rabbit hunting is all about the dogs. How they point, retrieve or hold the scent is a source of pride to the hunter. Now’s our chance to see if all of the training, veterinarian expenses, license fees, dog food expenses, etc. of our bird dogs and beagles will pay off. Hopefully, we have been able to get them into top physical shape, just like us.

If they don’t perform to our expectations, that’s ok. They will still be our lovable best friends who simply adore us.

Hunters should refer to the Massachusetts Guide to Hunting, Fishing and Trapping laws to determine season dates, daily bags, season limits, etc. I would like to reiterate one regulation: No person shall hunt during the pheasant or quail season on Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) where pheasant or quail are stocked without wearing a blaze orange cap or hat except while night hunting for raccoons or opossums or while hunting waterfowl from within a blind.”
My recommendation is to wear blaze orange anywhere that you are hunting pheasants, grouse, woodcock or bunnies, not just on a WMA. Also, if hunting waterfowl from a blind, I would recommend wearing a blaze orange hat while going to or leaving the blinds.
I also recommend that non-hunters (hikers, bird watchers, mountain bikers, mushroom seekers, etc.) wear a blaze orange hat while on WMA lands and any forests or lands where hunting is permitted. Don’t forget that cottontail rabbit and snowshoe hare hunters are out there, too, and many of them hunt in our state forests.
Incidentally, the coyote hunting season also opens on October 13.
Here’s hoping you have a safe and enjoyable hunting season, and be mindful of the deer ticks.
Help MassWildlife by recording your wildlife observations while hunting

Massachusetts hunters spend a significant amount of time in the woods observing wildlife of all kinds. These observations can provide wildlife biologists with a tremendous amount of information to better understand wildlife distribution and abundance across the Commonwealth. If you are an archery deer hunter or a game bird hunter, MassWildlife asks that you consider keeping a hunting log on all the days you hunt this season.
If you complete and submit either an archery deer hunting log or a game bird hunting log before December 14, you will be entered into a drawing. Prizes include 1 stainless steel tabletop gas grill, donated by Cabela’s, 10 blaze orange MassWildlife caps, and 10 one-year subscriptions to Massachusetts Wildlife magazine. Winners will be randomly selected and notified in late December. If you complete both types of logs, your name will be entered twice.
Archery Deer Hunting Season Log: If you are an archery deer hunter in Massachusetts, keep a daily log of your hunting activities and observations of wildlife during the archery deer season.. Because archery hunters are usually very stealthy and camouflaged, you are uniquely suited to record valuable observations of wildlife including deer, wild turkey, black bear, coyote, and other species not commonly observed.
Game Bird Hunting Season Log: If you are a game bird hunter in Massachusetts, keep a daily log of your hunting activities and observations of game birds while hunting bobwhite quail, pheasant, woodcock, or grouse. These observations will provide MassWildlife biologists with information on game bird populations across the state and allow them to evaluate hunter efforts of various upland game bird species. MassWildlife seeks to maintain healthy game bird populations while ensuring quality hunting experiences for both wild and stocked birds across the Commonwealth.
Log Results From 2017
Archery deer hunters submitted 171 hunting logs resulting in over 9,000 hours of hunting time logged. Logs were received from hunters in every Wildlife Management Zone (WMZ); however, zones 9, 10 and 11 accounted for the most logged hours. Turkey, deer, and coyote were the most common species observed statewide. Bucks and does were observed in every WMZ, while turkeys were observed in zones 1-11; black bears were observed in 7 of the 15 zones.
Hunting logs were received from 42 gamebird hunters in 2017 resulting in 975 hours of recorded game bird hunting. Submitted hunting logs were received from WMZs 2-12 and Nantucket (WMZ 14).
Fall trout stocking has begun
Mass DFW has already stocked several of our local waters. To find out when and where the stockings occurred and the kinds of trout stocked, click onto the MassWildlife web site (www.mass.gov/service-details/trout-stocking-report).
There was some conjecture as to whether the East Branch of the Westfield River will be stocked this fall. According to Andrew Madden, DFW Western District Supervisor, barring any unforeseen event such as flooding or accessibility issues, fall stocking of the East Branch is planned.
Happy 50th Birthday to the American Museum of Fly Fishing

The AMFF, which is dedicated to preserving the rich heritage of fly fishing was established in 1968 in Manchester, Vermont, by a group of passionate and enthusiastic anglers who believed that the history of angling was an important part of American culture and tradition. The Museum was created to serve as an institution to research, preserve, and interpret the treasures of angling history.

Today, the Museum serves as a repository for and conservator to the world’s largest collection of angling and angling-related items, numbering in the thousands. Its collections and exhibits thoroughly document the evolution of fly fishing as a sport, art form, craft, and industry in the United States and abroad, dating as far back as the sixteenth century. Rods, reels, flies, tackle, art, photographs, manuscripts, and books (including its 7,000 volume Gardner L. Grant Library) form the Museum’s permanent collection.

The museum, which is located next to Orvis in Manchester, VT is one of my favorite places to visit. I always look forward to receiving their quarterly journal, entitled The American Fly Fisher which is provided to its members. Check them out on www.amff.org.

An estimated 150 Black Bears taken during the September Season

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

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

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

Teddy Bears picnic

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Local waters welcome 12,000 trout; 2 local lakes add new boat ramps

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Local waters welcome 12,000 trout; 2 local lakes add new boat rampsl

And our Western District waters will receive about 12,000 of them. That’s according to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. (MassWildlife). The rainbows will be 12 inches or longer. This brown trout that will be stocked state-wide will also be about 12 inches long. The stockings should begin this week and be completed by the second week of October depending on water temperatures. The following area waters are scheduled to be stocked this year: Ashfield Pond, Deerfield River, Goose Pond, Lake Buel, Laurel Lake, North Pond, Onota Lake, Otis Reservoir, Pontoosuc Lake, Richmond Pond, Stockbridge Bowl, Windsor Lake and Windsor Pond.

At the time of this writing, it was unclear as to whether the East Branch of the Westfield River would be stocked this fall. It was not stocked last fall because of warm water conditions and low flow. Anglers should be able find out by viewing the daily stocking reports on Mass.gov/Trout. Although Stockbridge Bowl is scheduled to be stocked, because of the toxic algae problem, anglers should probably check the web page anyway.

Incidentally, anglers can search for a specific waterbody or town by using the sortable list, or explore new fishing spots with the map feature.

Tight lines!

Lake boat ramp projects
Recently Department of Fish & Game (DFG) Commissioner Ronald Amidon, Office of Fishing & Boating (OFB) Director John Sheppard, and Assistant Director Douglas Cameron visited the Berkshires to celebrate the completion of two lake access projects: one on Lake Mansfield in Great Barrington and the other on Goose Pond in Lee/Tyringham.
The 40-acre Lake Mansfield is a half mile northwest of the center of Great Barrington. Its maximum depth is 16 feet with an average depth of approximately seven feet. Thanks to a previous donation from Carl Beling there is a boat access on the southeast side of the pond
Last Tuesday, there was a ribbon cutting celebrating the installation of a car top access ramp and adjacent parking area. The newly paved parking area holds about a half dozen cars. Because the lake is so small (40 acres), no motorized boats except electric motors are allowed.
The parking lot and ramp used to be a gravely and when it rained, the gravel and nearby road pollution got washed into the lake. But no longer thanks to the DFG and OFB technician Terry Smith.
During the winter months, Smith did all of the design and permitting work and during this summer he went to work helping to construct it. With help from The Great Barrington DPW, work was done on the nearby road to properly pitch it and the parking area runoff into retention basins and not directly into the lake, thus helping to resolve a non-point source of pollution there. He also was involved in paving the parking lot. By doing much of the work himself and/or in-house, it is estimated that he saved the OBF about 50% of the cost had it gone out to bid and outsourced.
Attending the ribbon cutting were of Great Barrington officials, DPW Chief Sean VanDeusen, AJ Enchill from State Senator Hind’s office, Town Conservation Agent Shep Evens, a representative of the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen, Christine Ward of the Lake Mansfield Improvement Task Force and others.
All expressed gratitude for the support given by the Town, DFG, Senator Hinds and Representative Smitty Pignatelli. Christine Ward discussed additional long- term management plans for the lake.
Later that morning, DFG and OFB officials, viewed the newly designed and paved boat ramp access to Goose Pond ramp on Cooper Creek Road. Goose Pond is a popular 263-acre pond located off of Goose Pond Road on the Lee and Tyringham town lines. Upper Goose Pond is connected to Goose Pond via a small but navigable channel and is 61 acres in size. Goose Pond has an average depth of 23 feet with a maximum of 48 feet while Upper Goose Pond averages 15 feet in depth with a maximum of 33 feet.
In the 1960s, the Commonwealth secured an easement to ensure public access. Up until this year, the graveled road had been in poor condition with holes and erosion problems. Once again, Terry Smith came to the rescue designing plans for correcting the erosion issues. He rolled up his sleeves and built a runoff retention system The town’s DPW re-graded the roadway to the ramp and with DFG funds, paved the road and delineated parking areas along the side of it. Thanks to Smith’s efforts, the renovation of the boat ramp access costs approximately half of what it would have cost had the project gone out to bid. (I think he deserves a raise).
In attendance were Commissioner Amidon, Director Shepard, Assistant Director Cameron, Smith, Enchill, town officials, lake residents and others. “Tyringham officials recognize the importance of this access and have entered into an agreement with DFG to provide ongoing management of the public access areas. It is a fantastic recreational asset for the public. It is good for people who live here and good for the tourism business as well,” said Tyringham Board of Selectman Chairman James Consolati.

“Ecotourism, or the outdoor recreation economy, has grown to be a significant focus in Berkshire County”, said Commissioner Amidon, “and fixing up boat ramps is just one way to serve both residents and visitors alike”. The DFG has done a lot of that in recent years having done boat ramp work on ponds in Otis and Richmond Pond last year, and Lake Mansfield and Goose Pond this year.
Update on the Ashuwillticook moose
Recently MA DFW responded to a report of a young bull moose weighing approximately 700 pounds on the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail in Adams. Due to the location of the moose, their biologists worked with the Massachusetts Environmental Police to successfully immobilize the animal and transport it to an undisclosed rural location, where it was closely monitored until it fully recovered from the effects of the immobilization agent. The DFW thanked the EPOs, DCR, Adams ACO, and Adams Fire and Highway Departments for their assistance.

 

Want a night out?
The Berkshire County Chapter of Ducks Unlimited is presenting “A Sportsman’s Night Out” on Friday evening, October 5 at the Stockbridge Sportsman’s Club from 6:00 to 9:00 PM.
You are invited to come out for a night of fun with family and friends. This is not like their Spring event, no formal meal, no live auction, just plenty of fun for everyone. Hot dogs, burgers, sausage, beverages, general raffle, silent auction, and gun raffles
You are advised to wear a flannel shirt to be entered in for the door prize.
No tickets will be sold at the door. You can obtain your tickets online at www.ducks.org or through a Ducks Unlimited member. Tickets must be purchased by Saturday, September 29. Tickets are $30 each or $250 for a sponsorship. They are limited to the first 150 people and they suspect that tickets will go fast.
Chapter co-chairmen are: JP Murphy and Joe DelSoldato (berkshireducks@gmail.com), Chapter members: Andy Atutis, Rich Lincourt, Ken Recore, The Regional Director is Ray Ilg (rilg@ducks.org).

Deerfield River Trout Unlimited Chapter Named Tops in the Nation

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The Deerfield River Watershed’s Trout Unlimited (DRWTU) Chapter has been named the top chapter in the United States by its national organization. The “Golden Trout Award” is the highest honor a local chapter can receive from TU, a national, non-profit conservation agency headquartered in Arlington, VA. DRWTU Chapter 349 was selected from among 420 chapters, with 300,000 members nationwide. This award recognizes the local chapter which, over the last year, took innovative and thoughtful approaches to build and expand community and advance TU’s overall conservation mission.
They will receive the “Golden Trout Award” at the TU Annual meeting in Redding, CA on September 21.
“TU’s philosophy is simple and powerful: Take care of the fish and the fishing will take care of itself,” said Chris Wood, President and CEO of TU. “We are a community that cares deeply about our local rivers and we’re willing to roll up our sleeves to ensure those rivers are in better shape for our children and grandchildren. The Deerfield River chapter exemplifies these ideals and is a shining example.”

“The dedication of our board and membership has really driven our little chapter to do things that we never imagined when we first got started back in 2010,” said Kevin Parsons, chapter president for DRWTU and a founding member. “It’s really our people, and all the other groups and agencies we’ve partnered with that really brought this recognition. The Deerfield River is an incredible natural resource and enhancing its fishery and protecting its ecology is a sound investment for its future.”

DRWTU is among the smallest TU chapters in the United States, (having about 140 members) and its boundaries encompass the most rural region in Massachusetts. The 70-mile long Deerfield River, with its headwaters in Vermont and with 10 hydro-electric dams, is considered a premier cold-water trout fishery in Massachusetts.

DRWTU has been actively participating in FERC’s relicensing of the Brookfield Power hydro-electric facilities located in Monroe and Rowe, MA. As part of that ongoing process, DRWTU conducted a first of its kind trout spawning study, in Massachusetts. Prior to this study it was widely believed any significant trout spawning was occurring in the Deerfield’s tributaries, not the main stem. Last year’s spawning study not only proved that significant trout spawning was happening in the main stem, but that current hydro-electric operations were adversely impacting that effort. In addition, Massachusetts Fish & Wildlife (MA DFW) has since begun significant study work on the Deerfield to further assess wild trout. (Their efforts were extensively covered in this Berkshire Eagle column on August 12, 2018 entitled “ Dogged perseverance pays off” and follow-up comments in the August 19 column).
A second, more expansive trout spawning study will commence this fall. DRWTU has joined forces with MA DFW, U.S. Fish & Wildlife, and the USGS Silvio O. Conte Anadromous Fish Research Center to further assess impacts of Brookfield’s operations. DRWTU and its partners believe better flows from Brookfield Power’s daily operations will result in greater spawning success, higher numbers of wild fish and an overall improvement of the river’s ecology.
DRWTU believes a robust wild trout fishery in the Deerfield will expand economic opportunity and tourism, as even more anglers from outside the region will be attracted by the lure of catching wild fish.
DRWTU was re-established in 2010. A year later Tropical Storm Irene devastated the entire watershed, which kept the chapter busy with several projects. They are a busy little chapter as the members are stewards of the Deerfield River and its tributaries.
For example, they partnered with the Franklin Land Trust (FLT), MA-RI TU Council and all 12 TU Chapters in Massachusetts/Rhode Island to raise an additional $45,000 to purchase and preserve 100 acres, known as the “Crowningshield Property” in Heath, MA to help protect the important West Branch of the North River. This property is now protected in perpetuity.
Stockbridge Bowl is off-limits to all recreational water activities

Recently, the state Department of Public Health found a rust-colored algae on portions of Stockbridge Bowl containing potentially toxic cyanobacteria. The Tri-Town Health and the Stockbridge Board of Health advised people and their pets “to avoid activities that involve contact with the contaminated water.” That includes boating and swimming, but what about fishing?

Probably the best advice is to follow the Health Department guidelines and avoid fishing at the Bowl until the advisory is lifted. Aquatic biologists believe there is a lot of variability in algal blooms and one has to know the specific details of Stockbridge Bowl, but generally once the bloom has stopped and the health advisories lifted, recreational angling will be essentially the same as pre-bloom conditions.
If you have a fish which may have been exposed to the algae and you plan to eat it, be sure to scrub the slime off of it before cleaning or fileting it. You don’t want to get the toxin on the filet knife and taint the meat. (Personally, I wouldn’t even think about eating it.)
Will the toxin harm the fish? As for the impact to fish, aquatic biologists feel that typically the blooms are temporary and don’t have much of a direct impact. Some secondary impacts to dissolved oxygen and food webs can occur. If the fish has been swimming around in this stuff for a long period of time, that is a different matter.
Big family fun at the Big MOE
Experience the Massachusetts Outdoor Expo (The Big MOE) at the Hamilton Rod and Gun Club grounds in Sturbridge, MA on Sunday, September 23, 2018 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine. In its 21st year, this FREE, family-friendly event celebrates outdoor skills, nature, art, and wildlife. With over 45 activity stations, there’s something for everyone at The Big MOE. Stations include: shotgun, airgun, and rifle shooting, fishing and fly tying, kayaking, archery tomahawk throwing birds of prey, petting zoo, birdhouse building, mountain biking and other crafts.
For a complete listing of activity stations, visit www.FawnsExpo.com.
Convenient, off-site parking is located at the Sturbridge Business Park at 660 Main Street (Rte. 20) and FREE shuttle bus transportation will run nonstop from the Business Park to the Big MOE throughout the day. On-site parking is reserved for volunteer staff and those requiring handicapped access (plate required). No pets or alcohol are permitted. Food and drinks are available for purchase.

Presentation on Trail Cameras

Local outdoor photographer and wildlife tracker Dr. Richard Greene will be the guest speaker at the Lenox Historical Society’s Annual Meeting and Pot Luck Dinner which will be held tomorrow evening at the Lenox Community Center, 65 Walker St., Lenox. In his presentation, he will discuss his use of trail cameras and the activities of the abundant wildlife that he has captured on film.

Dr. Greene’s presentation, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7:15 pm following the Society’s 6:00 pm dinner and annual elections. If you wish to attend the pot luck dinner, contact Jan (413) 637-1818 or Vickie (413) 441-7902 with your choice of bringing an appetizer, main dish or dessert to share.