I’ve come across large bucks that had died during the winter because they starved to death.
If we got as many chances of getting it right after getting it wrong as Punxsutawney Phil, the little beastie that predicts the weather via his shadow or not does, well hell’s bells, many of us would ask why not get it right the first time?
The wayward point here is that wild animals’ survival is not only dependent on innate skills, but like us humans they need an extra serving of good luck.
I’ve come across large bucks that had died during the winter because they starved to death after using up all their winter fat reserves chasing estrus charged does. I spotted a big buck that got its rack stuck in a hole in an apple tree trying to snake an apple from its depths. A friend saw a buck fall to its death when it lost its footing while walking on a mountain ledge trail. Bad luck can happen in the strangest ways, like the buck that was feeding on seaweed in shallow water at low tide. Its rack became entangled in a lobster trap line and it drowned when the tide came in.
Discovered a dead skunk that got its head caught in a soda bottle as it was attempting to get that good to the last drop sip. Saw a black duck leap from a brook as a killer mink approached, and when it looked over its shoulder it smashed into a tree limb and died.
You name it, there are a thousand accidental ways to die.
But how about the other side of the coin, the good luck side that we all want. That is a reason to get hold of one of those two-headed coins and to practice in an innocent voice, “I call heads.”
A recent report from a Yellowstone Snake River’s guide, along with photos, shows how luck can come in different packages.
A snake and a hawk fell from the sky and were locked in death grips, and would drown, that is if they didn’t kill each other first.
It appeared the hawk had swooped down and scooped up the snake and was flying off with it. But the viper with a snake shake encompassed its coil around the hawk’s neck. The predator could not breathe and plunged into the river.
The guide waded in, brought the two ‘death do we part’ combatants to shore, untangled them.
The snake recouped and away we go but not so the hawk; its lungs were full of water.
The guide held the hawk upside down by its legs and its lungs emptied.
The look on the hawk’s face was worth a million dollars, no – make that five million in today’s high priced market.
It was probably thinking, ‘All I wanted was a light lunch.’
SCOUTS AND RUSSELL POND: The Horace A. Moses Boy Scout Reservation is not for sale!
Russell Pond has enjoyed some red hot fishing recently with bass, pickerel and yellow perch up to 20 inches whacking away and stocked trout due to shake off the cold, which again brings up the subject – the reservation and pond are not for sale!
Mike Carpenter, chairman of ‘Russell First’, and Don Blair, co-chairman, added that Russell native Jason Boyer, 413-568-0211, is dedicated to keeping the camp in operation. I am certain that he would be happy for volunteers or any donation.
I am very opinionated on Scouting and can’t think of few things finer than getting your son or daughter into Scouting , and getting in there yourself, as Scouting has always been a top way to get a family into the outdoors.
SAVE THE DINOSAUR: Of course it is too late to save the dinosaur, but it is not too late to save one of its buddies that waded the same waters. The federal government has finally gotten around to placing the Atlantic sturgeon on the endangered list. Who knows, we law abiders and taxpayers might make the federal government’s endangered species list.
The sturgeon can grow to 14 feet, weigh more than 800 pounds and live more than 60 years.
I have had the ethereal enjoyment of seeing dinos swim with mate both on top and below the surface. Many years ago an airplane crashed and sank in a very deep section of the Connecticut River and I was one of the dips who said they would try to locate it. While mucking in the blackness of the bottom I came snoot to snoot with a monster that made me feel like a mouse who mistook a cat’s mouth for a mouse hole in the baseboard.
For the 117th time in my life I realized that I was a born again coward and had enough yellow in my back to paint the double line center strip in a mile of highway.
But I have this safety valve that makes me think a moment or two before pressing the ejection seat.
And realized this lurking shadow had to be a sturgeon, a toothless creature that feeds on the bottom.
So after I checked my butt to make sure all was well, I gave thought to getting on its back and enjoying a buck from this bronco; but no – cowardice 118 checked in.
The second sighting was while fishing shad in the Connecticut River with friend Charlie Tutty. He pointed a giant log that was heading upstream against the river flow. And I pointed out the log had eyes and that we were in for a rare sighting of a species living well before the B.C. era.
Much later I learned from an old farmer in the OxBow area of the river that the sturgeon had tried to get into a land locked area on the river that was once obviously its old mating grounds.
That would have been a sight to light up the old eyes, two 800-pound behemoths insuring their existence for many more thousands of years.
NEW ANTLERLESS PERMIT PROCEURE: Division of Fisheries and Wildlife announced procedures for applying for and obtaining antlerless deer permits. And as far as this Simple Simon is concerned I am so under qualified with electronic “no” – how that it might be “bucks only” for me.
My fear is that some will call the confusing procedure the end of their hunting career or as others have said, a switch to another state.
Info flyers are now available at all district DFW offices, Westboro headquarters and locations posted on Division web site at www.mass.gov./dfwele/dfw/recreation/license/permits/adp home.htm
Despite the length of the instructions I will attempt to present them near verbatim, and then it is every man, woman and child for him or herself, ala the skipper of that giant Italian pleasure ship playing see-saw Marjorie Daw on the rocks and shoals off that far away island.
MassWildlife said as in the past, deer hunters must apply for an antlerless deer permit either when they purchase their license or at any time prior to this year’s permit deadline July 16. Application can only be made through the internet.
The new second step is called the “Instant Award phase and requires that all antlerless permit applicants return to the MassFishHunt web site beginning Aug. 1 to try to win the permit in the zone for which they applied. Hunters may access MassFishHunt via the internet, any authorized license agent or at any district MassWildlife Office.
After the winning numbers are selected for the various zones the winners will be notified and the hunter will pay $5 for the permit immediately and print the permit, or leave the winning permit in the e-mail shopping cart where it will remain until payment is made or until the permit expires. As in the past all permits expire on Dec. 31.
As in the past, winning percentages will be determined by the number of applications. Extra permits will go on sale in October but only to those who had filed for permits earlier.
BEING OUT THERE: I had one and gave it away – a good camera with a long lens. Most often I do not regret gifts but while sitting as still as a mouse with a snake nearby, while looking for that cunning coyote, I decided those Spartans of the sky Canada geese that have eyesight that would shame a GPS, could possibly be nearsighted.
While I sat like Miss Muffett on a tuffet (whatever a tuffet is) , a flock of wild turkeys meandered into the field I had scoured for a coyote who had answered my injured rabbit and meek mouse predator calls.
Then before these lucky eyes a flock of geese landed among the turkeys, making it a rare honker-gobbler hoe down.
I just flat arse wanted to get up and do me a thigh-slapping jig.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Happy birthday Abe, and thank you for keeping this one nation, indivisible, under God, with justice for all (most of the time.)