The weather always provides a conversation starter. It is too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry, too windy, too much snow, not enough snow or an infinite number of possibilities to discuss and agree or disagree on.
Here in New England, October has always been the rainiest month. During my time as a bow hunter, rain was an issue. My arrows were fletched with feathers and they did not fly the same when they were wet. Rain also influenced my decision to bow hunt, because it made trailing a deer after the shot more challenging, and neither wearing rain gear nor being soaking wet were preferred conditions. That same rain was preferred when duck hunting however, so there was a choice. The recently completed October started out with some rain, but then came a prolonged period without any precipitation and that made things very dry.
That dryness created noisy walking as the leaves that this writer detests came down. The woodcock that provide such good hunting for my dogs have been few and far between. It is not fair for me to conclude if that is a trend, as the two surgeries the French Brittanys had to endure really impacted my opportunities to hunt. My plans to travel more and hunt out of state were curtailed. The New York hunt that is such a special event was shortened, but Tessie has made a great comeback. Laney had her sutures removed Tuesday and the plan is to gradually get back into shape and hunting before the season vanishes.
The unseasonable dryness has definitely impacted my upland bird hunting to date. Rain is expected at the end of this week and this weekend. We will see if these October rains—what you’ve heard me call the “new October”—bring more woodcock migrations with flights of birds descending on local covers in numbers.
Woodcock, like so many animals, birds and insects, have had to adjust as the climate is clearly changing. Climate is different than weather. Weather is defined as “the short-term state of the atmosphere at a specific time and place, changing over minutes, hours, days and weeks.” Climate is the long-term average of weather patterns in a specific region, usually calculated over a standard span of 30 years.
During my 35 years as a member of the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board, our staff included John O’Leary. John became one of the country’s most highly regarded experts on climate change and he briefed the board on multiple occasions. He updated us on the short-term and long-term impacts of climate change and the “winners and losers” in the natural world. Whitetail deer and coyotes were winners and maple trees and some songbirds were losers. He predicted that within 40 years our New England climate might closely resemble that of somewhere between New Jersey and Virginia. His predictions are looking to be accurate.
There are plenty of deer sightings and those who are out there bow hunting are reporting plenty of deer, as rutting activities like rubs (bucks rubbing their antlers on saplings) and scrapes (bucks pawing the ground and urinating to mark territory and attract interested does) are now becoming more common, with traditional peak here in New England around Veterans Day. Acorns are plentiful in many areas and the apple crop was extraordinary in most locations.
Time to do some scouting as the firearms season will get shotgun and muzzleloader hunters out there looking to fill the freezer. Bears are also still active and one was in my driveway last week while this writer was in the Berkshires. Each year, former director of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Dr. Steve Williams (who started his career at MassWildlife) and former MassWildlife Director Wayne MacCallum join me to remember our great friend Gig Darey and hunt some of the bird covers where Gig thrived.
We found woodcock but not in great numbers and Tessie did a wonderful job finding and pointing at the birds for us. We always have a great time and Ginny Akabane is a great hostess. During dinner, my phone buzzed as the Ring camera sensors were triggered and there was a small bear checking things out. Remember that black bear season in Massachusetts is open through Dec. 12 but you need to have a bear permit.
This week there may be a trip back to Jay, Vermont, and then our focus will be local covers and maybe some trips to Birch Hill when Laney is up and going. Fall comes and goes too fast!
Tuesday’s election was interesting and will certainly drive some change. Dr. Willaims, who recently retired as director of the Wildlife Institute, was clear in his view that the recent changes implemented in the federal government’s dramatic cuts had a significant negative impact on the resources of the country and many very valuable programs were cut. We will see if there will be restoration or if the damage done is permanent.
The two Massachusetts ballot questions that impacted sportsmen will be interesting to follow. Hopefully Question 6 will provide gains for everyone who appreciates outdoors. In my opinion, the message never got out that Question 9 was a chance for the legislature to go back to the drawing board and craft legislation which was thoughtfully created by a dialog between all parties to deal with the matter of gun violence. The law right now is badly flawed and does not deal with the core issues, while punishing those of us who are responsible gun owners.
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.