Unlimited surplus Antlerless Deer Permits (ADP) will be available for Zones 10, 11, 13, &14 starting on Tuesday, September 26. A limited number of ADPs for Zones 3, 9, & 12 will go on sale on a first come, first served basis on Wednesday, September 27. They cost $10 and you will need a hunting license in order to purchase one. The easiest way to buy a license or a surplus permit is online through MassFishHunt. In-person sales are also available at select license vendor locations and MassWildlife offices.
I hope things go better for Larry Sheedy of Pittsfield this year. Last year he was on his computer and ready to submit his application for Zone 3 (South/Southwest Berkshires) on the day and time they were to be available. All his information was put in and he was only waiting to hit “submit” for his application.
Surprisingly and unfortunately the 350+ applications flashed on the screen and before he could move his hand to hit submit, all 350 were removed/unavailable. These were available and then unavailable in less time it took to blink his eyes.
He waited for 30-40 minutes hoping some would become available but none ever came along. During this time, he was able to see the other permits being taken in each of the other zones; so, it appeared the system was working.
“These Zone 3 permit applications were gone far, far faster than tickets go for a Taylor Swift concert and I find it utterly inconceivable that the MassWildlife online system could process more than 350 applications in time that was quicker than he could move his hand and hit submit.” wrote Sheedy.
While frustrated he contacted MassWildlife and they apologized but, in Larry’s opinion, these apologies all seemed disingenuous (and they) tried to infer he was late applying, and that was most definitely not the case.
He will be ready to submit his application on September 27 before 9:00 am. He only hopes the permits actually are available and this application is not a waste of time since the permits will be “available” for less than 1 second.
I passed his comments onto the Mass Division of Fisheries & Wildlife. Martin Feehan, Deer & Moose Biologist who responded as follows:
“There were significant issues last year with the surplus ADP sales including the sales starting early, going offline for a few minutes, and duplicates sales due to incorrect coding by the license vendor. The number of permits available ticking down was working correctly, but it accounts for unclaimed permits and the demand was high enough that they were being claimed faster than people were adding them. The 351 permits last year sold out by 9:07 am.”
“The programming issues have been resolved by the license vendor and it should go much smoother this year as was the case with the ADP drawing on August 1st. The permits will still sell out very quickly. There are only 210 permits available this year and they will likely sell out in less than 5 minutes based on the high demand”.
“It is important to be ready to add them to your cart and have payment information ready to go. Once customers add them to their cart, they must check out within 10 minutes or the permit will be opened back up for someone else to purchase it. With such high demand there is no guarantee that all customers available at 9:00 am will be able to purchase them. There will likely be more than a thousand customers trying to purchase a couple hundred permits.”
Youth Deer Hunt Day is next Saturday
MassWildlife created Youth Deer Hunt Day to allow young hunters to hunt deer with their own permit. The hunt occurs on a special one-day season before the state’s annual deer hunting seasons. This year it is September 30. Shotgun deer season regulations apply during the hunt.
License and permit requirements:
12–14 years old – Each child must obtain a Free Youth Deer Permit, and be with a licensed adult. Only one minor per licensed adult is permitted. The adult may not use a hunting implement.
15–17 years old (Residents) – A minor hunting license is required as is the Free Youth Deer Permit.
15–17 years old (Non-residents) – A Massachusetts Non-resident Big Game License is required as is the Free Youth Deer Permit
Free Youth Deer Permits can be obtained online at MassFishHunt beginning August 1 or in-person at an authorized license vendor. The Permit is valid only for September 30. Only one hunting implement is allowed and the bag limit is one deer of either sex.
All youth hunters and any accompanying adults must wear at least 500 square inches of blaze orange on their chest, back, and head.
Young hunters must fill out the tag from the Youth Deer Permit and attach it to the deer before moving it. Do not use any other deer tags. You must report your deer harvest within 48 hours.
Be sure to check pages 24 and 25 of the Hunting & Fishing Regulations which deal with youth hunters. On the MassWildlife website, you can download tips for mentors and parents.
Berkshire Beagle Club field trials
On October 7 and 8 the Berkshire Beagle club will host its annual Jack Silvernail Fall Sanctioned SPO field trial for registered beagles. (SPO designates small pack option which means the field trial organizers can adjust the size of the pack depending on the number of dogs trialing. Small packs are no larger than 9 dogs at a time).
On Saturday, October 7, thirteen-inch and fifteen-inch males will run. On Sunday, October 8, thirteen-inch and fifteen-inch females will run. They will be judged for consistency and precision while trailing game.
Entry fees are $25 per dog. There will be a raffle of Cabela’s/Bass Pro gift cards of $500, $300, and $100. The kitchen will offer breakfast and lunch.
For raffle information, contact president Al Costa at alcosta@comcast.net or 413-562-1006. For other trial questions, contact Chris Wilser at 1cwilser@gmail.com (845) 489-6554.
It’s been a great hunting year so far for young Hunter
Hunter Lawson of Williamstown just turned 14 years old a few weeks ago. He took Wayne McLain’s Hunter Education course in March of this year and since then, he bagged 2 turkeys this spring, (featured in this column’s May 5, 2023 issue entitled A tale of two youth turkey hunters).
He had been practicing for the upcoming black bear hunting season with a .243 and a .30-06 caliber rifle. He opted for the .30-06. (Youngsters aged 12-14 can hunt with a licensed adult, using one firearm).
Hunter runs cross country for Mount Greylock, but unfortunately, he hurt his toe and couldn’t practice. After a few weeks of no practice, his dad Dan Lawson told him that when he is better and able to practice, he would take him bear hunting using his bear permit.
Within a few days he was feeling better, so after practice, they had a quick bite to eat, then off to the woods. They were hunting a friend’s property in Williamstown for only a half hour when they saw a bear. Hunter brought it down with one shot at 80 yards.
Dan showed him how to dress out the animal and tag it. The bear dressed out at 150 lbs. After they got ice into it to cool it down and keep it cool, Dan had a butcher friend of his process it.
LaBlue’s Taxidermy in Adams is going to mount it for Hunter.
Dan and Hunter’s grandfather Bob McCarthy are so happy for him. According to Dan, “Hunter is one happy camper. The look on Hunter’s face was priceless. He has been talking to his friends about hunting and showing them the pictures. It sounds like some of them want to get their Hunter Education course and get out into the woods, too. To get the kids off video games and into the outdoors keeps the sport going.”
Hunter is now looking forward to the Youth Deer Hunt coming up.
Anybody want to take bets that he won’t get a deer?
Incidentally, the first season of black bear hunting in Massachusetts ends this weekend, September 23. The second season opens on November 6.