Paraplegic hunters enjoy another special day

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According to Trina Moruzzi, MA Division of Fisheries & Wildlife Supervisory Biologist and Paraplegic Deer Hunt Coordinator, sixteen hunters participated statewide in the paraplegic hunts which were held on November 2 through 4. Three deer were harvested, all bucks- one in Southern Berkshires, one at Devens and one at Otis/Edwards. This translates to a 19% success rate for this year’s hunt. In the past five years, these hunters have averaged around a 25% harvest success rate.
Here in the Berkshires, six hunters participated this year – four in the southern and two in the northern Berkshires sites.
The southern Berkshires folks hunted in the Mount Washington area and it was coordinated out of the DCR Headquarters there. Fred Lampro and Mark Portiere headed it up this year. The hunters were: Sidney Eichstedt of Lee, Greg Baumli of New Lebanon, NY, Steve Gladding of Westfield, MA and Vyto Sablevicius of Norwich, MA. Helpers included: Shaun Smith, Brian Ingerson, Marc Portieri, Greg Arienti, Rick Thelig, Tom Dean, Paul Antonozzi, Fred Lampro, Al Vincent, Paul Mullins and Chuck Pickert, all from the Berkshires or northern Connecticut.
For the 9th year in a row, Chuck Pickert brought his trailer-mounted smoker/grill and cooked breakfasts and lunches for the three days. Tricia Vollmer made the fish chowder and other individuals also prepared the desserts and other food needed for the three-day event. A lot of friends who own restaurants and businesses donated food and condiments. I intentionally arrived there on Friday, just before lunch. On that day, the lunch menu was: homemade fish chowder, smoked pot roast, smoked Vidalia onion gravy, Luau baked beans (with pineapple) and home-made desserts. The day before, Pickert prepared a smoked pork loin lunch.

So how did the hunt go this year? A button buck was taken the first day by Sidney Eichstedt. Over the last 20 years that he has been participating in the paraplegic hunt, he has taken 14 deer. Three of the four other hunters saw deer. I didn’t get to see the deer as it was already cut up.

The volunteers are amazing. They did a lot of prep work by scouting several areas and placing 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. They set up wooden ramps on which to place the wheelchairs, transported the hunters to the locations and helped to drive the deer toward the hunters. If a hunter shot a deer, they tracked it, field dressed it and dragged it to the hunter’s van. In Sidney’s case, one of the volunteers even drove the deer to a butcher to be cut up that evening.

This year, one of the hunters and his volunteers encountered two other deer hunters who planned to hunt the same area. When they learned that paraplegic hunters wanted to hunt the area, they graciously left the woods with no hard feelings.

The two hunters at the Northern Berkshires site were: Dale Bailey of Clarksburg and Shawn Mei of Baldwinville, MA. Volunteer included Rick French, Alex Daigle, Tony Mei, Stacy Sylvester, and J. Sylvester. They hunted in the Williamstown area but had no luck.
DFW Western District Manager Andrew Madden and his staff of Nate Buckhout, Jacob Morris-Siegel, Derek McDermott and Ray Bressette were on hand at both sites to help out and check in the deer.

“Since 1972, this hunt has provided thousands of hours of recreational opportunities for paraplegic sportsmen and women and I am proud to be part of it.” said Moruzzi. She noted that volunteers are integral to the program and thanked 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 2018 hunt, contact Trina Moruzzi at trina.moruzzi@state.ma.us or call (508) 389-6318.
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.”
2017 Tri-Club Champions
Congratulations to the Sheffield Sportsmen’s Club which won the 2017 Tri-Club Championship Skeet Tournament. The scores were: Sheffield Sportsmen’s Club: 1350, Stockbridge Sportsmen’s Club: 1348, and Lee Sportsmen’s Association: 1216
Lee Donsbough was the high scorer for Sheffield. The “Iron Man Shoot” at Sheffield was won by Buddy Atwood. High trap was won by Mike DiGiovani and high skeet was won by Ryan Simmons. The 50 5-Stand, 25 Skeet and 25 Trap are shot in this contest.

Shotgun Deer Hunting Revisions
Shotgun deer hunting season will be starting on November 27. A new regulation revision is that hunters must check in their deer at a deer checking station the first week, but can check their deer on-line during the second week of shotgun deer season.

Also, DFW Western District Supervisor Madden recently reported that there is a new deer checking station in East Otis. It is Papa’s Healthy Food & Fuel, 2000 East Otis Road, Otis, MA, 413-269-7779. It will be open for the first week of Shotgun Season only with the special hours: from November 27 through December 2, 2017, Monday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm.

Shortnose Sturgeon
In August, near the Vernon Dam, in Vernon, VT, an angler caught and released alive a shortnose sturgeon. This is the first confirmed case of a shortnose sturgeon living above the Turners Falls, MA Dam. It was thought that the dam and the natural waterfall there had always been the limit of where these fish lived in the river. This is exciting news for the sturgeon, which is endangered in the Connecticut River.

However, this also has implications for the hydroelectric facilities in the region, particularly the Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage facility. It’s critical that their equipment function in a way that does not harm these fish. And the problem with Northfield Mountain is there’s not any protection against fish – big or small – from being drawn into the intake pipes.

The Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC), which issued this news release, was already on top of the problems with the intake pipes before the shortnose sturgeon was caught. It will be even more committed to ensuring that this problem be fixed when the new FERC hydro licenses are issued.

Young pheasant hunters enjoyed a wonderful day

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On Saturday, October 7, the Lee Sportsmen’s Association held its Annual Young Adult Pheasant Hunt. That was the day before the opening of the regularly scheduled opening day of pheasant hunting season which MassWildlife reserves just for youths. LSA has held the hunt since 2006 in partnership with MassWildlife. This year, six youths participated in the hunt and every one harvested two pheasant each which is the daily limit. (I hope you noticed that four of the hunters were young ladies).
At the LSA, John Polastri of Becket, heads up the program and he is also a mentor. In addition to John, other mentors this year were George Haddad, Mike Gigliotti, Dick Salice, Doug Frank, Carl Hines and Mike Kelly and their dogs which included two Brittany Spaniels, 2 German Shorthairs and an English Cocker Spaniel. (Sorry, I don’t have their names). The dogs’ jobs were to find, point and flush the birds.
The Young Adult Pheasant Hunt Program builds the confidence of young hunters (ages 12-17) in a safe, friendly environment. They don’t need to be club members to participate.
These young hunters didn’t just walk into the fields and started shooting birds. First, they had to complete the Basic Hunter Education Program. Then, if they were 15 years or older, they had to obtain a Firearms Identification Card (FID). Then they had to find a nearby club to participate with for the seminar and hunt. Then they had to attend the Pheasant Seminar which included hands-on instruction in shotgun shooting fundamentals and firearm safety, how to have a safe and fun hunt, and information on upland hunting basics. Then onto the hunt to experience a real pheasant hunt under the supervision of an experienced hunter, who hopefully had a good bird dog.
At the LSA, John Polastri also gets the youths out onto the skeet field before the actual hunt for some skeet shooting practice. On the morning of the hunt, the kids had a good breakfast at the clubhouse, and at noon, they enjoyed a nice lunch. Later on, they were taught how to clean the pheasants. John thinks this is important because he doesn’t want them needlessly killing them and wasting the meat. (I hope their parents got hold of a good pheasant recipe and cooked up some pheasant under glass. Pheasant meat is a delicacy which only the finest restaurants have on their menus.)
I wonder if they saved any of the pheasant feathers for decorations. Also, the pheasant tail is an important feather for tying flies. The Pheasant Tail Nymph is an excellent trout fly which many, if not most anglers carry with them when they head for the streams.
Local participating sportsmen’s clubs are as follows:
Worthington Rod and Gun Club (Worthington)
Contact: Walter Fritz Jr.
(413) 238-5841
Email: ridgerdizzaboo@verizon.net
Lee Sportsmen’s Club (Lee)
Contact: John Polastri
(413) 822-8278
East Mountain Sportsmen’s Club (Williamstown)
Contact: Tom Brule
Email: tom.brule@gmail.com
To find out more about this program, click onto the MassWildlife web page. If you have more questions about the program, contact the Youth Hunt Coordinator Astrid Huseby at (508)-389-6305. Our local Western District Office in Dalton can help you also. (413) 684-1646.
Incidentally, it is worth noting that the LSA raises its own pheasants and stocks them on public lands twice a week. About 500 of them are stocked annually which can be hunted by the general public. Club member Brian Fenner heads up that effort along with help from David Morris.
If you are one of the pheasant hunters who benefits from their stocking program, please know it is fairly expensive to raise them. A great way to thank the LSC is to attend their pheasant rearing fundraising meal on the last Sunday in January.
New MassWildlife web page
All Massachusetts government websites are migrating to a new system, which means you will start to notice changes to the look and functionality of MassWildlife web pages. If you have any trouble finding information, go to Mass.gov/masswildlife and use the internal search box. With the new search engine, you should be able to find what you need on all mass.gov pages easier and faster than before. The new website is optimized for viewing on a tablet or phone as well as a desktop. MassWildlife asks that you please bear with them while they complete the website migration and make adjustments and improvements over the coming weeks. Also, MassWildlife recently announced that they are now on Instagram. Follow them @mass.wildlife for fish and wildlife news and photos and videos from the field.
Three Mile Pond Access Project –
Three Mile Pond, a 168-acre impoundment owned by MassWildlife, is the largest pond in Sheffield. It is part of the Three Mile Pond Wildlife Management Area which is 1,065.7 acres in size. Recently, MassWildlife announced that it has begun a project to improve boat access on the pond. This is a joint effort funded by MassWildife, Ducks Unlimited, the Outdoor Heritage Foundation, and the Office of Fishing and Boating Access. The project, which should be completed next spring, will result in a more usable parking and access for anglers and waterfowl hunters.
Elections
It’s that time for the sportsmen’s clubs to hold their annual elections.
Recently, the Taconic Chapter of Trout Unlimited elected Henry Swerin of Dalton its President, William Travis of Pittsfield its Treasurer and Fran Marzotto of Pittsfield its Secretary. The VP position is open.
At its last monthly meeting, the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen elected Tom Brule of Florida, MA its President, Wayne Mclain of North Adams its VP, Dan Kruszyna of Cheshire its Treasurer and me its Secretary.
Remembering our veterans
Planning on some quiet time sitting in a deer stand, hiking, paddling or enjoying Mother Nature in some form this upcoming week? You might want to look around and take a moment to silently thank those who fought and died to preserve this land and defend our freedoms. To all you veterans who are reading this column, many thanks for your service.
Questions/comments: Berkwoodsandwaters@roadrunner.com. Phone: (413) 637-1818

 

Benches dedicated in honor of Darey and Wislocki

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Last Sunday afternoon, members of the Gould Meadows Restoration Committee held a ceremony at the waterfront of Gould Meadows on Stockbridge Bowl to dedictate two benches in honor of George Darey and George Wislocki. They were honored for their hard work and dedication enabling the transfer of land from the Gould Family to the Town of Stockbridge back in 1981.
After short talks by both men, paper weight plaques were presented to them with the same wording as on their benches: “To George”Gige” Darey/George Wislocki In recognition of George’s work in regard to the purchase and sale agrement from the Gould Family to the Town of Stockbridge in 1981” A toast of bubbly was presented by Tim Minkler of Interlaken, with the words “ “Hail! Hail! The two Georges for all their efforts preserving this land for future generations!”.
According to a historical note prepared by Wislocki, there were plans back in 1981to subdivide the 94.8 acre meadow into building lots. Committee member Minkler remembered that there were plans to build 60 homes on this land. “If this development had ever taken place, we could have seen 60 mega mansions on this land polluting Stockbridge Bowl. Thank God the two Georges stepped up to the plate to save this beautiful tract of land.” he said. (Darey was a member of the Lenox Board of Selectmen and MA Fish & Wildlife Board at the time and Wislocki was the Executive Director of the Berkshire Natural Resources Council).
In 1979, when Darey got wind that the Gould Meadows was going to be put on the market, he contacted Stockbridge Selectwoman Mary V. Flynn and soon thereafter a meeting was called. At that meeting it was decided that the Town of Stockbridge should attempt to secure an agreement to purchase the property from the estate of Lee Higginson Gould for the sum of $250,000.
The plan was to seek a grant from the State’s Division of Conservation Services for 50% of the cost and a second grant of 25% from the US Department of Interior. The remaining 25% was to be raised through a private fund drive. The Friends of Gould Meadows was formed to raise these funds.
The Boston Symphony Orchestra donated $22,000 . Other major contributors included the Laurel Hill Society and the Stockbridge Bowl Association. Joseph Kruger of Camp Mah-Kee-Nac contributed greatly and rallied the Bowl’s summer residents as well. During the next 24 months the Friends raised over $62,500 from 492 contributors with most of the credit for raising the monies going to Flynn whose affection for these lands appeared boundless.
George Wislocki attended to securing the State and Federal grants. State Senators Fitzpatrick and Webber as well as State Representative Duffin supported the endeavor. Unfortunately, there was a glitch. President Reagan’s Interior Secretary James Watt “froze” the entire allocation of the Land and Water Conservaion Fund with the consequence that the “federal share” came into doubt. Committee Co-Chair Henry Williams and Jack Fitzpatrick urged Congressman Silvio O. Conte to override Watt’s efforts.
However, it was not necessary as Rep. Duffin and Sen. Webber filed a bill in Massachusetts General Court which amended the State’s Open Space Grants Program. It was approved and the State could then contribute up to 80% of the purchase price of conservation land to be acquired by towns.
At its March 9, 1981 Town Meeting, the voters approved the necessary bonding authorization to acquire the property and keep it forever conservation lands. On August 19 of that year, a ceremony was held at Gould Meadows to honor Selectwoman Mary Flynn’s contribution to the purchase. A single oak tree was planted in the middle of the meadow and Bishop Leo O’Neil of Springfield blessed it. Governor King flew in by helicopter and music was provided by a small gathering of Tanglewood musicians. Beneath the tree a small plaque was installed which read: “This tree shall be known throughout time as the Mary Flynn Oak. Her wisdom, political skills and love of Stockbridge served to protect these meadows.”
The plaque has disappeared but the oak remains. Arthur Dutil of Stockbridge kept a watchful eye on the tree, watering and trimming it, and now it is sturdy and healthy. Every summer Gary Johnston of Interlaken mows the meadows around it. The Gould Meadows Restoration Committee is at the meadow most every Saturday morning doing various tasks. Volunteer helpers are always welcomed. Contact Tim Minkler at (413)644-3590 (w) or (413)298-4630 (h) if you wish to help out.
As Wislocki commented, the project wasn’t dominated by wealthy people but rather ordinary people and sportsmen who loved the Berkshires.
Talk about a beautiful meadow. It is on the southeast side of Rte 183, across from Kripalu.with signage and a small parking area. Access is free and open to the public. There are about 95 acres of open meadows and woods with around 1,000 feet of frontage on Stockbridge Bowl which comprises the area between the Tanglewood and Kripalu beaches.
Congratulations and many thanks to the two Georges!
Shad study
According to a recent news release, MassWildlife is teaming up with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Vermont Fish and Wildlife, and New Hampshire Fish and Game to better understand juvenile American shad production in the Connecticut River. The study focuses on 3 major dammed sections of the river.
Forage fish like American shad are important prey resources for numerous freshwater predators popular with anglers, including small and largemouth bass, walleye, and channel catfish. However, little is currently known about juvenile shad production.
Using electrofishing sampling, biologists are learning about the relationship between the number of juvenile shad and the number of adult shad returning to the river to spawn. This coordinated effort will help biologists understand which areas of the Connecticut River have a higher supply of prey fish for predators and where anglers may find better fishing opportunities. Data may also be used to inform relicensing of dams and provide perspective on how current shad production compares to historical populations which existed before dams were installed.
East Branch Westfield River
If any anglers are wondering why the fishing isn’t that great this fall in the East Branch of the Westfield River, there is a reason. MassWildlife decided to skip stocking the river this fall due to the low water conditions.

Over 1,100 acres of land acquired by MassWildlife in F/Y 2017

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According to DFW Western District Supervisor Andrew Madden, MassWildlife had another good year for land acquisition. The following parcels were acquired in the Western District during the Fiscal Year 2017 (July 2016-June 2017).

Project Town Acres

Housatonic East Branch WCE Hinsdale 14.832
Peru WMA Peru 127
Ram Hill WMA Chesterfield 60.51
Long Mountain WMA Otis 23.84
Chalet WMA Lanesborough 24
Peru WMA Peru 3.366
Eugene Moran WMA Windsor 199.78
Misery Mountain WMA Williamstown 363.64
Tower Brook WMA Chesterfield 298.61
TOTAL Acres: 1115.58
All of these lands are open to the public for passive recreation including hunting, fishing, trapping, bird watching, hiking, etc. Previously, comments were made in this column on the topography, habitat and access on all but the following three projects:
Eugene Moran Wildlife Management Area in Windsor. This property, which abuts the existing WMA, has been recently harvested and now has young forests with early successional growth. It provides good habitat for bear, deer, moose and other non-game critters. Access is from North Street in Windsor.
Misery Mountain in Williamstown has steep terrain and has a mature forest especially with oak trees. It abuts other lands on the western side which are also protected. MassWildlife’s effort is to protect the entire hillside. The property lives up to its name and is tough to hunt with the steep slopes, but there is good deer and bear habitat. There is no clear roadside access off of Rte 43, at this point but the property can be accessed from adjoining land.
Thee Tower Brook WMA is very huntable and has good access off of Cummington Fairgrounds road. property can be accessed from clear no clear roadside access at this point but the property can be accessed roadside access at this point can be
MassWildlife Habitat Management Grant Program
This program provides financial assistance to private and municipal landowners of conserved lands to improve and manage habitat for game species and other Species of Greatest Conservation Need as identified in the State Wildlife Action Plan. It also aims to expand opportunities for hunting, fishing, trapping, and other outdoor recreation, and complement the ongoing habitat management efforts on State lands.
This year Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton provided MassWildlife with $500,000 for the third year of this popular financial assistance program. Details on how to apply for this grant are posted at mass.gov/dfw/habitat-grant. The application period is now open with a proposal deadline of October 30, 2017.
During the second year of the program (FY17), MassWildlife received 45 applications for grant funding with requests totaling over $1.3 million. Twelve proposals were selected by the team of reviewers for funding. This funding went to 11 different municipalities, private citizens, and both large and small NGOs for projects in 14 towns. These wildlife habitat management projects included invasive species control, old field habitat creation, young forest enhancement, waterfowl habitat creation, and coastal heathlands improvement. In total, approximately 500 acres were successfully managed due to this funding opportunity, including the Town of Lenox which combated the invasive hardy kiwi vine in Kennedy Park. The response from the towns and cities, conservation focused non-governmental organizations, sporting clubs and private citizens, for this wildlife habitat program indicate the strong need for these funding opportunities to preserve, conserve, improve and create wildlife habitats across the entire state. The increased funding for FY18 will result in even more habitat management projects to improve our natural areas for wildlife and outdoor recreation.
Massachusetts State Wildlife Action Plan
As residents of one of the most densely forested and heavily populated states in the nation, we have an intimate relationship with our forestlands here in Massachusetts. They provide clean water for one of the best public drinking water systems in the nation, the foundation of a world class park system, jobs for thousands of people through recreation, tourism and forestry, and a setting that makes Massachusetts second to none as a place we call home. Our forests also provide habitat to a wide array of wildlife – some incredibly abundant, others in steep decline. Our relationship with our forests, and the choices we make to manage them greatly affect the success and resiliency of that wildlife.
You are invited to join the Massachusetts Forest Trust and the Ruffed Grouse Society for a day of learning, discussion, and walking. It occurs on November 2 from 9am to 3pm at the Plainfield Public Safety Complex, 38 North Central Street, Plainfield, MA. You will hear from some of the region’s foremost experts on forest habitat and bird conservation. You will have a chance to hear and discuss what you can do to improve the outlook for species in decline.
Reservation is required at nletoile@massforestalliance.org, or at: (617) 455-9918.
Black bear hunting results
The September season of black bear hunting opened on September 5 and closed on September 23. The preliminary bear harvest, as reported by MassWildlife, showed that licensed bear hunters harvested 148 bears statewide. Some 59 of them were female, 86 were male and there was no information on the remaining 3. The harvest is down from the 190 taken during the September season in 2016. The possible reason for the drop, according to District Supervisor Andrew Madden, was that corn growth was late this year and the bears were pretty well distributed around the areas.
He noted that the harvest numbers are increasing each year in Worcester County and other eastern regions as the bears are moving east. MassWildlife will be dealing with them a lot in the future.
It’s too early for the final harvest figures in the Western District but he estimated that the total should be somewhere around 70% of the statewide total, probably around 100 bears. One bear weighing 475 was checked in in New Marlborough and there were several over 300 lbs., (dressed weights). He reported that there were a lot of year-old bears harvested in our district this year.
Youth Deer Hunt
There is a special date reserved for youth deer hunters which occurs before the regular hunting season. This year the youth deer hunt day was September 30. Statewide, approximately 105 to 110 deer were harvested by the youths, down from the 138 deer which were bagged last year. District Supervisor Madden attributes the lower harvest to the lousy weather which occurred on the youth hunt day. Never-the-less, some big bucks were checked in by the youths, such as a 190 lbs, 8 point buck from Hinsdale, a 175 lbs, 8 pointer from Stockbridge, a 150 lbs, 8 pointer from North Adams, a 150 lbs, six pointer from Hinsdale, and a 145 lbs, 9 pointer from Williamstown.
Questions/comments: Berkwoodsandwaters@roadrunner.com. Phone: (413) 637-1818

 

The Fall Hunting Season Has Begun

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Waterfowl, upland game birds, cottontail rabbits and snowshoe hares hunting seasons have already opened up.
Woodcock (timberdoodle) hunting season opened on October 4 and runs through October 28. It reopens on October 30 and runs through November 18. It will be interesting to see how this season goes this fall for many folks never heard or saw any woodcock mating rituals on their properties last spring. Some wildlife biologists feel that with the early spring weather they began their migrations early and then got caught in the sudden return of wintry weather, killing many of them.
In our region, the duck and Canada goose hunting seasons opened on October 10 and will run through November 25. They reopen on December 4 and run through December 13 for geese and December 25 for ducks.
The US Fish & Wildlife Service estimate that there are 10.5 million mallard ducks this year, 11% lower than 2016 but 34% above the long-term average. The decline amounts to about 1.3 million birds less than in 2016. The bulk of that appears to be related to drier conditions in the Canadian parklands region, where the surveys detected about 0.6 million fewer mallards” they said.

Pheasant stockings
MassWildlife reported that some 40,000 pheasants will be liberated statewide this year. In our zone, the pheasant season opened on October 14 and runs through November 25.
Pheasants are stocked on Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) and other locations that are open to the public for hunting. According to DFW Western District Supervisor Andrew Madden, they have changed the stocking schedules a little bit by varying the stocking times and days, but not the numbers of birds to be stocked. Unfortunately, some hunters had known the usual stocking dates and times and were frequently waiting for the stocking trucks to arrive. The new schedules will allow more people to have a chance at hunting them. Stocking locations and frequencies for the Berkshires are as follows:
Town(s) Stocked Management Areas Stocking Frequency / Week*
Cheshire / Windsor Stafford Hill WMA 2-3
Hinsdale Hinsdale Flats WMA 2-3
Lee Hop Brook WMA 2-3
Lenox George L. Darey Housatonic Valley WMA 2-3
Sheffield Three Mile Pond WMA 2
West Stockbridge Flat Brook WMA 2
Windsor Eugene D. Moran WMA 2-3
Windsor Peru WMA 1
Other stocked areas
Town(s) Other Stocked Areas Stocking Frequency / Week*
Great Barrington Beartown State Forest, between Monterey Rd and Mt Wilcox Rd. 2
Great Barrington Taft Farm off Rte. 183 and Division Road 2
Lee Meadow Street 2
Lenox Post Farm 2
Pittsfield Brattle Brook parkland east off Longview Terrace 2
Richmond Sleepy Hollow Road 2
Tyringham Slater Farm 1
Washington October Mtn. State Forest , dry reservoir site
2
Williamstown Taconic Trail State Park off Rte. 2 2
Due to factors including equipment failure, personnel, inclement weather, high water or other unforeseen circumstances they are unable to provide actual stocking dates and locations.
The ruffed grouse season also opened on October 14 and also runs through November 25.
Hunting Season Logs
Massachusetts hunters spend many hours in the woods observing wildlife of all varieties. These observations can provide wildlife biologists with a tremendous amount of information to better understand wildlife distribution and abundance across the Commonwealth. Consequently, MassWildlife is asking archery deer and game bird hunters to complete daily hunting logs during their hunting seasons this fall.
Hunters who complete hunting logs before December 20, 2017 will be entered in a drawing to win a blaze orange MassWildlife cap or a Massachusetts Wildlife 1-year magazine subscription. 125 winners will be randomly selected to receive hats and 25 winners will be randomly selected to receive magazine subscriptions. Prizes will be mailed to the address provided by the hunter on the completed hunting log.
Bowhunters are asked to keep a daily log of their hunting activities and observations of wildlife during the archery deer season (Oct. 16 – Nov. 25, 2017). Game bird hunters are asked to keep a daily log of their hunting activities and observations of game birds while hunting bobwhite quail, pheasant, woodcock, and grouse (Oct. 14 – Nov. 25, 2017). Click onto the MassWildlife website to download a copy of the recommended logs.
Huge trout were stocked this fall
That’s according to DFW Western District Supervisor Andrew Madden. “The trout stocked this fall are some of the best quality fish that we have ever stocked during the fall season. Some of those fish weigh 3+ lbs.” So far, they stocked the Deerfield River, Upper Highland Lake, Littleville Reservoir, Pontoosuc Lake, Goose Pond, Laurel Lake, Windsor Lake, Windsor Pond, Onota Lake, Richmond Pond, Stockbridge Bowl, Ashfield Pond, North Pond, Norwich Pond, Lake Buel, Big Pond and Otis Reservoir. As of this writing, there are no plans to stock the East Branch of the Westfield River this fall due to low water. If they get surplus fish, they will try later, but for now it’s off the list for this year.t
Lake drawdown
According to a bulletin issued by Lee Hauge, President of the Friends of Pontoosuc Lake, this year’s target level for the annual drawdown will be only 3 feet. This would have been the year for a deep (5 feet) drawdown, but the purpose of the deep drawdown is to control Eurasian Milfoil, and they have not observed this plant species in the lake since the spring of 2015. “This is surprising, and very good news,” wrote Hauge. “Therefore; there is no need for the deep drawn this year or anytime unless we experience a resurgence of this invasive species.”
The annual drawdown will begin Monday, October 16. They will lower the lake level at a rate of about 1 inch per day until the target level is reached. Refill will start at ice-out, except that if ice-out has not occurred by April 1 partial refill will be started then to enable fish spawning.
TU Meeting
Dr. David Christensen, a fisheries biologist from Westfield State University, will be the guest speaker at the Taconic Chapter of Trout Unlimited meeting which will be held on October 19 at The Cork and Hearth Restaurant on Rt. 20 in Lee, MA (next to Laurel Lake). He will be speaking about both river ecology and lake/pond ecology and how it relates to fishing. With summer temperatures in the rivers being quite high and water levels low, we often have to look for other species and other waters to fish so as not to stress our resident trout. Christensen will shed some light on pike, pickerel and bass fishing as well during these summer months.
The presentation, which is free and open to the public, will begin with a social hour at 5:30 pm followed by a short business meeting at 6:00pm and then the presentation. Following the presentation an optional “order off the menu” dinner is contemplated. For more information contact chapter president John Burns at ((802) 318-1600.(413) 243-0535

Labrador trip came close to a washout

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Last week I wrote about the Alberta, Canada flyfishing trip that Allen Gray, Paul Knauth and I took a few weeks ago. If you recall from my September 24, 2017 column, good flyfishing buddy Attorney Michael Shepard of Dalton returned to flyfish in Labrador with 8 other anglers most of whom he had fished with in Quebec and Labrador before. Last year, you may recall, they fished the Minipi River system. This time the anglers fished out of Igloo Lake Lodge on Igloo Lake, a different river system. Like last year, Mike Miller of Athol, MA arranged the trip.
While we arrived in our cottage in Blairmore, Alberta the same day we left home, Mike’s trip was a bit more entailed. They first had to drive to the airport in Montreal, Canada on Wednesday, August 16 and spend the night there. They flew out the next morning with a stop in Halifax, Nova Scotia before landing in Goose Bay, Labrador. They spent that night in Goose Bay and then flew out (by float plane) to Igloo Lake arriving on Friday. When they returned, they did the same, with one exception which I will get into later.
Mike’s fishing partner on this trip was William Waite (Bill) from Westminster, MA (You may recall him from my article last year. He was the least experienced flyfisherman who caught the largest brook trout (8 lbs). Remember? His guide had forgotten the net and had to net it with a 5-gallon pail.)
Igloo Lake is located about 70 miles southeast of Goose Bay. Jim Burton is the owner of two lodges on that lake. According to Mike S., the facilities were beautiful, the boats were topnotch, his guide was the best he ever fished with and the food was restaurant quality. The lodges are located in one beautiful part of Labrador. Burton also owns a float plane which allows him to fly anglers out to other water bodies. There is a one mile stretch of river near the camp which flows into the lake, but the waters were low because of a drought there this past summer. The first day, Mike and Bill fished that stretch catching smaller trout.
The following day, Mike Miller and 3 others flew out to Char Lake, some 200 miles north of Igloo Lake to fish for Arctic Char. They congregate there during their spawning run. Because the float plane could only take 4 anglers at a time, Mike Shepard was scheduled to fly in on the second day. The anglers had phenomenal luck, catching some 80 char and sea run brook trout, many of them caught on char flies that Mike Shepard had tied for them. Well don’t you know, when it was Mike S.’s time to fly out the next day, there were 50 mph winds and the trip was postponed. Then came the rains and fog and a low ceiling. The nasty weather lasted for 3 days and Mike S. and Bill were never able to fly into Char Lake.) It was a big disappointment because Mike really wanted to catch an Arctic char on this trip.
While the other guys were fishing Char Lake, Mike S. and Bill fished the pond at the bottom of the nearby river and caught 6 or 7 pike averaging around 30 inches. Mike caught a 7 ½ lbs. brook trout.
The next day, they fished Burton Pond. To get there, they had a 30-minute boat ride across Igloo Lake and then trek 1 ½ miles across a peat bog. Burton Pond is a big lake, not connected to Igloo Lake, which runs into the Eagle River and ultimately to the North Atlantic. Mike S. and Bill trolled Zoo Cougers and green leech flies. They got into some 5-6 lbs. brook trout which were podding up and boated a dozen or so of those bruisers. Bill and Mike caught 17-18 northern pike in the 30-inch range in Igloo Lake using big green and purple bunny leeches.
On the last day at Burton Pond, Bill and Mike S. caught 22 brook trout all over 5 lbs. Bill caught 14 trolling and Mike caught 8. In the last hour of fishing, Mike proceeded to catch three 5-pound brookies, as well as a 6 and 7 pounder all on size 8 and 6 green drake dry flies.
Incidentally, all fish were released unharmed. They all had a very successful trip, wouldn’t you say?
On the August 25 return trip, they hit a snag. Their luggage was left behind in the Goose Bay airport. They had planned on spending the night in Montreal and enjoying a good meal; however, without their luggage, they didn’t even have a change of clothes. So, they drove home that evening. (Incidentally, Mike Shepard never got his luggage until September 25.)
There’s always potential drawbacks when you book a fishing trip to these hard to reach Canadian destinations. In order to reserve a spot, you have to book early, sometimes a year in advance, and you never know what conditions you will encounter when you get there. In Mike’s case, it was 3 solid days of wind and rain. If you recall, in our trip to Alberta, it was the fires that closed down our rivers. As they say, “You pays your money and you takes your chances”. (An old idiom with intentional grammatical errors).
At the time of this writing, there is another local angler on his way home from a Canadian fishing trip. Rex Channel of Pittsfield, who is a local fishing guide and owner of Allure-Outfitters. He actually fished Igloo Lake a couple of weeks before Mike and then headed west fishing all across Canada and parts of western US. Hopefully, I can write about his trip when he returns home.
Berkshire Natural History Conference
On Saturday, October 14, the 3rd Annual Berkshire Natural History Conference will feature presentations by local and regional naturalists, as well as acclaimed authors at the Berkshire Community College from 9 a.m.to 4 p.m. MassWildlife will have a table set up at the event, and retired MassWildlife Biologist Jim Cardoza will make a presentation on wild turkey conservation.
Watch out for moose
MassWildlife urges drivers to use caution because it’s mating season for moose. During September and October, moose become more active and cross roads more frequently. Also in May and June during yearling dispersals, when yearling moose are driven away by their mothers. Moose eyes rarely shine because their eyes are above headlight level and their dark color makes them very difficult to spot at night.
I’m sure readers are tired of reading this advisory year after year. However; as you know, each year we have an influx of new young, inexperienced drivers on our roads who may not have gotten the word. It’s a good time to talk about this with your new drivers.
Questions/comments: Berkwoodsandwaters@roadrunner.com. Phone: (413)637-1818

Attached is a picture of Attorney Michael Shepard with one of his large brook trout

Making the best of a fishing trip

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Allen Gray of Pittsfield, Paul Knauth of Hinsdale and I recently spent 9 days flyfishing in south western Alberta, Canada. We were concerned even before we left that there would be fires all over the place out there. While flying into the Calgary, Alberta airport, the pilot commented that there was fair weather and there should be a smooth landing and that the only problem that we may encounter would be the smoke. We had also heard rumors that parts of Crowsnest Pass and Hillcrest, Alberta were being evacuated. (Upon arrival, we found that not to be true. Fake news!)
Driving the 2 ½ hours southwest to our cottage in Blairmore, Alberta, we could smell and see the smoke. We had intended to fish the Livingstone, Carbondale and Oldman Rivers, located in or near the Rocky Mountain Provincial Forest. But upon arrival, we quickly learned that these rives were closed to fishing in order to prevent the possibility of starting more fires. Not only were they closed, but also the roads which led to them. One person who owned land along a closed road told us that they had to have a permit just to get to their homes. They weren’t even allowed to ride their horses on their own property (presumably a ranch).
Our first morning, we went to the local fly shop to purchase some flies and fishing licenses. There we met other fishermen and guides and we all were facing the same problem….where to fish? Anglers were disappointed to learn that after traveling hundreds or thousands of miles to fish a particular river, it was closed. Prior to leaving home we knew that there were forest fires in Alberta, British Columbia and Montana, but we had already purchased airline tickets, rented a cottage, arranged for a car rental, etc., well in advance and we would lose the down payments. So,we took our chances and went anyway.
Susan Douglas-Murray, co-owner of the Crowsnest Café and Fly Shop said that basically there were only 2 nearby rivers which we could fish that were still open, the Crowsnest River and the Castle River. We had known about these rivers from past trips, but we usually bypassed them in favor of the more popular Livingstone and Oldman Rivers, where we could catch West Slope Cutthroat Trout. Because all of the visiting anglers were referred to these same two rivers we expected to see shoulder to shoulder fishermen on them.
We needn’t have worried for these rivers are large and cover great distances with plenty of room for everyone. If we wanted to, we could have fished over 25 miles of the Crowsnest River, a beautiful river which flows through farms, grasslands and several towns.
On our first two days, we fished the Castle River, another gorgeous river. Paul and Allen had decent luck but I lost two giant rainbow trout that broke my leaders. We were fishing in 88 degree weather those days with no shade to speak of. It was definitely hat dunking weather.
For most of the remaining days, we fished the Crowsnest River, a river that is virtually loaded with rainbow trout, some of them really large. They were very frisky trout, nothing like the hatchery- reared rainbows around here. Paul phrased it accurately, “You hook into one of those large rainbows and after jumping a few times, they settle onto the river bottom and say, c’mon angler, let’s have at it”. One behemoth broke three of his tandem fly rigs before he finally landed it. Same thing happened to me. I lost 5 of those big rainbows, the likes of which the world has never….. before I could land one. Allen lost a couple of the big ones, too, before landing some. Although they would leap 3 or 4 times, we were able to handle the smaller rainbows, but the big ones gave us serious trouble.
During our entire stay, we could smell and see the smoke from distant fires and hear the sounds of helicopters ferrying firefighters and equipment somewhere. There was one day we were fishing in what appeared to be a snowstorm, but it was actually falling ashes. We never saw the normal color of the sun, for it was always orange or red caused by the smoke. At times it looked like a big balloon in the air. Fortunately, it wasn’t a choking type of smoke and the days were usually gorgeous.
There were a couple of days when the wind was horrific, making it difficult to place your fly where you wanted it. Once while crossing a river, a sustained strong wind came up which almost blew me over. I grabbed my hat and stuffed it into my shirt, while bracing against the wading staff. The wind was so strong that it bent my flyrod like I had a fighting fish on. Trying to handle the river current, strong wind, hat, fly rod and cigar was a chore. Something had to go and it was the cigar. I watched that expensive cigar float down the river. It cost darn near a buck.
In the evenings before dinner, we would sit out on the deck, have a drink and look at the Canadian Rockies, or at least what we could see of them through the smoke. Then we would enjoy a delicious meal expertly prepared by Allen.
In the mornings we made our sandwiches and headed for the fly shop. One morning as we entered the shop, one of the fishermen there pointed to Paul and said to the others, “That’s him!” The day before he happened to see Paul land a large trout and agreed to take a picture of him holding it. Paul became an instant celebrity whose advice was sought. Even the resident professional fishing guide who was in the shop that morning wanted to know what flies he used. They were quietly huddled over the fly selection as Paul advised the guide which ones to use.
It started to get chilly the last couple of days with rain and hail and temperatures in the low 30’s, but that didn’t deter us from fishing to the end. I doubt any of us were overly upset at not fishing our intended rivers because we discovered great new fishing areas.
The memorable 10-day fishing trip cost less than $2,500 per person and that included our food which probably shouldn’t be included in the cost as one has to eat somewhere anyways. If you decide to go there someday, be sure to stop at the Crowsnest Café and Fly Shop and Susan will steer you to some fantastic fishing waters.

Summer fisheries research wrapped up

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Each summer, MassWildlife fisheries biologists take to the water to sample the Commonwealth’s rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds for fish. Biologists gather information on fish species at each location in order to evaluate the quality of recreational fishing opportunities and to monitor overall ecosystem health. Waterbodies are typically surveyed on a 10–15 year rotation to track changes in fish communities over time.
Large rivers sampled this summer included the Bass, Chicopee, Concord, Coonamessett, Herring, Hoosic, Housatonic, Manhan, Nashua, North Branch of the Nashua, Quaboag, and Swift rivers. Over twenty lakes and ponds were also sampled across the Commonwealth. One of the many highlights of the summer sampling effort was an encounter with hundreds of healthy trout in the Swift River – including a 17 lb., 33″ Brown Trout!
Fish are collected through electrofishing by boat, barge, or backpack. Electrofishing equipment consists of a small generator and control box used to produce a small, localized electrical field in the water. Fishes within the field are stunned just long enough to be captured with a net and placed into a live well. Biologists then identify, weigh, and measure the fish before returning them back to the water. Temperature, pH, conductivity, and other information about the waterbody are also recorded.
Fisheries biologists use this data to evaluate the health of fish populations. Fish health is assessed by calculating a ratio of weight to length, known as condition factor. Fish that weigh more than average for any given length are considered in good condition. Fish lengths can also be used to approximate age classes. By noting the relative number of individuals in each age class, biologists can determine if species are recruiting younger individuals into the population and assess reproductive success. The health of fish populations within a particular lake or stream can then be compared to other waterbodies in the state.
Massachusetts anglers can use the information collected in these surveys to learn more about fishing opportunities in a particular area. MassWildlife has also been hard at work collecting new bathymetry data in lakes and ponds, which will be released to the public as a paired depth map with pond information like depth, fish summaries, and access and ramp information.
Fall trout stocking
According to MassWildlife, more than 60,000 rainbow trout that are 12 inches or longer will be stocked across Massachusetts this fall. Fall stocking season should begin about now and be completed by the second week of October depending on water temperatures. Anglers will be able to view daily stocking reports by visiting Mass.gov/Trout. Anglers can search for a specific waterbody or town using the sortable list, or explore new fishing spots with the map feature.

Oh, the unrelenting pressure to go fishing
I turn 75 in a couple of months and that will qualify me for grumpy old man status. (Although my wife Jan will tell you that I reached that landmark decades ago.) With that age comes the realization that there are lots more fishing days in my past, than in my future. Probably it’s time to sit out on the stoop and recollect those wonderful angling days. It will be a time to reflect on those 7-inch trout caught from little neighborhood streams many years ago to the culmination of catching 7+lbs brook trout in Labrador last year amidst some of the most scenic areas in the Western Hemisphere.

I wouldn’t have gone on that Labrador fishing trip last year if it wasn’t for fishing buddy Attorney Mchael Shepard of Dalton. He kept twisting my arm to make one more trip north. To ease the pain from the arm twisting, I relented and went on that last trip north. I’m glad I did for there were some memorable fish caught there. That trip provided more memories to ponder while sitting on the stoop. Mike once again tried to get me to go on another trip to Labrador this year with many of the same anglers that went last year, but I had fortitude, held back the tears and politely declined. Besides, my arm hasn’t fully recovered…..nor my pocketbook.

Well, don’t you know, recently a couple of other close fishing buddies, Paul Knauth of Hinsdale and Allen Gray of Pittsfield started twisting my arm again, this time to go fishing with them in Alberta, Canada. Yes, to once again see the breathtaking Canadian Rockies and to catch the beautiful west slope cutthroat trout that inhabit the foothills. But really, I told them, I’m not sure my legs can take the punishment of wading those large beautiful rivers, and I am not as steady on my feet as I used to be.

But the arm twisted persisted …intensely……on my casting arm, too. Resist as much as I did, there was one logical point that I could not overcome. I am a God-fearing man and they took advantage of that by quoting some passage from somewhere that goes something like this: “God does not deduct from man’s allotted time here on earth those hours spent fishing.” I don’t recall reading that in the Bible, but, if God indeed said that, I should heed His words. I decided that to prolong my life it was probably best if I went fishing with those guys. I didn’t want to leave Jan a widow sooner than I had to. I hope she appreciates that.

So, when you are reading these words, I should be home from that fishing trip. Hopefully the trip was a safe and enjoyable one, the forest fires abated and those grizzly bears up there didn’t remember me from the last trip. Hopefully, I wasn’t dragged down an airplane aisle bloodied, screaming and kicking. And, hopefully my arm will make a full recovery. I’ll let you know how the trip went perhaps in next week’s column.