Hunting Report Archery Duck Deer

Fall hunting seasons get into full swing beginning Saturday and hunters are hopeful that the coming week will bring cooler — and wetter — weather that will make for much more enjoyable and successful hunts. Hunting in 80 degrees is less than comfortable and the summer’s drought has left hunting conditions less than favorable.

When the ground and low cover is dry, it doesn’t hold the scent from game birds and animals like damp earth and foliage does, making it difficult for gun dogs to find game. Deer tracks have only been visible at the muddy edges of watering holes and disappear on the dry ground (which way did they go?). Many ponds, shallow coves and rivers are low, leaving duck and goose hunters high and dry, searching for new areas. So, pray for rain and those cool, crisp autumn days that New England is famous for.

Pheasant, quail and ruffed grouse seasons begin Saturday and run to Nov. 24 (quail hunting is allowed in Zones 11-14 only). MassWildlife supplements the native pheasant population by stocking areas with birds raised for that purpose. They are no less wild and wily than their native counterparts, flushing with a blur of wings and firing up the afterburners for a fast getaway.

A total of 40,000 pheasants will be stocked statewide on Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) and other public hunting lands with suitable habitat. Of those, 8,000 will be released in our Southeast District, 4,000 in the Western District, 10,000 in the Connecticut Valley District, 13,000 in the Central District and 5,000 in the Northeast District.

Another 4,000 birds will be stocked by rod and gun clubs through the Club Pheasant Program where sportsmen’s clubs raise birds (or cooperate with county correctional facilities for bird raising) then stock the birds on lands open to the public. Bobwhite quail are also stocked in some of the Southeast District WMAs.

The wearing of a hunter orange cap is required during the pheasant and quail season on public hunting areas or WMAs where pheasant or quail are stocked. The only exemption is if you’re night-hunting for raccoons or while hunting waterfowl from a blind or boat. Hunting is permitted from sunrise to sunset on WMAs. On all other property, hunting hours are a half-hour before sunrise to a half-hour after sunset.

The daily bag limit on pheasants is two with a season limit of six. The daily bag on quail is four with a season limit of 20. The daily bag on ruffed grouse is three with a season limit of 15.

To be effective in the field, consider that pheasants are big, tough birds that usually require high velocity shells loaded with shot sizes No. 5 and No. 6. Keep in mind that some private hunting preserves prohibit shot sizes larger than No. 6. Quail are much smaller so you can use standard field loads with smaller shots sizes No. 7½ and No. 8 that deliver a denser pattern. Grouse are in-between sized birds and Nos. 6 and 7½ work well.

The choke you use depends on the cover you’re hunting. Improved cylinder is best for close-in shots in thick cover while full choke is for long shots in open country. The modified choke, which falls between imp. cyl. and full is the standard all-around choke.

In my opinion, double-barreled shotguns, whether side by side or over and under are the best choice for upland hunting because they have shorter receivers than pumps and semi-autos, making them short, light and fast handling, along with offering the hunter a choice of two chokes. For the average hunter, either 12-, 16- or 20-gauge guns with the appropriate load and choke will drop upland birds quickly and cleanly. Generally, the smaller the gauge (the higher the number), the lighter the gun, which is a big consideration of some hunters. The smaller 28-gauge has been gaining popularity in recent years, but given the disadvantage of the smaller shot charge, I’m still of the opinion that it should be reserved for experts.

WMAs that are stocked with pheasants in our Southeast District are (the number following each listing denotes the stocking frequency per week): Freetown State Forest, Freetown, 2; Noquochoke WMA, Dartmouth, 2; Francis Crane WMA, Falmouth, 3; Myles Standish State Forest, Plymouth and Carver, 3; Erwin Wilder WMA, Taunton and Norton, 3; and Hockomock Swamp WMA, West Bridgewater, 2. Pheasant stocking also will resume at the Cape Cod National Seashore this fall.

For a complete listing of other public hunting areas stocked with pheasants in this district, and WMAs and public hunting lands in the other districts, visit the hunting section at mass.gov/masswildlife.

Cottontail rabbit season is open from Oct. 13 – Feb. 29 (leap year) in Zones 1 – 12 and from Nov. 15 – Feb. 29 in Zones 13 and 14. Snowshoe hare season is open Oct. 13 – Feb. 28 in Zones 1 – 4, Oct. 13 – Feb. 5 in Zones 5 – 12 and Nov. 15 – Feb. 5 in Zones 13 and 14.

The standard shot size for hunting cottontails is No. 6, while the larger, tougher hare often requires larger Nos. 4 or 5. The daily bag on cottontails is five with no season limit and the daily bag on hare is two with no season limit.

The archery season for deer begins Oct. 15 and runs to Nov. 24. Like I mentioned earlier, deer sign is sketchy and the warm weather isn’t helping. They’re not out in the fields at dawn and dusk like they usually are this time of year and it’s difficult to tell how fresh the sign is in the woods. Acorns, a favorite of deer, are just starting to drop in the areas I’ve scouted, but there doesn’t seem to be many. Hope your areas are better.

Hunters have had no choice but to get their stands up in the heat, sweating like pigs and leaving human scent all over the place. I hope the season proves to shape up better than it’s starting.

The coyote season regulations changed this year, expanding the season by five weeks. It now begins two weeks earlier on Oct. 13 and will end a week later on March 8. Hunters also will be allowed to shoot coyotes during the two-week shotgun season, which totals the five-week extension.

The “rifle ban” in the southeastern counties also has been lifted. Hunters in those five counties will now be able to use rifles chambered equal to or larger than .22 caliber during daylight hours. But during the period from a half-hour after sunset to a half-hour before sunrise, rifles are restricted to those chambered not larger than .22 long rifle and rifles of any kind may not be used on WMAs stocked with pheasant or quail during the pheasant and quail season.

Legal shot sizes also were increased. For hunting coyotes, hunters now may use shotguns loaded with shot sizes up to and including FF (.230 inches diameter). However, shot sizes larger than No. 1 birdshot may not be used for hunting other game birds or mammals (including fox and bobcat), except for waterfowl as provided in the annual Migratory Game Bird Abstracts. Shells loaded with slugs, single balls or buckshot may be used for hunting deer or coyotes only during the shotgun deer season.

HUNTER EDUCATION CLASS IN ROCHESTER
A Basic Hunter Education Course will be held at the Sippican Rod and Gun Club on Dexter Lane in Rochester on Oct. 8, 10, 12, 15, 17 and 19 at 6:30 p.m. The club is handicapped accessible.

I received this info just before press time and the glitch is that pre-registration is required, but seeing as the course starts tomorrow, pre-registration may be impossible as there may not be anyone at the Hunter Education office on the holiday to take your name.

There haven’t been many Hunter Education courses scheduled for this area and this probably will be the last one for the year. The class is not yet listed as “full” so I suggest calling (978-632-7648) to register on Monday and if there’s no answer, just show up and hope to get in.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS