Massachusetts Sportsmen’s Council honored Jester, Kruszyna

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The Massachusetts Sportsmen’s Council (MSC) is a statewide umbrella organization serving as a strong, unified voice to preserve the rights of Massachusetts’ sportsmen and women and other conservationists with a shared interest in protecting and enhancing our natural resources.
The MSC is currently comprised of fourteen member organizations (Berkshire County League of Sportsmen is one) representing approximately 300 sportsmen clubs and thousands of sportsmen and women concerned with man’s fragile relationship with the out-of-doors.

It was formed in 1929 by a handful of foresighted sportsmen who recognized the need to organize under one statewide body.  It laid a strong foundation by working for the creation of the independent state Fisheries and Wildlife Board, securing dedicated funding for the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, and guaranteeing access to the Great Ponds of the Commonwealth.
Today, it continues to build on that strong foundation to insure that the future of hunting, fishing, trapping, and other forms of outdoor recreation in the Commonwealth is preserved for our children and future generations

Last Saturday evening, at its annual Banquet and Awards Night, the MSC awarded the Raymond L. Gribbons Award to Mark Jester of Pittsfield.  This award recognizes a sportsman who exemplifies the values and respect for our natural resources that Ray held and demonstrated for nearly a century.    Jester has been a delegate to the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen (BCLS) for 32 years and served as its President for 16 years.  He was an officer of the Lakewood Sportsmen’s Club and is currently the Vice President of the Lenox Sportsmen’s Club.   He sits on the Board of Directors of the Gun Owners Action League, is a member of the State Zebra Mussel Committee, is a delegate to the MSC, and much more.  He is the driving force in getting the Archery in the Schools Program established in our local schools.  He was named the BCLS Year 2000 Sportsman of the Year.

Karen Kruszyna, of Cheshire received the Lillian Gribbons Award.  This award is given in recognition of the tireless efforts of a sportswoman who has dedicated her time quietly and unnoticed for the benefit of all sportsmen of the Commonwealth.  She is a member of many organizations including the Adams Outdoor for Youth (AOFY), Adams Agricultural Fair Committee and is a Board member of the Cheshire Rod & Gun Club.  She does much to get kids of this county outdoors.  She is always there to help out at the annual Youth Outreach Fishing Derbies at Reynolds Pond in Cheshire, the BCLS functions such as the Conte Banquet, the AOFY fund raisers and more.  She received the BCLS year 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Congratulations to both for the well deserved recognition. *****

Recently, my wife Jan and I were away on a cruise to the eastern Caribbean area with friends  Michael  and Claire Shepard of Dalton.  No chance for fishing off the ship as we were on Deck 10 and 11 and traveling at a speed of 20 knots.  The only successful fishing that we saw was on St John Island near St Thomas Island.   As we walked along its shore something whizzed over our heads and exploded not more than a dozen feet in front of us. No it wasn’t incoming mortar but rather a pelican that slammed into the water and nailed a nice fish.     It and several other pelicans had good fishing that day.

I asked a local guide if the fishing was any good in that bay and he said yes but one couldn’t eat the fish.  The cove was too shallow and contained too much salinity, so much so that the fish there were actually toxic.  Fishermen had to fish outside the cove in deeper water in order to catch edible fish.  He said the only way the natives knew if a fish was edible was to cut a piece  off  and toss it to their dogs.  If the dogs ate it, the fish was edible, if they didn’t, it was toxic. Somehow they knew by the smell.*****

While I was away, the DFW had stocked the following waters with trout through April 11:  Hoosic River (South Branch) in Cheshire and Adams, Green River in Alford, Egremont and Great Barrington; Westfield River in Becket, Chester, Chesterfield, Cummington, Huntington, Middlefield, Savoy, Windsor and Worthington; Deerfield River in Buckland, Charlemont and Florida; Housatonic River (Southwest Branch)in Pittsfield, Williams River in West Stockbridge, Konkapot River in Monterey and New Marlborough, Farmington River in Otis and Sandisfield, Lake Mansfield in Great Barrington, Plunkett Reservoir in Hinsdale, Windsor Lake in North Adams, Goose Pond, Laurel Lake, Pontoosuc Lake, Onota Lake, and Stockbridge Bowl.

Subject to alterations or cancellations, the following additional waters were scheduled to be stocked last week:  Ashfield Pond in Ashfield, Greenwater Pond and Yokum Brook in Becket, Walker Brook in Becket and Chester, Housatonic River in Hinsdale and Dalton, Wahconah Falls Brook in Dalton, Pelham Brook in Charlemont and Rowe, North Pond  in Florida, Upper Highland Lake in Goshen, Littleville Lake in Huntington, Town Brook in Lanesborough, Housatonic River (C&R) in Lee and Stockbridge, Factory Brook in Middlefield, Dunbar Brook in Monroe, Lake Buel and Lake Garfield in Monterey, Pelham Lake in Rowe, Depot Brook in Washington, Green River and Hemlock Brook in Williamstown, and Windsor Brook and Windsor Pond in Windsor.  *****

The Stockbridge Sportsmen’s Club is offering the Ultimate Firearm License Course on April 27 to benefit youth activities at the club. This one course qualifies participants to apply for licenses in MA, CT, UT, FL, ME and NH, which makes them legal in 39 states.  For information, visit www.StockbridgeSportsmensClub.org. *****

The Wild Acres Free Fishing Derby for children and seniors will be held Saturday, April 26th at Wild Acres from 8:00am – 2:00pm.  This years’ event is sponsored by Lyon Aviation and will be hosted by The Onota Fishing Club.  Onota Fishing Club members will be on hand to help out participants with baiting, catching and cleaning all fish.  Poles and bait will be available for all children who need them.  Trophies will be given to all participants who catch a tagged fish.  Beverages, breakfast sandwiches, hot dogs and hamburgers will be free to all children (14 and under) and seniors (65 and older).  All participants must park in upper level at Wild Acres Pavillion.  Handicap parking will be available.  Please call Robert Van Der Kar at 499-9359 with any questions. *****

 Lastly, to the mentors and youths who will be participating in the Youth Turkey Hunt next Saturday, have a safe and enjoyable hunt. 

Questions/comments:  Berkwoodsandwaters@roadrunner.com.  Phone/fax:  (413) 637-1818..

 

Spring trout fishing is upon us

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Close to 500,000 brook, brown, rainbow and tiger trout will be stocked this spring from the DFW five hatcheries located in Sandwich, Palmer, Belchertown, Sunderland and Montague.  The Western District should get about 100,000 of them.  It has been a challenging year for the Division’s trout hatchery managers between the drought conditions that prevailed much of last summer and the extremely cold, icy and snow conditions that have prevailed this past winter.

Nevertheless, close to 500,000 fish will be stocked this spring, coupled with the more than 67,000 12+ inch trout stocked last fall should provide some excellent fishing in the coming months.  Due to the delayed spring thaw, trout stocking could not begin until the last week of March or the first week in April, beginning with the Cape area and then moving westward as the ice and snow melts. 

Here are some 2014  trout stocking facts provided by Mass DFW: 41% of the fish average over 14 inches, 71% of the fish average over 12 inches, 195,000 rainbows will average over 14 inches, 71,000 rainbows will average over 12 inches, 12,000 rainbows will average between 9 and 12 inches, 500 brown trout will be over 18 inches, 43,000 brown trout will average over 12 inches, 81,000 brown trout average between 9 and 12 inches, 1,250 brook trout will average over 15 inches, 31,200 brook trout will average over 12 inches, 38,200 brook trout between 9 and 12 inches, 10,000 brook trout between 6 and 9 inches and 4,700 tiger trout that will average over 14 inches.

Anglers can check the DFW weekly trout stocking schedule pages for information about stocking in each district, or contact individual district offices. The schedules will be updated every Friday between March and Memorial Day.

.The following local waters were scheduled to be stocked last week subject to alterations or cancellations:  Pontoosuc Lake, Onota Lake, Laurel Lake, Stockbridge Bowl and the Farmington River.

Get your fishing equipment ready, oil the reel, replace the old line, patch up the boots, etc.  Don’t forget to print out your fishing license.  Pick up a copy of Trout Unlimited’s Anglers Guide to Trout Fishing in Massachusetts to find out where to go and what to use.  (The Bookstore in Lenox has a new supply of them).  Tell the kids, mom and gramps to get ready, too, because you are taking them this year.  There will be an awful lot of trout out there to catch and a lot of hours may have to be devoted to catching them.  It’s tough, but hey, somebody has to do it. *****

This Thursday evening, Rich Strolis of Catching Shadows Custom Flies will be the guest speaker at the Taconic Chapter of TU meeting at the Bass Water Grill in Cheshire. For him, fly tying is as much of a passion as fly-fishing, and this is something that he truly believes is an integral part of becoming a solid angler.  He will offer a fly tying demonstration and talk about a variety of styles and types of fly patterns from both simple to complex that will accommodate tiers of all skill sets.  Whether you are a beginner who wants to learn the basics, or a seasoned veteran who wants to brush up on some of your skills he will have something for you. *****

 

The event is free and open to the public.  Social hour starts at 5 PM, the presentation at 6 PM and dinner off of the menu (optional) to follow at 7 PM.  For more information, contact Ron Wojcik at (413) 684-4141 or rwojcik@bcn.net.  *****

The Berkshire Hatchery Foundation will be holding a kid’s fishing derby at the lower pond next Saturday, from 9 to 10:30 AM.   Please let them know if you are coming by emailing http://www.berksfish.com/events.html and giving the number of children attending.  Children under 12 years old must be accompanied by an adult. *****

MassWildlife reminds us that black bears are emerging from their winter dens and seeking food and it’s time to take down bird feeders. In many cases, bears will ignore natural foods such as skunk cabbage and instead head to the nearest birdfeeder for a good meal. To avoid this problem, they are asking property owners to be proactive by removing bird feeders and other potential bear foods promptly and taking other preventative measures. 

 

The bear range is expanding eastward and some residents in eastern Massachusetts may notice bear activity in the coming months and years. Taking action now, by removing feeders and securing trash, will help avoid conflicts with bears now and in the future. “If food such as bird seed, pet food, unsecured trash or dumpsters are easy for bears to find, conflicts can occur that pose hazards to both bears and people.” says Laura Conlee, DFW Wildlife Biologist. Removing bird feeders will not create a problem for birds as feeding stations only supplement available natural foods.

 

 Click onto the MassWildlife website for more tips on preventing bear conflicts. *****

 

Parting reminder:  Falling into cold water (less than 50 degrees) can cause a cold shock response that makes breathing difficult and can lead to rapid drowning, even for experienced swimmers.  The wearing of a dry suit when kayaking in cold water is recommended as well as wearing a personal floatation device (PFD).  Kayaking with a buddy is also recommended.  In Massachusetts all canoe and kayak occupants must wear a US Coast Guard approved PFD from September 15 to May 15.  Readers are probably getting sick of reading this message every year and but I ask your understanding.  Each year there are new people taking up the paddling, fishing and hunting sports and may not be aware of the regulations and potential dangers involved with them.

 

Questions/comments:  Berkwoodsandwaters@roadrunner.com.  Phone/fax:  (413) 637-1818..

 

Cold, early April fishing days remembered

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Early April always brings back fond and humorous memories of the old days.   As mentioned in several previous columns, my fishing buddy Jerry Zink and I did a lot of fishing, beginning as far back as second grade in school.  I guess you could call us fishing fanatics, never getting enough of fishing.  It was always a sad day when February 28 rolled around each year for that meant the end of all forms of freshwater fishing until the third week of April.  (Now days in Massachusetts, we can fish year round). 

Those 6 or 7 weeks until fishing season reopened were brutal for the sportsman, for there was nothing to do on Saturday mornings.  At least the fly fishermen could tie flies during that period, but we weren’t fly fishermen back then.  Depression and boredom settled in.   Some guys hung around Dick Moon’s Sporting Goods Store or the department stores like the Big N, K-Mart or Zayres waiting for the new fishing stuff to come in and be displayed.  To cut the boredom, some guys traded in their cars for newer models, bought expensive record players, etc.  Some even took the opportunity to swap in their girlfriends for new ones.

Jerry and I were bored, too.  Finally, around 1970, when we were in our late 20’s, we decided to do something about it.  We bought NY fishing licenses and fished over there.  Their season opened on April 1 and that gave us an early start on fishing before the MA season opened.  We had to fish the rivers because the ponds there were frequently still frozen over. 

 We were bait fishermen back then.   Sometimes we fished with live shiners, but usually with worms or night crawlers.  The only problem was we couldn’t dig any earthworms or catch any night crawlers because it was too cold at that time of year.  Heck, many times the ground was still frozen.  Jerry solved that problem.  He ordered a supply of bee moths (grubs) from Minnesota.  He found out about them through advertisements in Field & Stream outdoor magazine.  The grubs came in containers stuffed with wood shavings and were relatively inexpensive.  And boy, did the trout love them.

We usually fished the Kinderhook Creek right across the border in nearby Lebanon and Canaan, NY.  More than once we slid down frozen, icy banks to get to the river’s edge.  The fishing was usually slow, but we managed to catch a few, even though sometimes it was bitterly cold.

 One cold day, we fished the Green River in NY near Hillsdale.  We could spot the fish but they were logy and very difficult to catch.  Back then if we didn’t catch our limit and we knew there were still a few fish around, we persevered until we did catch them.  Well, on this particular day, the fish were playing hard to get.  They were just giving us the fin.

 Brook trout fishing requires stealth and little movement, otherwise you will spook them.  We had to stand still in hip boots with our hands constantly exposed and wet.  We couldn’t fish properly wearing gloves because we just couldn’t feel the delicate nibbles.  Finally, after 3 or 4 hours, we had to leave them for it was just too cold. 

 We couldn’t wait to hop into my car and start the heater.  But when we got to the cart, my hands were so cold I had no strength to unlock the door.  Then I tried unlocking it with both hands.  No luck.  I asked Jerry to unlock it and his hands were just as cold as mine and he couldn’t unlock it either.  Then we tried unlocking it with 4 hands, my two and Jerry’s two hands on top of mine.  (That must have been a sight)  No luck. 

 Our hands were so cold and weak that we couldn’t figure out if it was us or the lock had frozen up.   Probably a little bit of both.  We couldn’t even flick the Zippo lighters to melt the locks.  We were standing there on a country road next to the car trying to figure what to do next, when a car approached us and Jerry flagged him down.  The driver lowered his window a little and asked if he could help us. 

 Now, here I have to paint the picture.  Here we were two young strong men weighing over 200 lbs each in our late 20’s approaching his car in our hip boots.  At that time, Jerry sported long hair, a full beard and mustache.   When he bent down to talk through the car window a look of sheer panic crossed the driver’s face.  Charles Manson, the murderer, was in the news those days and perhaps the man thought Jerry looked liked him and he would be slain right then and there on the spot.  When Jerry asked him if he could unlock our car for us, he floored the gas pedal and spun out, kicking up rocks and gravel.  We watched him race down the country road kicking up a cloud of dust that lingered for some time afterward.    Laugh…………You had to be there.

 Eventually we got the car door open and laughed all the way home.

Nearly 45 years have passed since that event but about this time each year, the subject comes up and Jerry and I still laugh like heck.  In retrospect Jerry wondered what the driver’s reaction would have been if we had just asked him to sit there for 5 minutes with the engine running so we could sit on the ground and hold our hands by his tailpipe.  Guaranteed, 10 minutes after he left the men in white coats would have arrived to take us to a warm place.

 

 

To Old Man Winter: Give it up!

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Even though there was over 18 inches of ice on our lakes on Wednesday (March 26), ice fishermen should be careful from here on. Ice fishermen love winters like this as they get in an extra week or two of ice fishing. They will find a way onto the ice, even if they have to lay boards from the shore over the open water to the ice. If you are one of them, be careful. There were times when my friends and I did that in the morning, but got wet feet getting off, due to the thawing during the day.

The Onota Boat Livery 2014 Ice Fishing Contest ended on March 16. Congratulations to the following winners who won $50 prizes: Largest pike – 22 lbs 13 oz, 45 ½ inch out of Onota Lake, caught by Rich Rando of Cheshire; Largemouth Bass – 5 lbs 6 oz, 22 inch out of Pontoosuc Lake caught by Austin Dufur of Adams; Smallmouth Bass – 3 lbs 1 oz, 18 inch out of Onota Lake by George Hess of Pittsfield; Perch – 1 lb 10 oz, 15 inch out of Pontoosuc Lake by Charlene Michon of Shaftsbury, VT; Crappie – 1 lb 8 oz, 15 inch out of Pontoosuc Lake by Joe Schwartz of Stephentown, NY; Pickerel – 5 lbs 3 oz, 28 inch out of Stockbridge Bowl, by Joe Chague (nephew) of Pittsfield and Trout – 5 lb 8 oz, 25 inch, out of Onota Lake caught by Roy Harvender of Stephentown, NY. *****

Say, remember that youngster mentioned in this column a few weeks back who caught all of those large pike? Dylan Crea, who recently turned 13 years old, had caught and released pike weighing 14.2 lbs, 15 lbs, 18.9 lbs and 19.8 lbs. Well he did it again! On March 13 he caught a 13.8 lb Tiger Muskie out of Pontoosuc Lake which was 40 inches long with a 15 inch girth. That in and of itself was a remarkable feat, but consider this: tiger muskies, which are a cross between a muskellunge and pike, have not been stocked into our waters since 2006. Furthermore, being hybrids they cannot reproduce.

According to information obtained from Google, their average life span is 8 to 10 years. It is quite possible that we will never see another one caught out of our waters, unless someone catches it again. You see, Dylan released that fish back into Pontoosuc Lake after measuring and weighing it. To see a picture of Dylan holding that fish, click onto www.berkshireoutdoorsman.com, then subcategory “ice fishing”.*****

This should be my last column dealing with ice fishing this year. It has been a great ice fishing season with a lot of big fish being caught. Seriously, I could have featured a picture of a big fish in every column. Some of the delegates of the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen recently commented on the number of large fish caught in the Berkshires through the ice this season and they asked Division of Fisheries & Wildlife Western District Manager Andrew Madden why. With tongue in cheek he quickly responded “good management”. *****
Keeping with ice fishing, last weekend, Joe Chague had an ice fishing class on Onota Lake for Sacred Heart Church’s Pack #20 Cub Scouts. He was assisted by his friend Dan Miraglia. The youngsters were taught how to cut holes through the ice, sound the holes, set up and bait tip-ups, how to jig for fish, etc. The kids made their own jig sticks. Midway through the class, they were provided with cups of hot chocolate.
They had a great time even though the fish were not biting and it started to rain. Each kid went home with a prize. The Onota Boat Livery donated much of the equipment such as bait, jigging sticks, sounders, etc. Perhaps we will see them out ice fishing with their parents next year.
Incidentally, DFW’s Madden reports that due to the delayed spring thaw, trout stocking will likely begin later this year, around the last week of March or the first week in April in many areas around the state. To find out what water bodies are stocked, click onto the MassWildlife Trout Stocked Waters page. Once stocking has begun, check the stocking schedules which will be updated by Friday of each week. For you folks who don’t use those new fangled computer gadgets, I will list the stocked waters in this column *****
The Lenox Sportsmen’s Club had it club elections a while back and here are its 2014 officers: President – Tom Ferguson of Pittsfield, VP- Mark Jester of Pittsfield, Secretary – Brady Kerr of Dalton and Treasurer – Bernie Abramson of Pittsfield.
The officers for the Taconic Chapter of Trout Unlimited are President – Allen Gray of Pittsfield, VP – Ron Wojcik of Windsor, Treasurer – Richard Bordeau of Pittsfield and Secretary – Marc Hoechstetter of Cummington.
Many thanks for your dedication and hard work.

Questions/comments: Berkwoodsandwaters@roadrunner.com. Phone/fax: (413) 637-1818..

Hi Matt

The kids in the picture are from Pack #20 Cub scouts. They are l to r: Brandon Todriff, Fritz Sanders, Josh Bartolotta and Joey Roccabruna.

Hunters are asked to complete MassWildlife Survey

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Biologists with Mass DFW are conducting an annual survey of Massachusetts hunters to better understand their preferences and efforts in Massachusetts and to receive important “on-the-ground” information to aid in the management of game species they hunt. The survey takes around 10-20 minutes to complete. It is set up so all responses remain anonymous.
If your email address is not listed in the MassFishHunt electric license system, you can go online and enter it if you want to participate in future hunter surveys.
Within the next few weeks, all sporting or hunting license holders with email addresses in the MassFishHunt system should receive an email invitation from Novi Survey with a link to the survey. Be sure to check your spam or junk folder for any emails from Novi Survey in case it is flagged by your security system. The link you are provided is assigned to each email address, therefore you should not forward the invitation to others as the survey can only be filled out once. A reminder will be emailed to those license holders who have not responded within a week.
Accompanying the survey is a link to see a brief summary of last year’s survey and for answers to common questions from the survey. Last year over 8,900 hunters took the survey and provided valuable information. DFW encourages all hunters to take this survey so that there is a larger data base and theoretically more accurate information. *****
Here are the results of some ice fishing derbies which were recently held: 9th Annual Thomas Wren Derby held on Pontoosuc Lake on February 16, 1st place Shawn Burbank, 3 lbs 8 oz pickerel, 2nd place went to Keter Ostrander with a 3 lb 1 oz largemouth bass, 3rd place went to Austin Consolati with a 2 lb 14 oz largemouth bass.

The 1st Annual Megan Babcock Memorial was held on Pontoosuc Lake on February 22. 1st place went to Jeff Kuka with a 16 lbs 6 oz northern pike, 2nd place went to Bob Thornburg with a 1 lb 5 oz perch and 3rd went to E. Sagendorph with a 10 oz perch.

According to spokesman Ed Carmel, approximately 65 fishermen participated in spite of difficult walking conditions. On the 16th, there was over a foot of snow on top of 6 inches of slush. On the 22nd, there was over 2 feet of snow.

Club spokesman Fred Ostrander reported that the following individuals won the Lenox Sportsmen’s Club ice fishing derby on February 16: Adult division: 1st place – Brian Vincent, 2nd place – Jim Miller and 3rd place – Rick Saldo. Winners in the junior division: 1st place winner – Zack Mielke, 2nd place – Jordan Mielke and 3rd place – Hadley Mielke. *****

Gary Johnston, Stockbridge Sportsmen’s Club (SSC) Newsletter Editor reports that over 80 youngsters have signed up for its Youth Archery Program, which will run until March 15. Other Archery Shoots at the SSC include the Berkshire County “300” Round Championships on March 15 and 16.There will be a “450” shoot on the 16th. Call John Mange for more information at (518) 794-7868. *****

Ryan Livernois, who works at Crea’s Bait Shop on West Street in Pittsfield told me about Dylan Crea, a 12 year older from Pittsfield, who is an avid fisherman with lots of passion for the sport. Fishing Pontoosuc Lake, he already has weighed in 4 huge Northern Pike this year.
He caught a 14.2 lb, 26 ½ inch length and 17 inch girth monster pike on January 27. The very next day Dylan landed another pike only this time it weighed 15 lbs. Then on February 16 he caught an 18.9 lb pike. But wait, there’s more! On February 28 he caught another one weighing 19 lbs 8 oz. He caught that one in the dark at 8:50 PM in 10 below zero weather. The picture of that fish did not come out so too well as it was taken in the dark. You might be able to see it on the Crea Bait Shop web page. The fish pictured above is a smaller one.
“It is nice to know that ice fishing provides something (for youths) to do out here in the Berkshire’s”, says Livefnois. Dylan’s parents are very proud of him. “He is so deeply passionate about fishing. He’s an A class sportsman and he is an angler to watch as he continues his awesome fish catching skills.” said his mother Dianna.
He releases all of the fish using a live well to keep them alive in order to weigh them in at the bait shop. Once the fish arrives they move as fast as they can with the fish out of the water to weigh and measure it. Then it is put back into the live well, transported back to the lake and released back into the water.
Questions/comments: Berkwoodsandwaters@roadrunner.com. Phone/fax: (413) 637-1818).

Berkshire County League of Sportsmen is looking for a few good kids

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The Berkshire County League of Sportsmen (BCLS) is looking for a group of kids to enjoy its Youth Outreach Fishing Day on June 7. Trout are stocked into a private pond, fishing equipment and bait are provided and burgers and hot dogs are cooked up. Every kid catches fish which will be cleaned by volunteers so that they can bring them home to show their parents and to eat. Some kids prefer to let them go. They also go home with the fishing equipment and big smiles.
The League foots the bill, and volunteers from Cheshire Rod & Gun Club and Adams Outdoor for Youth do the cooking, prepare the equipment, etc. The kids usually have one-on-one mentoring from volunteers from throughout the Berkshires. This annual event is geared toward kids that don’t normally have the opportunity to learn how to fish. The maximum number is 25. In the past, the League has hosted: Big Brothers & Big Sisters, Cerebral Palsy kids, Key Program, COTY, Northern Berkshires Neighborhood, State Street “T” Youths, and others.
If you know of a group that would benefit from such a day, contact Mike Kruszyna at (413) 743-7156. ****
Wayne MacCallum, of Grafton, MA, Director of Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife (DFW), recently received the National Wild Turkey Federation’s (NWTF) Wayne Bailey Lifetime Achievement Award for his dedication to wildlife conservation. (Wayne Bailey was a legend of modern turkey management and a key player in the development of the NWTF).
“MacCallum, an avid angler and hunter, particularly for turkey and white-tailed deer, serves as an outstanding example of conserving wildlife to preserve our nation’s hunting heritage”, said Becky Humphries, NWTF Executive Vice President of Conservation. “From his early days as a wildlife biologist to now, he has demonstrated his commitment to sustaining wildlife, habitat and hunter numbers.”
“Winning this award is a reflection not of my work, but of the collective efforts of wildlife professionals I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the years,” MacCallum said. “The hunting community is responsible for conserving wildlife, and we’ve done a phenomenal job. It’s an honor to preserve and pass on conservation and hunting ethics to future generations.”

MacCallum is the longest serving director of the MA DFW and is the senior director in the United States. He serves as chair of the North American Wetlands Conservation Council, Clerk of the Massachusetts Outdoor Heritage Foundation and a board member of the Massachusetts Junior Conservation Camp. He is a former president of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA).

The International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) is a pistol shooting organization that sets rules for competitive pistol matches. Locally, the outdoor matches are held at the Lee Sportsmen’s Association (LSA) in the warmer months. While competitive challenge pistol matches continue to grow, additional Safety Officers are needed.

LSA will be hosting an IDPA Safety Office Class next Saturday from 8AM-4PM. The cost is $30 for Lee members and $55 for non-Lee members. This IDPA certified class will give instructions on the rules of setting up stages, scoring, officiating matches and range safety.

Prerequisites: Must have a pistol permit from your state of residence, be a member of IPDA for 6 months prior to the class and reviewed the IPDA rule book and participated in matches. Non- members of IDPA can join now at www.idpa.com. Cost is $40/year and they will holding future safety officer classes that you will qualify for. Contact Andy Swanton berkshire.idpa@gmail.com for more information.

Incidentally, the LSA will be holding turkey, steak, pork loin and money shoots every Sunday in March. Click onto leesportsmen.com for more information.*****

Basic Hunter Education courses will be conducted at the following locations: Cheshire Rod & Gun Club, on March 3, 7, 10, 14, 17 and 21 from 6 to 9 PM. Pittsfield High School, on March 4, 6, 11, 13, 18 and 20 from 6 to 9 PM. As of this writing, there were still openings. To enroll, call (978)772-0693.

Some 100 ice fishermen participated in the 23rd annual Locker Room Ice Fishing Derby which benefitted Lee Youth Football. The heaviest fish (adult) was a 4 lbs 2 oz pickerel caught by Brandon Lucchese. In the youth category, there was a tie between Lucas Trumps and Shyloe Gray with pickerel weighing in at 1 lb 2 oz. *****

As the old saying goes, “Time flies when you are having fun.” I can’t believe I have been writing this column 10 years now. The Magnificent Scribbler, Ted Giddings, wrote the weekly outdoor sports column for over 50 years and stepped down in December, 2003 at the age of 97. The following March 7, 2004 my first column was run. Although I could never fill Ted’s shoes, it truly has been an honor to follow his steps. Many thanks go to the Berkshire Eagle for running this column and for the sports editors (Brian Sullivan and Matt Sprague) who sometimes had to straighten out my messes.

Thanks also to my home-based editor, my wife Jan, for her perspectives, especially from a woman’s point of view. If she didn’t understand something that I wrote, then chances were good that other women wouldn’t either, and appropriate clarifications were made before the article was submitted.

Thanks to the numerous DFW folks, local sportsmen and women, conservationists and outdoor enthusiasts for constantly feeding me interesting subjects to write about along with pictures. Most of all, thanks to you, the readers who invited me into your home to share your morning coffee these past 520 Sunday mornings. Your readership has never been taken for granted and I pray that it never will. What a wonderful way to retire.

Gotta run, I’m already working on column number 521.

Questions/comments: Berkwoodsandwaters@roadrunner.com. Phone/fax: (413) 637-1818