A public hearing was held as part of the September meeting of the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board which was held via Zoom on Tuesday. The recently approved license fee and stamp increases included a new pheasant and quail stamp, and the board was required to hold a public hearing before finalizing the action.
Public input was taken before the hearing, with 14 groups and individuals providing support for the measure and two individuals voicing opposition. During the hearing, more than 10 comments were also provided via the Zoom platform.
The proposal removed the season limit of six pheasants and 20 quail. The prohibition of taking hen pheasants east of Route 495 was also eliminated.
In addition, special regulations in place for the Martin Burns Wildlife Management Area were also eliminated. These limited the number of hunters allowed on that management area.
All the changes were brought forward by staff after review and were presented as being no longer needed. The season bag limits were difficult to enforce and restricted hunters from participating over the course of the upland season. The hen restriction was only applicable to a small number of areas. That also put an unnecessary burden on staff and made the contract with pheasant rearing vendors complicated.
After discussion and listening to all comments, the board voted unanimously to approve the changes as presented and they will go into effect in 2022. It was agreed that the pheasant program is a very important part of the agency’s mandate, and it is particularly useful in introducing new hunters to the sport.
There are wildlife management areas stocked with pheasants across the state and the activity offers many opportunities to experience hunting with the relative expectation of success, particularly using trained hunting dogs.
Also on the agenda was the introduction of the new software vendor for MassHuntFish, the system for online licensing. The contract is expiring in December and a review of vendors and the needs of MassWildlife going forward has been under way for the past two years.
What was presented to the board by the vendor, staff and the chief of the Department of Fish and Game’s tech department was impressive, to say the least. Kalkomey, who also provide the same services for New York and Nevada, had three employees online for the Zoom meeting who detailed what services would be provided by the system, which is highly sophisticated and flexible. Included were many features to benefit the customers, whom research indicates now access the site most of the time using smartphones.
The platform is extremely friendly to mobile devices as more and more activity takes place using those devices. It was made clear that those who are not tech savvy would not be left behind, however, and all MassWildlife District Offices and hundreds of vendors across the Commonwealth would also be selling licenses and permits.
One new feature would be auto-renew, where a customer would be able to choose to buy the same licenses or permits as the previous year or even sign up for automatic renewal. No more forgetting to buy your license or permits!
The system would also be linked to MassWildlife events like Hunter Education, Becoming an Outdoorswoman, Angler Education classes and all MassWildlife programs. These are just a few of the innovations mentioned and it was made clear that any tweaking MassWildlife might desire during the contract would be possible, without additional cost. The system is a great step forward and keeps MassWildlife on the leading edge of advancements to provide the best possible experience to those who enjoy outdoor sports.
My past weekend included a drive to northern Vermont to look for upland bird covers. It did not go as well as hoped.
First, the temperatures in the mid-70s could not have been worse for the dogs and birds. Compared to here, it was very dry and that is a problem as well.
Most troubling, however, was the sudden health issue that caused 14-year-old Dinah to suddenly show alarming symptoms. She was staggering and falling, had a tilt of her head, was going in circles, and her eyes were flitting to the side. My immediate suspicion was a stroke, but she ate and drank normally and showed no other signs. She was not uncomfortable, and it was “watch and see” for a few hours Saturday night while debating whether to make the four-hour drive home.
She seemed better in the morning but still could not navigate anything other than flat, clear ground. We cut our trip short and headed home, listening to the Patriots stink up Gillette Stadium on the truck radio.
Dr. Temple at Adams Animal Hospital fit her in Monday morning, and he quickly diagnosed the problem as idiomatic vestibular disease which is commonly referred to as “old dog disease.” She had all the symptoms, but the good news was that they typically disappear in a short period and most dogs recover completely.
That still leaves me a dilemma and she will be held back until it is clear that she is fully recovered. The head tilt may be permanent, and she is really showing her age. My short-term plans are in limbo with a trip to attend the Outdoor Writers Association of America Conference in Jay, Vermont coming up. Time for Laney to step up and be the lead dog!
Mike Roche is a retired teacher who has been involved in conservation and wildlife issues his entire life. He has written the Sportsman’s Corner since 1984 and has served as advisor to the Mahar Fish’N Game Club, Counselor and Director of the Massachusetts Conservation Camp, has been a Massachusetts Hunter Education Instructor for over 40 years and is a licensed New York hunting guide. He can be reached at mikeroche3@msn.com.