Pittsfield teenager will compete in National Junior Olympic Shooting Championships
The Lee Sportsmen’s Association (LSA) recently announced that one of its junior athletes, Lena DuPont, of Pittsfield, has earned and accepted a first round invitation to compete in the 2017 National Junior Olympic Shooting Championships for Air Pistols. They will take place at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO on April 20 – 24. Lena is 14 years old and an 8th grade High Honors student at TEC Connections Academy.
To compete is quite an honor, as only the finest junior athletes in the nation are invited. The event provides an opportunity for obtaining possible future shooting scholarships and a National Junior Team appointment, which allows them to compete internationally. Standing shoulder to shoulder with the best shooters in the country makes this match one of the most competitive events in which Lena will participate.
She is a member of LSA’s Air2Spare youth air pistol team, and earned a Silver medal with two teammates (Riley Laurent and Cooper Maloney) at the 2016 Baystate Games. They were taught by Air2Spare founders and coaches Cliff and Vicki White. Berkshire Eagle reporter Jacob Mendel, covered these winners in his August 1, 2016 article entitled, “Air2Spare air pistol shooting club continuing growth after Baystate Games showing”. Lena was also featured last summer on WNYT (Albany TV) during the Olympic games
Lena then went on and won a Silver medal at the 2016 Progressive Position Pistol (PPP) Nationals in Ft. Benning, GA in her category for the Eastern Region, and placed 7th overall in the nation.
She is excited for this opportunity and says, “I was really surprised and happy to get this invitation. It’s the equivalent of a shooting Christmas for me and the other junior shooters who were invited!”
Incidentally, Lena is fundraising to help offset the travel costs associated with attending the championships in Colorado. Her GoFundMe link is: https://www.gofundme.com/lenadupont2017. For offline donations, contact her mom Stephanie DuPont at (215) 668-7808 or email dupontfam5@gmail.com.
Good luck, Lena!
International Defensive Pistol Association
The outdoor matches of the IDPA and Sheet Matches seasons at Lee Sportsmen Club are starting soon. Refer to the LSA web site calendar for a list of all match dates. You do not have to be a member of the Lee club to participate and new shooters are always welcome. The IDPA is a shooting sport that simulates self-defense scenarios and real life encounters. Each stage is purposely different to force you to practice different skills. You will need a 9mm or larger and 3 mags minimum. The rules of IDPA are followed for safety and scoring. The matches are typically $15 to participate. There are many IDPA videos on You Tube and they recommend this starter one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke-20oCBTOM
Steel matches are typically strings of 5 targets repeated 5 times/strings. It’s best if you have 5 magazines. These matches are rim and center fire pistol and 22 rifle friendly. Shawn Sullivan ssullee@icloud.com is the best point of contact for IDPA and steel. New shooters must attend a safety orientation prior to their first shoot. Each match begins with a safety briefing. Sign in time is 12:15-12:30 for afternoon matches.
Trout Stocking
The following local Western District waters were scheduled to be stocked last week: Deerfield River (Buckland, Charlemont, Florida), East Branch Westfield River (Chesterfield, Cummington, Windsor), Housatonic River C&R (Lee), Farmington River (Otis, Sandisfield), Pontoosuc Lake, Laurel Lake, Richmond Pond, and Stockbridge Bowl. The schedules were subject to change.
Monitoring our water quality
While the Clean Water Act of 1972 was established to help make our rivers swimmable and fishable, most of our rivers still don’t meet that goal, especially after a rainstorm, due to the pollutants carried down the storm drains to the river. That’s according to the Housatonic Valley Association (HVA), who informs us that each of us has the opportunity to make choices that improve the water quality of our rivers and lakes.
Yesterday the HVA conducted a Water Quality Monitoring Training at the Bill Laston Memorial Park in Lanesborough. Once a month, the trained volunteers will collect water samples at designated locations on Wahconah Falls Brook in Dalton and the Southwest Branch of the Housatonic River in Pittsfield. They volunteered for one morning, once a month, from April through October. The goal of this sampling is to determine current bacteria levels in the above mentioned waters. Segments of these tributaries are currently listed as impaired due to high bacteria levels. If the sampling shows that bacteria levels have dropped, these tributaries may be taken off the state’s impaired waters list. If you missed yesterday’s meeting, check with Alison Dixon, HVA Berkshire Outreach Manager at (413)298-7024 to see if you can still get involved. The time commitment is 30-40 minutes per month.
Also, the HVA will be conducting Stream Team training on Tuesday, April 4 from5:30 to 7pm at the Mason Library, in Great Barrington, and Saturday, April 8 from 2:30 to 4:30pm at the Berkshire Athenaeum in Pittsfield. This spring volunteers will help complete river assessments on the Southwest Branch of the Housatonic River (Pittsfield) and the Green River (Austerlitz, NY to Great Barrington) Volunteers will walk or paddle a 1 – 2 mile segment of the river and record observations.
Our streams and rivers are also affected by acid rain. Today, volunteers are gathering water samples from hundreds of streams and rivers across the state and delivering them to designated laboratories for analysis. This acid rain monitoring program has been ongoing for more than 30 years and good baseline data has been accumulated. It will be interesting to see what effect, if any, President Trump’s new executive order addressing coal production will have.
2016 Berkshire County League of Sportsmen Award winners are announced
In the BCLS’s March meeting, Doug Frank of Lee was selected to receive its Sportsman of the Year Award. He has been a long time member and Board member of the Lee Sportsmen’s Association (LSA) and has always been there to help out. He ran the Club’s pheasant program and was co-chairman of the skeet field. He has always believed in promoting the shooting sports and became a NRA Certified Instructor in Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun and as a Range Safety Officer.
Recently, he became a NRA Certified Skeet Shooting Coach. He has been a coach for the LSA Buckshots, which is part of the Scholastic Skeet & Trap Program, which he now runs. He is a Massachusetts Hunter Education instructor and teaches at the LSA and other places. Every year he helps out with the Youth Pheasant Hunt with his dogs. He also helps out with the LSA Annual Ice Fishing Derby and Pheasant Fund Raising Dinner. He always helps with the fundraising, whether at the Gala Dinner, Turkey Shoots, Raffle Tickets, and more.
Karen Karlberg of Becket was selected to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. She was a long time member of the Taconic Chapter of Trout Unlimited and at one time served on its Board. In 2005, Karen was the recipient of the Taconic Chapter’s highest honor, the Crooked Staff Award. This award is presented to the person who best represents the ideals of TU, that being the conserving, protecting and restoring of North America’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds
Karen was heavily involved with the ASERP (Atlantic Salmon Egg Rearing Program) in the Becket schools. She helped the Becket grammar school system establish the program some 14 years ago. In this program 3rd and 4th grade students raised young salmon fry from egg to fry and released them into Yokum Brook in Becket. She obtained the eggs from the Belchertown Hatchery drove them to the school, and took care of them during school vacations. After the salmon program was ended, she continued her assistance with its Trout in the Classroom (TIC) program.
She was involved with the Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) Housatonic River clean-ups, taught flycasting to children during HVA events and educated youths about maco-invertibrates. She was a stream guide for the Casting for the Recovery Program, a support and educational program for breast cancer survivors. She assisted with the MassWildlife’s Becoming an Outdoorsman (BOW) Program
She is involved with the Westfield River Watershed clean-ups and eradication of invasives. She serves on its Wild & Scenic Committee and helps with trail clean-ups. She worked with the Nature Conservancy doing wildlife tracking and assessments.
Tom Macy of Sheffield has been selected to receive the Sportsmen’s Appreciation Award. He has been a member of the Sheffield Sporting Club for 49 years, serving as President for 10 years, Treasurer for 32 years and on the Board of Directors for 46 years. He played a major part in moving the club to its current location and building the club house, 2 skeet fields and a trap field.
For years he led a 22 rifle club for the Boy Scouts and an instructional course for 5th and 6th grade students that taught gun safety and also gave them the opportunity to shoot a rifle, pistol and shotgun. Tom has maintained and repaired the clubs 4 skeet, 5 five-stand traps and set the trap field to be run by vocal release. Tom has always donated both time and money to the Sheffield Sporting Club. The money he made driving students to high school sporting events was donated to construct the observation/porch addition to the club. He also donated enough money to enable the club to buy one of the 2 new traps last year. This year, as in all past years, he has cleared all the fields of snow so members could shoot all winter.
Robert J. McDermott of West Stockbridge was selected to receive the prestigious John Zuber Outstanding Achievement Award. Bob is a NRA Benefactor Life Member, Instructor, Training Counselor, MA and Utah Certified Instructor and a MA Hunter Education Instructor. He is a member of the Stockbridge Sportsmen’s Club, Lee Sportsmen’s Association and Agawam Revolver Club. He is the author of the Massachusetts Pistol License Course (LTC-020) that is taught to approximately 35% of new licensees in MA each year. He teaches the Basic Hunter Ed course with the team at the Lee Sportsmen’s Association. He has taught over 6,000 students. In addition to teaching at local clubs, he has taught at Smith & Wesson, Savage Arms, Cabela’s and others. He also teaches courses to raise funds for the Stockbridge and Lee sportsmen’s clubs. He was taught about firearm safety and hunting by his father, and feels that it is important to “pay it forward” to preserve our heritage and rights.
The late John Zuber was recognized twice by the BCLS ( Lifetime Achievement Award and the Sportsman of the Year Award) for his work and dedication to the sportsmen of Massachusetts. He was also recognized by the Massachusetts Sportsmen’s Council and is listed in its Hall of Fame.
These richly deserved awards will be presented at the Silvio O. Conte Memorial Banquet at the Cheshire Rod and Gun Club on the evening of April 15. This year the event will also be in honor of George “Gige” Darey, recently retired Massachusetts Fish & Wildlife Board Chairman. Tickets which cost $30 can be obtained from any BCLS delegate.
Trout Stocking
Leanda Fontaine Gagnon, DFW Western District Aquatic Biologist, informed us that they stocked Onota Lake in Pittsfield last Friday. The weather and conditions have kept them from making any concrete stocking plans, leaving them to monitor local waters on a day-by-day basis.
Val Percuoco’s record white perch
It’s a world record!
If this featured picture looks familiar, it is because I ran it in my October 30, 2016 column, and also mentioned it in a follow-up article of Val Percuoco and her sisters in my February 5, 2017 column. So why am I fixated on that fish?
Well, last week it was announced that not only was that 3 lb 8 oz white perch a state gold pin winner and the new state record, but it is also the new world record! That catch landed her in the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, Wisconsin. There, it was recently recognized as the Division 1 Rod and Reel 10 lb. Line Class World Record. About the same time, the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) recognized the fish as the new All-Tackle World Record for White Perch.
As you may recall it was caught out of Wachusett Reservoir north of Worcester. Check it out again, for its not every day that a world record fish is caught in Massachusetts waters.
Bald Eagles
According to MassWildlife, there are now more eagles nesting in Massachusetts than any time in the recent past, and they need your help keeping track of them. Please report eagle sightings to Andrew Vitz (MassWildlife’s State Ornithologist, andrew.vitz@state.ma.us). Many of our nesting eagles are banded with color-coded bands that identify the individual, so make sure to look for these leg bands whenever you see or photograph an eagle.
According to DFW Western District Supervisor, Andrew Madden, there will be a big push to locate nesting eagles in our area, especially in North County. They are particularly interested in evidence of nesting eagles (e.g., birds carrying sticks or sitting in nests). When there is evidence of a new breeding territory, DFW staff verifies the report as they monitor known nests. MassWildlife will conduct its Spring Eagle Survey on Friday, April 7. The Survey consists of coordinated teams of staff and volunteers who spread out across the state to check on historic nest sites and look for new nests.
According to MassWildlife, we have both Golden and Bald Eagles in the state. Both grow to approximately the same size, but the white head and tail of the adult Bald Eagle differentiates it from the Golden Eagle. Immature Bald Eagles may be confused with both immature and adult Golden Eagles.
The adult Golden Eagle is nearly uniformly dark without the mottling found on the immature Bald Eagle. Golden Eagles at any age may have relatively sharply defined, bright, clean white patches of varying size at the base of the inner primaries and outer secondaries on the wings and a clean white area at the base of the tail. All immature Bald Eagles have whitish axillaries and, depending on age, can have extensive, “dirty” white mottling virtually anywhere on the head, body, wing linings, and tail. The Golden Eagle’s legs are feathered to its toes; the legs of the Bald Eagle are unfeathered.
Basic Hunting Course
All first-time hunters who wish to purchase a Massachusetts hunting or sporting (combination) license must complete a Basic Hunter Education course. There will be such a course at the Becket Town Hall at 557 Main Street, Becket on April 10, 12 and 15. The times are: on April 10 from 5:30pm to 9:00pm; and on April 12 and 15 from 8:00am to 5:00pm. There may also still be openings in the scheduled class at the East Mountain Sportsmen’s Club which starts also on April 10 (previously mentioned in this column). To enroll call (508)389-7830.
Coyote Contest
Nineteen coyotes were entered into Dave’s Sporting Goods Coyote Contest this year, and the winners were as follows: Jay Fortier of Washington, MA bagged the most coyotes with a tally of 6. Joe Trybus, of Lanesborough, MA got the heaviest one which weighed 44 1/2 lbs. Congratulations to both hunters. Keep up the good work.
No trout stockings in the Western District yet
DFW WD Fisheries Manager Leanda Fontaine Gagnon went to check some access points during the week and because of the snowstorm, they have decided they were not able to start the stocking last week as planned. Probably they will start next week.
Club events
The Lee Sportsmen’s Association and Ducks Unlimited will be having its 3rd Annual Youth Sportsmen’s Gala dinner and raffle on Saturday, April 8 at the Country Club of Pittsfield. It is billed as a night of fantastic food, great raffle prizes, music and fun. Doors open at 4:00 pm and dinner served at 6:00 pm. The price is $100 per person. For more information, contact Virginia DuBois at (413)446-5404.
The Lenox Sportsmen’s Club is having its annual Spring Ham Shoots beginning today and running for the next three Sundays beginning at 12:30 pm. The costs are $3 per shot. You are encouraged to bring your shotguns and .22 cal rifle or pistol, as they have a few 22 shoots during the day as well. Prizes include hams, gift certificates and some other items. The kitchen will be open for burgers dogs, sausage and a few other items.
The Stockbridge Sportsmen’s Club will be having a 450 Round Indoor Archery Tournament to benefit the Aim for Higher Education Scholarship Fund on April 8 and 9. Click onto the club’s web site, events and calendar page to find out the times, prices, categories, etc. There will be a Chinese raffles and auction. There will be a spaghetti dinner at 6pm on Saturday and a pancake breakfast on Sunday Morning.
The Cheshire Rod & Gun Club will also have turkey and ham shoots every Sunday from March 26 until Easter. They start at 1pm and the cost is $3 a shot.
Most hunting seasons are closed
The rabbit and hare hunting seasons closed on February 28 and last Wednesday, the coyote and bobcat seasons also closed. And not a bit too soon for this attractive putty cat..
For some reason, we have been seeing an increase in bobcats lately, at least on the East side of Lenox. Jim Lahey of Lee was surprised last winter to see one stroll across his patio. A few years back, there was one that made its home in our neighborhood on East Street. That cat hung around for about three years. We were pretty sure it was the same one as it had a very distinctive limp. Neighbors Al and Martha Joyner got a kick out of watching it sunning itself on the top of their split rail fence.
The handsome bobcat pictured was photographed on the lawn of neighbor Tim and Kathy Face also of East Street a couple of months ago. According to Tim, she had two young kittens with her. I wish they would visit our place and put a dent into the vole population that has been creating havoc in our vegetable garden.
For many years there was a bounty on them, presumably put on by the DFW in response to farmers’ complaints. Like foxes, bobcats like to frequent the hen houses, too. The bounty system was ended in 1968.
If you see one of these beautiful animals, consider yourself lucky. There was a time when one would be lucky to see one or two in a lifetime.
Staying on the subject of wild cats (not wildcats) the bobcat’s larger cousin, the Canada lynx, has been sighted recently in Southern VT. One was photographed in Londonderry, VT, and biologists with the VT F&W confirmed the identification and visited the site to confirm its location.
Also, biologists suspect that a lynx was photographed by a game camera in nearby Searsburg, VT. It was photographed by a University of Vermont student who had set a trail camera out near a Rte 9 underpass. Chris Bernier, a wildlife biologist for the VT F&W was thrilled to see the animal using a wildlife underpass that was created for the express purpose of allowing animals to pass safely under the road.
These were the first confirmed evidences of lynx outside of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom in decades. Lynx are listed as “threatened” under the Federal Endangered Species Act and “Endangered” in the state of Vermont. Are they headed our way?
Spring Trout Stocking About 500,000 brook, brown, rainbow and tiger trout will be stocked this spring from MassWildlife’s five hatcheries. These fish, coupled with the more than 80,000 fish stocked last fall, will provide some excellent fishing in the coming months. Stocking took place in the southeastern area of the state last week with other regions of the state expected to follow soon after. Anglers can get daily stocking updates at Mass.gov/Trout, or contact individual district offices for the latest stocking information.
The following are the 2017 spring trout stocking stats: Most of the trout will be over 12 inches, nearly half of them will be over 14 inches, more than 1,400 brown trout will be over 18 inches, more than 600 brook trout will be over 15 inches and more than 2,000 tiger trout will be over 14 inches.
Beware, ticks are bad this year
I had some free time and decided to take my beagle, Jacques, out rabbit hunting on February 27 before the season closed. I was hoping to bag a bunny and have it for a meal later in the week. It was so warm that day that I hurriedly switched out my regular hunting jacket for a lighter one and off we went.
After some time, Jacques kicked up a rabbit and he was hot on its scent. I picked an open spot where I could get a good shot, and while waiting for the bunny to circle back, I could practically taste that fried rabbit already. Feeling something crawling on my neck, I rubbed the area, but there was nothing there. A little while later I felt something crawling in my hair under my hat. This time I removed the hat, got out my comb and there was a tick. I looked down and there were five others crawling up my pants leg.
After killing them, I reached into my hunting jacket pouch to get the can of Permethren clothing repellent and plastic bag in which to carry the rabbit home. Oh oh, they were in my other hunting jacket. Well, I wasn’t going to carry that rabbit with ticks in my coat pouch without being sealed in a bag. No problem, I thought, I’ll simply field dress the rabbit and leave the fur and ticks in the woods. Guess what, my hunting knife was in the other jacket, too. It’s a wonder I remembered to bring my gun.
Jacques was barking excitedly and the rabbit was getting close. Now what? Do I shoot it and hand-carry it back home? No way, I could picture all of the ticks jumping off of it onto my hand and crawling up my arm.
The shotgun bead was right on the rabbit’s head, a chance for a nice clean shot, with no pellets in the meat. Nope, I didn’t shoot it and let the bunny hop away.
You have undoubtedly heard of lucky rabbit’s feet, well this was one lucky whole live rabbit.
Before leaving the woods, I pulled 3 more ticks off of my clothes. When we got home, we immediately washed up. Interestingly, he never had a tick on him.
Parting message: Use a good clothing repellent and check yourself often.
New England Turkey Hunting Hall of Fame inductees are announced
On January 28, Bass Pro Shops in Hooksett, New Hampshire, hosted the first New England Turkey Hunting Hall of Fame inductions, recognizing those who played pivotal roles in bringing wild turkeys back from extinction in New England. Wild turkeys were extinct for about a century. Their return is an improbable story of long-dedicated, cooperative biologists helping each other spread the right wild stock back here. Once they figured out how to do that, wild turkeys naturally did the rest.
The New England Hall of Fame was the brainchild of two Massachusetts National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) chapter presidents: Keith Fritz of central Mass. and Kevin Antonovitch of Cape Cod.
These first Hall of Fame inductees came from all six New England states, and included the 10 giants of our region’s turkey conservation: Massachusetts’ James Cardoza and Jim Bolduc, New Hampshire’s Chip Page and Ted Walski, Vermont’s Doug Blodgett and Ron Lafreniere, Maine’s Jim Wescott and Gene Howard, Connecticut’s Steve Jackson and Rhode Island’s Jim Chadwick. All 10 received a decorative plaque along with a handsome, custom, curly-maple box call with their names, states and Hall of Fame credentials inscribed on the striker top. If you hunt turkeys anywhere in New England, you owe thanks to one or more of these dedicated men.
I will highlight our Massachusetts inductees. Beginning in 1969, Jim Cardoza supervised the recovery of Massachusetts’ extinct wild turkey. They originally were common everywhere in the state, except on Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, but as a result of deforestation and overhunting, they were extirpated by the 1850’s.
In 1972-73, Cardoza’s team live-trapped 37 wild turkeys from southwestern New York and released them in Beartown State Forest in Monterey where they flourished. In 1978, there were enough surplus birds for Cardoza to trap and release them to other areas within the state. Between 1979 and 1996, they released 561 birds in 10 counties.
As a result of Cardoza’s efforts, Massachusetts now has a population of about 25,000 wild turkeys. Thanks to their success, we have both a spring and fall hunt, which produce a perennially sustainable harvest of about 3,000. Cardoza wrote a book entitled, “The Wild Turkey in Massachusetts”, which is considered the definitive book on our wild turkeys. It explains why they originally failed in their restoration attempts and how they finally succeeded.
Jim Bolduc was honored for being the first NWTF Massachusetts state chapter president. Established in 1983, his was the first chapter established in year three of Massachusetts turkey hunting. He contacted the NWTF about starting a chapter in Massachusetts and became the first Massachusetts Chapter president. With help from his officers and board, he helped set the foundations for inspiring and educating our state’s sportsmen to support wild turkey restoration here.
Back then, less than a 100 hunters were chosen annually by lottery and restricted to hunting towns across a northwest strip of the state. The hunting territory included the northern Franklin and Berkshire County border towns where turkeys started spilling in from southern Vermont and Upstate New York. Today, his chapter is one of six in the state; the others are Eastern Mass. (1986), Central Mass. (1996), Western Mass Longbeards (1996), Pioneer Valley Longbeards (1996), and Cranberry Country Longbeards (2000). It is anticipated that a seventh chapter, the Greylock Gobblers (Northern Berkshires), will come to fruition later this year.
Back at the time of their reintroduction, wild turkeys were found in pockets of western Massachusetts but they began to spread into the central part of the state with the assistance of aggressive MassWildlife stocking initiatives. Today there are turkeys statewide.
Without pioneers like Bolduc and Cardoza, who were leaders of the successful restoration program, hunters and wildlife enthusiasts alike would not have such easy access to what has since become our state game bird.
Much of the information for this article was gleaned from MassWildlife and articles written by Mark Blazis of the Worcester Telegram (“Getting to know wild turkey hunting’s hall of famers”, February 6, 2017) and from Gary Sanderson’s article in the Greenfield Recorder (“Colrain turkey hunter inaugural New England Hall of Famer”, February 14, 2017).
Staying with the subject of wild turkeys, the Massachusetts Young Adult Turkey Hunting Program is a partnership program between MassWildlife, the Massachusetts State Chapter of the NWTF, and participating sportsmen’s clubs. The program is designed to provide hunters ages 12-17 an opportunity to: (a) Participate in a field workshop that provides specialized training in turkey hunting and safety, including firearms instruction and practice; and (b) Hunt wild turkey under the supervision and guidance of a safe, experienced adult hunter serving as a mentor on a special day set aside just for young adults.
Information on this program can be obtained from the MassWildlife web page under the caption Education & Events. The listing of local participating sportsmen’s clubs and schedules are listed there.
Incidentally, this year the Youth Turkey Hunt day is Saturday, April 22.
Events
The Lee Sportsmen’s Association is beginning its spring turkey shoots next Sunday, March 12 from noon to 3pm and they will run until the Sunday before Easter. Shoots cost $2 per shot and $3 for the money shoots. If you prefer, you could win strip steaks, pork loins or spiral hams.
The Pittsfield Sportsmen’s Club is having a venison buffet next Saturday, March 11 at the ITAM Lodge, 22 Waubeek Rd, Pittsfield. The proceeds will benefit its Land Development Fund. Cocktails start at 5pm, dinner at 6pm. There will be a 50/50 and assorted raffles. Donation are $17 for adults and children under 10 years of age $8.50. For tickets contact: Stan Bushey (413) 841-8345, Travis Delratez (413) 441-7979, Dave Pemble (413) 443-0646, Rich Powers (413) 822-6581, Fran Tremblay (413)443-5133 and Mike Furey (413) 822-1959.
Remembering Margaret Beckwith
Local outdoor sportsmen and women were saddened to learn of the loss of Margaret Beckwith of Great Barrington recently at the age of 81. Although Margaret was well known in politics (formerly a Great Barrington selectwoman for 12 years and heavily involved in state political issues), I wish to focus on her outdoor sports achievements. Along with her husband, the late Ernest Beckwith, Margaret ran the Beckwith’s Sport Shop in Gt. Barrington.
For 42 years, she served the sportsmen of Berkshire County by voluntarily running a deer and turkey checking station for the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (DFW). One can only imagine how many thousands of deer she checked in over those years. She even checked in a deer that Governor William Weld shot while hunting with MA Fish & Wildlife Board Chairman George “Gige” Darey.
She was the recipient of the 1994 Berkshire County League of Sportsmen Silvio O. Conte Sportsmen’s Appreciation Award.
She served many years as the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen (BCLS) Secretary and helped various organizations raise thousands of dollars through her outstanding sales of raffle tickets. She was an honorary member of the Stockbridge Sportsmen’s Club, a member of the Great Barrington Fish & Game Club and the Izaak Walton League of America. She was again selected to receive another Conte award, this time the 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award. In presenting the award, then BCLS President Mark Jester stated: “She has been a valuable advocate of hunting and fishing and someone who sportsmen and women can be proud of to represent their causes”.
She stepped down as League Secretary on October 6, 2005. (It was my great honor to replace her).
Ellie Horwitz, retired Massachusetts DFW Chief of Information and Education, and Executive Editor of, Massachusetts Wildlife quarterly magazine knew Margaret through her dealings with the deer and turkey check stations. “She was one of a kind… a unique and dynamic woman! We are fortunate to have gotten to know and work with her. She was an amazing character!”
BCLS President Mike Kruszyna had this to say about her: “Margaret was a force of her own and when she believed in something she would put her entire being into that cause. She forever supported the outdoor/hunting sports. She will be sorely missed by so many”.
On a personal note, I really liked Margaret. In her later years, when she became a resident of Fairview Nursing Home in Great Barrington, I always made it a point to stop and see her when I was in South County. She kept up with the activities of the BCLS, local sportsmen, latest deer harvest statistics, etc. We had great chats. I can tell you that her support of the outdoor sports and sportsmen never faltered.
Basic hunter education courses
First-time hunters who wish to purchase a Massachusetts hunting or sporting license must complete a Basic Hunter Education course. This course is designed for first-time hunters and is standardized across North America.
The following local Basic Hunter Education courses are scheduled as follows: East Mountain Sportsman Club, 312 Henderson Road, Williamstown, MA. The dates are April 10, 14, 17, 21, 24 & 28. They run from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. You must attend all class dates and times to successfully complete the course.
If you are interested in this course and wish to enroll, call 508-389-7830. Students are enrolled first-come, first-served, and enrollment cannot be processed via email.
Trapper Education Course
Lets face it, there are times when we need an animal trapper. Well, Trapper Education is mandatory in Massachusetts for Problem Animal Control (PAC) agents and first-time trappers in order to apply for a Massachusetts trap registration number.
The MassWildlife Hunter Education Program offers three to five trapper education courses each year in different locations across the state, usually in the spring, summer and fall. Participants may need to travel a longer distance in order to attend this course. Upon successful completion, graduates will be mailed a Certificate of Completion recognized in all U.S. states.
For those who need to complete the mandatory homework assignment for a class or wish to simply review course content, there is a free online option. The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) offers a free tutorial known as the North American Trapper Education Program which covers all the information in a typical Trapper Education course. Additional trapping information is available on AFWA’s Furbearer management page including documents on Best Management Practices for trapping in the U.S.
These are the 2017 Trapper Education Courses being offered this spring:
The Auburn Sportsmen’s Club, 50 Elm Street, Auburn, MA, will be having classes on March 23 from 6:30pm to 9:30pm and April 8 from 8:00am to 5:00pm. (two class sessions). The Spencer Fish & Game Club, 155 Mechanic Street, Spencer, MA, will have classes on April 26 from 6:30pm to 9:30pm and on May 6 from 8:00am to 5:00pm. To enroll in either class, call
(508) 389-7830.
Fly Fishing Film Fare
On March 2, the Taconic Chapter of Trout Unlimited will be hosting the Fly Fishing Film Fare at the Barrington Brewery & Restaurant in Great Barrington, MA. Doors open at 6:00pm and the films start at 7:00pm. There will be an intermission and refreshments and food are available. There will be a raffle for a handmade fly rod and other door prizes. Tickets can be obtained from any Taconic TU Board Member for $13 or on-line at:
https://events.ticketprinting.com/event/22537. Tickets will cost $15 at the door. For more information contact: Bill Travis at traviswdt547@gmail.com or John Burns at burnsievt@gmail.com.