Happy New Year!

Last Saturday morning a deer, a mature doe, stood broadside a little over 50 yards away from this writer as he waited “on stand.” Being motionless was not difficult using the T-Stand that has been a part of my deer hunting gear for almost 40 years. A second deer had passed the same spot and was bounding away. My thought process was stuck at “don’t shoot” as the deer was between me and the road and there was a house across the road. The shot was legal as my position was well over 150 feet from that road and the house was more than 500 feet away and not in a direct line either. The deer turned after a minute and bounded parallel to the road and then stopped a second time, still within range of my T/C Omega in-line muzzleloader. The background was again compromised in my mind by the location of the next house and the two deer loped away.

We communicate using GPS enabled radios and the info about the deer was passed along. A couple of minutes later, a shot rang out and then a second muzzleloader was fired in the same general direction. A second group of deer had passed in front of two other group members who were like me, posted to watch routes deer might use when hunters moved through areas where deer might be bedded down. The second hunter had connected and a nice doe, which later weighed in at 120 pounds, was down. As it turned out, four hunters had seen deer. The doe was field dressed and dragged to the truck and a quick hunt was organized to see where the two that passed me had gone. Tracks told the story, and they had passed ahead of us, and it was now time for lunch. As it turned out on this very cold Saturday, everyone was done at midday.

Monday, a smaller group decided to make one last effort after noon and the same drive was undertaken with no deer moved. A second “push” was organized and two of us did the walking while four others “posted up.” That resulted in a group of deer being moved and everyone posted saw deer as did this driver. Unfortunately, the hunter with the best opportunity had already filled his antlerless deer tag and the deer, all does, escaped again. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day would have been good with fresh snow, but other priorities determined the schedule. It is still my intention to try to fill my doe tag and hopefully find others interested in a few hours hunting but, in truth, the fire to kill a deer does burn as fiercely as it once did.

Meanwhile, I would like to wish everyone the happiest New Year and all the best in 2025. There is certainly a great deal of concern as to exactly what the next year will bring so hopefully things will work out for everyone as we face our daily challenges. Our family Christmas could not have been more enjoyable as the low-key dinner of lasagna was less work than the more elaborate dinners of the past when we hosted large family gatherings. This year less travel was nice and much more relaxing. New Year’s Eve will likely be quiet as well. There was a little venison in the freezer from the last deer and so we did have meat pie Christmas Eve! Maybe one of my quiet sits will pay off still as the season runs through the last day of 2024.

There was considerable feedback from last week’s column which printed information on the impact of the new Massachusetts gun laws. The important thing is to take any needed action now if you have an expiration date coming up for your firearms permits! It is “business as usual” for local police departments as they process those applications. It is clear that the challenges to the new law will be working their way through the legal system and most who have studied the law see clear flaws that must be addressed by the courts.

Now is the time to get your 2025 hunting and fishing licenses! You can go the MassWildlife website or directly to massfishhunt.org to buy a year of hunting and fishing. You can also buy a license at any MassWildlife facility including District Offices in Belchertown and West Boylston and Field Headquarters in Westborough. Locally WalMart also sells licenses, and their staff was excellent when yours truly went in to purchase a license for my nephew. Make sure you remember to apply for your antlerless permit when you purchase your license although you can go back and do that anytime before the July 15 deadline. This cold weather should make ice and hopefully it will be safe soon for ice fishing!