Say, remember that large antlered buck that was shot by Craig Luscier of Dalton and featured in this column on December 2? It was thought that it might be a state record. Well, according to Luscier, the Northeast Big Buck Club’s final gross scored the antlers at 214 5/8″ breaking the Northeast Big Bucks Club overall MA record as well as breaking the existing MA muzzleloader record.

While the gross score was 214 5/8″, the net score was 200 5/8″. The Boone & Crocket scorers only recognize the net score and Boone & Crocket’s MA state record is currently 201″. Luscier’s buck came within 3/8 of an inch of taking the Boone & Crocket Massachusetts state record. Oh well, two records isn’t bad.

Luscier is having it mounted (pedestal mount) by Kevin’s Taxidermy of Middlebury CT. It will be on display at the Big E Sportsmen’s Show in West Springfield which runs from February 21 – 24. *****

Freshwater anglers from Cape Cod to the Berkshires who reeled in the biggest freshwater fish from Massachusetts lakes, ponds, and streams were honored by the state fish and wildlife officials yesterday at the New England Fishing and Outdoor Expo in Worcester.

If you read this column last week you already know that Lou Baker of Lanesborough received an award for his 18 lbs 3 oz tiger muskie which was taken out of Pontoosuc Lake. 

There was a new state record caught this year and that was a 46 lbs 5 oz carp which was taken out of Lake Quinsigamond in Shrewsbury.   Shane Felch, of Shrewsbury landed it using a crossbow.  (Spears, bows and arrows are legal to take suckers, carp and eels only and a fishing license is required).

Some other interesting winning fish caught in Massachusetts waters last year were:  largemouth bass – 10 lbs 5 oz out of Mary’s Pond in Rochester, smallmouth bass – 6 lbs 6 oz out of Quabbin Reservoir, rainbow trout – 5 lb 4 oz out of Carbuncle Pond in Oxford, brown trout 11 lbs11 oz out of White Pond in Concord and northern pike – 25 lbs 12 oz out of Quaboag Pond in Brookfield.

The 2012 Massachusetts Angler of the Year was 14 year old Jake Souza of Berkley, MA. This award is given to the angler who weighs in the largest number of species that qualify under the Freshwater Sport Fishing Awards Program.  Souza landed 20 pin fish, 11 different species, in bodies of water in southeastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod.  Two of those fish won gold pins in the youth division, a 9 lbs 7 oz largemouth bass out of Big Sandy Pond in Plymouth and an 8 lbs 8 oz brown trout out of Peters Pond in Sandwich. 

All of the 2012 adult and youth award winners are posted on line at: www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/recreation/fishing/awards/2012_sportfish_winners.htm. *****

On Monday, February 18 the Lenox Sportsmen’s Club (LSC) will have its annual President’s Day Rabbit Hunt.  It starts early in the morning and weigh-in at the clubhouse will be at 4pm.  Entry fee is $10 payable at weigh-in.  Prizes will be awarded for the heaviest cottontail and snowshoe.   Following weigh-in, there will be a hearty meal of venison stew.  Call Ron Carr 442-5122 for more information.

The LSC recently held its annual elections and the elected officers are as follows: President – Tom Ferguson, VP – Mark Jester, Treasurer – Bernie Abramson and Secretary – Derek Dubin (all of Pittsfield). 

Past secretary Martha Lee of Adams has stepped down to “take a breather”.   Month after month she put out excellent newsletters that, in my opinion, were unrivaled by any of the other clubs.   I have mentioned in a past column the wonderful job that she did and had frequently used information from her newsletters in this column. 

Recently, the Lenox Sportsmen’s Club’s membership crossed the 400 member mark.  I am quite certain that Martha’s newsletter played no small part in its growth.  She speaks highly of Derek Dubin and is confident that he will do a good job.  He certainly has large shoes to fill. *****

State Senator Benjamin B. Downing announced that his legislation, S. 1904, (An Act Protecting Lakes and Ponds from aquatic nuisances), was recently signed into law by Governor Patrick.  Downing championed this proposal after the discovery of zebra mussels in Laurel Lake in 2009.

The new law seeks to protect the Commonwealth’s uncontaminated lakes and ponds by preventing the spread of zebra mussels and other aquatic nuisances.

 “Getting this new law on the books before the 2013 boating and fishing season was important to me,” said Downing in a news release. “A few summers ago, the discovery of zebra mussels in Laurel Lake caused widespread panic because a plan to deal with their detection was not readily available. This Act assists the environmental agencies as they implement a zebra mussel action plan. I hope it also reminds lake users of our collective responsibility to ensure human actions do not threaten the environmental health of our cherished lakes, rivers and ponds.”

The Act is based on the recommendations of the state’s Zebra Mussel Task Force, tasked by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs in 2009 to author a zebra mussel action plan. Invasive species, like zebra mussels, pose a significant threat to lakes, ponds, rivers and reservoirs statewide, creating significant adverse impacts on recreation, ecology, fisheries, aesthetics and property values. The Task Force determined that under existing law state environmental agencies do not possess the necessary enforcement authority to manage the immediate and long-term effect of zebra mussels, or the means to manage aquatic nuisances that are likely to infest the Massachusetts’ natural resources in the future.

 Downing’s legislation authorizes the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to establish an aquatic nuisance control program to study and promote improved methods of suppressing, controlling or reducing the risk of the spread of aquatic nuisances. This program will collaborate with other state and federal agencies engaged in the study or control of aquatic nuisances.  (I don’t think the program has been developed yet.)

 In the press release, Downing said the bill makes clear that lake and pond users cannot knowingly or willfully launch a vessel that has been in contaminated waters without first decontaminating it in accordance with state environmental regulations. Zebra mussels were likely introduced to Laurel Lake by a boat previously launched into the contaminated waters of neighboring states.

The bill also strengthens enforcement measures by allowing the DCR to impose civil penalties for violations of any rules, regulations, orders, or quarantines issued by the Commissioner. The Massachusetts Environmental Police are authorized to proceed against the certificate of number of a vessel involved in a violation.  Further, progressive fines for violations are established. This bill will take place around April 1. *****

 Next Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the New England Fishing and Outdoor Expo will be held at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA.  The show hours are Friday from 12:30 to 9 pm, Saturday from 10 am to 7pm and Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm.  Admissions are $12 for adults, $5 for children 5 thru 11 and under 5 years free.   It is advertised as being bigger and better than ever before.    After clicking onto http://www.newenglandfishingexpo.com/  to check it out, I don’t think they are kidding.  There will be far too many attractions, guest speakers, seminars, sponsors, and booths there for me to mention in this column. 

At that Expo, MassWildlife will be awarding trophies to the adult and youth anglers who last year caught the largest fish in 22 species categories.   They will also recognize the angler who caught the greatest variety of fish species in the Program.  As of January 29 they have not officially announced the winners.     

In 2012 only one “gold pin” fish was caught out of Berkshire waters and that was a tiger muskie which weighed 18 lbs 3 oz and it came out of Pontoosuc Lake in Pittsfield.  Lou Baker of  Lanesborough was the lucky fisherman.  He will be recognized at the above Fishing and Outdoor Expo freshwater fishing awards at 4:00 pm on Saturday.  The saltwater fishing awards will be presented at 2:00 pm on Sunday.

According to Andrew Madden DFW Western Distract Manager, it is likely that the fish was 7 or 8 years old.   He said the last time tiger muskies were stocked in Massachusetts was in 2006 and some were put into Pontoosuc Lake, where they had the most success with them locally.   They are hybrid fish (cross between Northern Pike and Muskellunge) and can’t breed. Because of what’s called ‘hybrid vigor’ they grow faster than pike or muskies, but don’t live as long.  Regular muskies can sometimes live 30 years but tigers would be very lucky to live half that.

Why did they stop stocking them?  Madden stated that the tiger muskie program was based on free surplus fish from other states. Because our state does not grow them, they could only stock when they became available. Now, fewer neighboring states are growing the fish and there is more concern about fish disease being transported across states.  So basically the supply is no longer available.  

Could the above mentioned fish be the last one to be caught in our state?  Maybe not.  I did a little research and found that the typical maximum life span is 8 to 10 years.     The state record was caught by the late James Lambert out of Pontoosuc Lake in 2001 and it weighed 27.0 lbs.   I wonder how old that fish was.  Who knows, maybe there are a few others swimming around in our local waters.

It looks like we can finally head out onto the ice and do some ice fishing.  Many of us never got a chance to ice fish last year what with the warm winter that we had.   You may recall that some  derbies had to be cancelled.   Last weekend I was out fishing on Laurel Lake and there were 5 or 6 inches of ice then.  With the cold weather this past week, we must have put on 3 or 4 more inches of ice since then; so there should be plenty of ice.  Never-the-less, I would stay away from any stream inlets or springs and be careful using any vehicles on the ice just yet.

As listed above, the ice fishing derbies are starting next weekend.  There may be more  but these are the only ones known at of this date (Jan 23).   Please note that the Josh Snyder Derby on Cheshire Lake will not take place this year.  Thanks to Paula at the Onota Boat Livery in Pittsfield for compiling the 2013 schedule of ice fishing derbies and posting them on its web site.  Many of the derbies include meals with the entry fees.   Simply click onto Onotaboat.com, for more information about them.

 Ice fishing is a good time to break out the deer, elk, moose and regular burgers.  For some reason, they never taste as good as when they are grilled out on the ice.  There’s nothing like a burger that is charred black on the outside and raw on the inside, with a lump of frozen ketchup on a burned burger roll.  One might even be lucky enough to get a hint of fire starter fluid in the burger.   Umm!  You just can’t get a burger like that at home or in a restaurant.

 Incidentally, the following is a list of Western District fish weigh stations:  MassWildlife Western District Office, 88 Old Windsor Rd, Dalton, (413)684-1046; Taft’s Tackle, 119 Park Street North, Great Barrington (413)528-1515; Terranova’s Market, 14 South Main Street, Otis (413)269-4231; Avid Sports, 1576 West Housatonic Street, Pittsfield (413)997-3600 and Onota Boat Livery, 463 Peck’s Rd., Pittsfield  (413) 442-1724.

Call ahead for days and hours of operation.  Remember that for the Mass Sportfish Awards Program you can also get your fish weighed at any business where there is a certified scale, not just the locations above.  Fishermen and women who believe they have broken a state record must present their fish in its entirety (whole) to qualified fisheries personnel at MassWildlife Field Headquarters in Westborough or at any of the five MassWildlife District offices.

Remember, if you entered the Onota Boat Livery Derby, you must weigh your fish there to qualify for its prizes.  I noticed that there already is a 23 lbs, 6 oz pike, a 5 lbs, 11 oz trout, a1 lb, 4 oz perch and a 1 lb, 6 oz crappie on the board.

Good luck and have a safe and enjoyable season.   *****

Last Saturday some 26 hunters entered the Berkshire Beagle Club’s annual bunny hunt and dinner.    Three cottontails and four snowshoe hares were checked in at the end of the day.  The largest cottontail weighed 2.49 lbs and was checked in by Peter Stodden of Washington, MA.  George Baumann of Cheshire checked the heaviest hare, one weighing 3.10 lbs.    Richard Churchill of Westfield, MA was the large raffle winner and many other hunters collected numerous raffle prizes.  Following weigh-in and the raffle draw, a meal of venison chili, venison stew, and bear meat sauce and pasta was enjoyed by all.

Incidentally, the Beagle Club recently elected its officers for 2013.  They are: President – Rodney Hicks of Richmond, VP – Lew Hatch of Canaan, NY, Treasurer – Tim Cahoon of Pittsfield and the secretarial duties will be shared by others. *****

In case you haven’t noticed, I have been staying away from the gun control debate that has taken place since the sad and tragic event in Newtown, CT.  Unfortunately, the gun control and anti hunting advocates jumped on this before many of us had time to get over our grief.   I am probably one of the few columnists that has not commented on it.

 Our President proposed actions to curb this kind of violence such as eliminating the sale of assault weapons, requiring more stringent background checks, curbing the sizes of the magazine clips, etc.  If the proposals are enacted into law, I hope they eliminate such horrendous crimes.    But I seriously doubt that they will and only the law abiding gun owners will be affected.   Nevertheless; being strictly a hunter and not owning any of these so called assault weapons, I felt that any restrictions placed on them would not affect me.    After all, we were constantly told that we have nothing to fear, and hunters, skeet shooters, and target shooters will not be affected. 

But things are beginning to unfold that have me quite concerned.  Unfortunately, there are well known national and state politicians who want to ban all guns, stating that the 2^nd amendment was established during a period when there were only single shot muskets and was not intended for today’s guns.   I won’t get into that argument other than to say this.   At that time, the muskets that the colonists possessed were state-of- the-art and were lethal enough to take on and defeat the most powerful army on earth.  (Massachusetts Minutemen were the first to take them on).

 Some politicians are advocating the ban on all semi automatic guns.   That means our 3-shot semi-automatic duck hunting shotguns, 5 shot deer/rabbit hunting guns,  and many .22’s will become illegal.  Some kind of assault weapons, eh?    Others want to make the cost of ammo prohibitive.    I am also very concerned what the anti gunners are scheming up now in Boston.

 In a January 14 Berkshire Eagle commentary by Scot Lehigh (Put a Price on gun safety), he advocated for the requirement of current and future hunters and other gun owners to carry liability insurance.  (This comes as no surprise in a state which has a very powerful insurance lobby).  Far fetched?  Well, Massachusetts State Representative David Linsky, (D Natick) is proposing such action in a bill he is sponsoring, and if passed, sportsmen would not be able to purchase a gun or ammo without this insurance.   A hunter who wants a pump-action shotgun or bolt action riffle would pay a “nominal” fee.  A semi automatic rifle would require more.   (I can only imagine what folks who want to purchase a pistol for self defense would pay).   

 How well I remember when there really was a nominal fee to purchase a lifetime FID card.  Look at this fee now – $100 and it must be renewed every 6 years! 

 As stated in Lehigh’s commentary, insurers would “likely want proof that we have trigger locks, gun safes, and lockbox for ammo” in our homes.  What is he saying?  People will come into our homes and look for them?   Didn’t we fight a revolutionary war against people who did similar things?  I spent 4 years of my life defending our country against others with regimes that practice such things.  I believe this is a veiled attempt to discourage citizens from owning a gun for personal protection and enjoying the hunting and shooting sports.  I know several young hunters who are the only ones in their families who hunt.   They have to pay enough for the FID card, gun, ammo, safe, lockbox, etc., and now liability insurance?   Does anyone seriously believe that an evil or sick person is going to purchase liability insurance?  If you do, I know of some land in Ripton that I’ll sell you real cheap.

 I do not always agree with the NRA on some positions it takes.  But, I’ll be renewing my membership along with my membership in GOAL because there is no one else that will defend my rights to own a gun for personal protection and to enjoy one of my favorite sports.

 Before this liability proposal progresses too far  in our legislature, concerned gun owners should contact their state senator, representatives, House Speaker DeLeo and Governor Patrick and express their feelings regarding this subject. *****

 The following Basic Hunter Education courses are being held in our area:  Cheshire Rod & Gun Club:    March 4, 8, 11, 15, 18 and 22 from 6 to 9 pm.  Pittsfield High School:   March 5, 7, 12, 14, 19 and 21 also from 6 to 9 pm.   This course is mandatory for first-time hunters or hunting license buyers in Massachusetts and all courses are free of charge.  For more information or to enroll, call (978)772-0693.  Hurry!  These classes fill up quickly.  *****

 Say, do you miss those great Ducks Unlimited (DU) fundraising dinners that the Beartown Chapter used to put on a few years ago?  The purpose of them was to raise money for the ducks and their habitat (wetlands).  They drew large crowds and had unquestionably the best prizes of all the organizations.  They ended because they required a lot of work and people were becoming burned out or were physically unable to solicit donations, send out mailings and all of the things involved in such a project.  No new volunteers came forward to help out or replace them.

 Well, the Beartown DU would like to bring back this popular fundraiser this spring and is looking for enthusiastic new volunteers.  If you think you can help and would like more information, contact Phil Hiser @ (413)207-1487 or Regional Director Ray Ilg @ (603)748-3111.

In his January report to the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen, DFW Western District Manager Andrew Madden announced that it had recently acquired 190 acres of land along Maple Hill Road in West Stockbridge.  This parcel is the second phase of a large acquisition project.  The first part was the 273 acre Flat Brook Wildlife Management Area (WMA) project, that was partnered with the Berkshire National Resources Council and was purchased in June, 2011.

This property will become part of the existing 202 acre Maple Hill WMA. “The parcel is excellent habitat for a variety of wildlife species and contains wetlands, uplands (with good oak trees) and old orchard area.  The hillside slopes down toward the Williams River.  With extensive road frontage it greatly improves access to the entire WMA.  It would have been a shame if this piece was developed”, said Madden.

 These lands will be open to the public for hunting, fishing and other passive recreation such as bird watching and hiking.  Motorized vehicles are not allowed on any DFW WMA’s.

 Once the weather clears the DFW plans to make a parking area off of Maple Hill Road. *****

 Madden also reported that Western District stations checked approximately 215 deer during the muzzleloader hunting season.   Most of those deer are from zones 1-4 but some may have been brought from further east and checked here because the hunter lives locally.   In 2011 some 201 deer were checked in. *****

2012 Preliminary deer season results are in

 In a recent news release, MassWildlife gave preliminary harvest figures on the 2012 paraplegic, archery, and shotgun deer hunting seasons.  Some game check stations had not yet reported their tallies.

 During the special three-day deer hunting season for paraplegic hunters, 4 deer were taken statewide in 2012, which compares to 8 taken in 2011, 5 in 2010, 4 in 2009 and 8 in 2008.    For the archery deer season, an unofficial statewide total of 3,879 deer were checked in 2012.  This compares with 3,765 in 2011, 3,778 in 2010, 3,492, and 3,521.  For the shotgun season, some 4,945 were taken in 2012, which compares to 5,349, 4,846, 4,927 and 5,793.  In addition to the shotgun season total, the DCR Quabbin Reservation reported 84 deer taken during that deer hunt in 2012.

Here are the Western District (Zones 1 – 3) figures based upon MassWildlife’s preliminary 2012 figures and final figures for 2008 to 2011:   Archery – 314 deer in 2012, 321 in 2011, 282 in 2010, 269 in 2009 and 301 in 2008;   Shotgun – 638 in 2012, 624, 550, 595 and 727.   I have purposely listed the 5 year totals so that hunters can draw their own conclusions as to the deer trends in our area.  I expected a higher deer kill this year due to the mild winter experienced last year and presumably higher survival rate, but when factoring in this year’s lack of tracking snow and other weather conditions, the figures seem fairly consistent with other years. 

 No statewide figures are available for the bear hunting season which ended on November 24.    In the Western District 96 bear were harvested during the September season and only 3 during the November season (with one station yet to report).

 Muzzleloader season figures will be reported later this winter.  Remember, all of the 2012 figures are preliminary; the final official harvest numbers will not be available until later this year.  *****

In his last report to the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen, DFW Western District Manager Andrew Madden announced that his staff has been marking boundaries of their properties.  Each year they mark different properties and last year they marked more than 25 miles of DFW lands.   True, not exactly a shocking announcement, unless of course, you are encroaching upon their properties.  *****

In a press release, the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department reported that a poacher was apprehended in Morrisville, VT late at night on December 14, after illegally killing a mature antlered buck after the close of deer hunting season.   A thermal imaging device was used to locate a 22 year old offender in the woods.  He was arrested at around 11:15 p.m. after he and another male returned to retrieve the buck.

A complainant called 911 at around 10:30 p.m. after hearing a shot outside a residence in Morrisville. A Vermont state game warden was notified and he along with officers from the Morrisville Police Department and the Lamoille County Sheriff’s office responded.

The shooter was charged with taking deer in closed season which carries a potential two-month jail term for the first offense.  He could also lose his right to hunt, fish and trap in Vermont for three years and face $2,500 in fines and restitution.  This is the perpetrator’s second charge relating to Fish & Wildlife crime this fall. On the opening weekend of November rifle season he and another man were apprehended by a Lamoille County Sheriff’s deputy after attempting to locate deer at night with a spotlight.  In that case a loaded deer rifle was also found in the vehicle.

Hopefully, we don’t have any deer poachers here in the Berkshires.  People contemplating such illegal acts should think carefully before doing so in lieu of the modern crime fighting technology being used these days.