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By Mike RocheIt seems like this year, the production of wild turkeys was good in the Mount Grace region.Conversations with several other folks seem to point towards abundant broods of wild turkeys being hatched and most are now nearly as big as the...

By Mike RocheHuman beings are generally not big fans of change.That trait plays itself out countless times in our personal lives and in the things that make up our society. Walk into a retail store and you are faced with a choice to follow the...

By Mike RocheMy weekly training trips to Hedgerow Hunt Club with Tessie include shooting chukars over her. Her staunchness has been excellent. She is great at finding downed birds and bringing them back, almost all the way. What we are working on is...

By Mike RocheAs more details of the new Massachusetts gun law come to light, the opposition to this action passed by the legislature and governor grows.It is a long and complicated law and the Gun Owners Action League (GOAL) has already mounted...

By MIKE ROCHE

As the details of the gun law passed in Massachusetts, which took effect on Aug. 2, are brought to light, it is obvious that this law goes beyond controversial to being — not just to this writer, but to everyone who is a responsible gun owner — an...

By Mike Roche This writer has long been considering making a change from 12-gauge to 20-gauge for deer hunting in Massachusetts. Since Mass does not allow the use of rifles, shotguns have always been the firearm used for deer hunting. It must be noted...

By Mike RocheMonday was a day of change for me. It began at 8 a.m. when we pulled into Hedgerow Hunt Club in Royalston. By we, I mean my 2-year-old French Brittany Tessie and her neglectful owner. For a variety of reasons, my responsibilities as the...

By Mike RocheIt is only the middle of July but fall and hunting seasons will be here before you know it. Now is the time to get busy planning for the hunting seasons, taking care of details and getting your gear in order.One of the important details...

By Mike RocheThe dog days or dog days of summer is an expression that dates way back in history. The hot, sultry days of summer in the northern hemisphere have historically been the period following the heliacal rising of the star system Sirius, which...

By Mike RocheLocal observations seem to indicate that locally, whitetail numbers are good. Does are dropping fawns and again remind you to leave young wildlife where you find it. Whitetail does leave fawns unattended for long periods of time while...

By Mike RocheThis past week, the tradition of the Mahar Fish’N Game Club Trap Shoot continued with the help and support of the Orange Gun Club. Since the club was founded in 1957, members have held a trap shooting competition. While there were a few...

By Mike Roche Here we are in mid-May and there is so much happening! Turkey hunting is in full swing, and gobblers are definitely active. The issue is hens, and it is hard to compete with the “real thing,” believe me. Trout fishing, however, is never...

By Mike RocheIt is the middle of turkey season and for some, the pursuit of wild turkeys becomes much more than a casual hunting activity. If this writer were honest, he would look at the impact of chasing gobblers and realize that my first turkey – a...

By Mike RocheThe Orange Gun Club is inviting everyone up to age 14 to participate in the club’s annual Kids Fishing Derby. Located off West River Street in Orange, this is the oldest gun club in Massachusetts and they hold an outstanding event for...

By Mike RocheLast week was my first ever turkey hunt in Missouri. After over a decade of flying out to Kansas and hunting turkeys in that state, things changed. In response to significant declines in turkey numbers in the Sunflower State, the Kansas...

By Mike RocheEach April for many years, this writer has traveled to Kansas to “visit my sister.” The annual trip began when she offered to buy my hunting license if I went to visit and that visit became an annual rite of spring.Over the years, contact...

By CARLA CHARTER

ORANGE-For his many years of advocacy of sportsmen’s issues, Mike Roche has received the Words of Wisdom Award from the Worcester County League of Sportsmen’s Clubs.Roche received the award at the club’s annual banquet on March 23, held at the...

By Mike RocheThis spring, people have been buzzing about how early things are happening in the natural world. Ice out on local lakes and ponds happened earlier than anyone can remember. Some ponds went from 5-6 inches of ice to ice out in less than a...

By Mike RocheLast Saturday my brother Chris joined me and a bunch of other folks fishing on White Pond in South Athol, where my wife and I own property. The pond community is close and one of the pond residents has undertaken to put together a day of...

By Mike RocheLast week, this writer finally got to do some ice fishing. Granted, it was an hour or two at a time, but it was quite enjoyable.After visiting Crack of Dawn Bait for some lively shiners, meal worms and spikes (AKA maggots) local ice was...

By Mike RocheThe recent run of colder nights has produced some ice, and fishermen and women have begun doing some ‘hard water’ fishing locally. This writer first ventured out last Friday and found about four inches of ice. That is OK for ice fishing...