Paul and Homer OuelletteBut some youths, 12 to 17 years of age, are out hunting already because today is the special one-day Youth Turkey Hunting Day. Hopefully they met the eligibility requirements (basic hunter education and the mandatory youth turkey program),  have a mentor and are having a great first day of turkey hunting.  Maybe they have bagged a bird already, but if not, they have until 5:00 p.m. today to bag one.  Hopefully, they will check themselves for ticks as soon as possible afterwards.

Upon harvesting a turkey, the mentor must immediately fill out and attach the paper tag from the permit to the carcass. The bird must remain intact (other than field dressing), with the harvest tag attached until it is reported. After it is reported, the tag can be removed when it is prepared for food or taxidermy purposes.

On this upcoming Monday, April 26, the regular spring turkey hunting begins and runs until May 22. Massachusetts residents must have a Hunting or Sporting License, Turkey permit and a Safety sticker.  Non-residents must have a Big Game License, Turkey permit and Safety sticker. Stickers are required if hunting turkey with a shotgun or muzzleloader.  In the spring season, the bag limit is 2 bearded birds (2 birds may be harvested on the same day).  Hunting on Sundays is not allowed.

Spring season hunting implements allowed:

• Shotgun: No larger than 10 gauge. No larger than #4 size shot.
• Muzzleloader: No larger than .775 caliber smoothbore muzzle loading shotgun. No larger than #4 shot.
• Archery equipment: All bows must have a draw weight of at least 40lbs at 28 inches or at peak draw. Arrows must have a well sharpened steel broadhead blades not less than 7/8 inches in width. Expanding broadheads and mechanical releases are legal. Crossbows may be used by certain permitted disabled hunters. Airbows are prohibited.

The wearing of blaze orange is not required during the spring hunting season.  It is now unlawful for hunters to intentionally or knowingly leave a wounded or dead game animal in the field or the forest without making a reasonable effort to retrieve and use it.

 

Tagging, transporting, and reporting requirements:

• You must report your game within 48 hours of harvest.

• Fill out and attach the paper tag from your permit on the carcass immediately after harvesting a turkey.
• The game must remain intact, with the tag attached, until reported and prepared for food or taxidermy purposes.
• You can report your harvest at an official check station or online.

Here’s hoping you have a safe and enjoyable spring turkey hunting season.

 

Trout stocking

 

Last week, subject to last minute change, the following local waters were scheduled to be stocked by Massachusetts DFW: Clesson Brook in Ashfield and Buckland,  Chickley River in Hawley and Charlemont, Green River (South) in Alford, Egremont and Great Barrington; Deerfield River in Buckland, Charlemont and Florida; Westfield River (Mainstem) in Huntington, Montgomery and Russell; Greenwater Pond in Becket, North Pond in Florida, Mansfield Pond in Great Barrington, Goose Pond in Lee and Tyringham, Lake Garfield in Monterey, Plunkett Lake in Hinsdale, York Lake in New Marlborough, Windsor Lake in North Adams and Windsor Pond in Windsor.

 

Ducks Unlimited reaches major conservation milestone

In a recent meeting of DU’s Board of Directors it was announced that more than 15 million acres (or more than 23,000 square miles) of habitat has been restored or protected in North America since its inception.  In Fiscal Year 2020 alone, DU’s on-the-ground work protected or restored more than 600,000 acres of wetlands and associated uplands. Conservation staff worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic, sleeping in repurposed ice fishing houses, campers and even tents to ensure their work never stopped. In fact, they’re accelerating their efforts to ensure they reach 16 million acres in record time.

“Ducks Unlimited’s mission of wetlands conservation has always been driven by science to deliver the best possible outcomes for waterfowl, wildlife and people,” said DU President Doug Schoenrock. “This was a true Team DU effort, and we’re proud of what we have accomplished. While this is a historic milestone, we will not stop working toward our vision of skies filled with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever.”

Ducks Unlimited and its conservation partners provide on-the-ground solutions that benefit waterfowl populations and maximize water resources through the dynamic natural functions of wetlands. In addition to providing habitat for waterfowl, wetlands slow and store water to help recharge watersheds and aquifers, improve water quality and provide important wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities.

Paul Ouellette passed beyond the riverbend

 

Recently, Paul Ouellette of Lanesborough passed away at age 97.  He was an ardent fly fisherman, perch fisherman and deer hunter.  I should mention from the start that the comments about Paul also applied to his younger brother the late Homer Ouellette of Pittsfield who has been fishing beyond the riverbend since 2016.    They were inseparable and when you saw one in the outdoors, you inevitably saw the other.

Paul was a charter member of the Taconic Chapter of Trout Unlimited (established in 1974) who eventually became an officer and a director.  He was an early recipient of Taconic TU’s highest award, the Crooked Staff Award.   He was a volunteer in the Atlantic Salmon restoration program, stocking salmon fry in the Westfield River.   He helped to establish the Friends of the Williams River group and conducted river surveys for them.   He was an excellent fly tyer and fly fisherman and helped teach it at Berkshire Community College in the 1970’s.  In fact, that is where I first met him over 40 years ago while taking that course.  He was such a colorful and knowledgeable fly tyer/fisherman/sportsman that I immediately joined TU because of him.

 

What wonderful memories of him flyfishing the Westfield River at Indian Hollow Campground and those times when we flyfishermen sat around the evening campfire after a day of fishing.  We enjoyed the soft music which emanated from Homer’s harmonica, accompanied by Paul’s jaws harp.  Oh, how we enjoyed his flyfishing and deer hunting stories.  It was from him that I first heard the term “passing beyond the river bend”, a term used when a fly fisherman passed away.

 

Paul first brought to our attention a poem that the famous poet Joyce Kilmer had once written about a “shiftless and good for nothing” angler named Dave Lilly who was deceased but when he was alive frequently fished a brook near Williamstown. According to the poem, Dave Lilly’s ghost still fished that brook and he caught “ghostly trout” years after his passing.   Paul located the poem in the North Adams library, brought it to a TU meeting and it immediately became very popular with the members, many citing parts of it by memory. (Google Joyce Kilmer/Dave Lilly poem).  I could go on and on with wonderful stories about Paul.  I tried to emulate him as much as I could, even to the point of buying a jaws harp of my own.  (I put it to good use one time – another story, another time).

 

He was also a member of the tongue-in-cheek organization known as Perch Unlimited or “PU!”  While staying at their cottage in Vermont (the Owl’s Nest), Homer and Paul would often ice fish for perch on Lake Champlain and they certainly caught their share of them.  They did a lot of deer hunting out of that camp, also.  (You may recall a couple of articles that I wrote about the camp in October 2015.)

 

Paul was an excellent bowhunter and for many years he and Homer taught the bowhunting course for the Mass DFW.  They both received the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen 1996 Lifetime Achievement Award.  To quote the plaque citation, “They have devoted countless hours to stream improvement, salmon fry stocking and bowhunting safety instruction courses.  They have been instrumental in instructing thousands of archers in dozens of courses they have hosted as Bowhunting Education Instructors.  Every sportsman can think of one or two people who helped spark their passion for the outdoors.  Homer and Paul Ouellette have touched many sportsmen’s lives.”

 

Paul Ouellette will be fondly remembered and sorely missed, but take heart, he is now probably out fishing with Homer…..somewhere beyond the riverbend