Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest
Merrimack River 01-17-2005 04:44
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Sorry this report is late but it is for Saturday 1/15.
Hit the marsh for what very well could be the last boat hunt of the season. Everytime you watch the weather forecast is calls for colder and colder temps this week. It won’t take much to freeze the marsh and river up with the cold that is coming. Hopefully it will open up again during the late goose season at some point as it usually does. It is not looking good though for the rest of the regular duck season.
I was really surprised Saturday to see so many folks out. I think it is fair to say it is the most I have seen during the entire second half in one day. At least a dozen boats were on the marsh. Actually made it hard to go where you needed to in the boat as people were setting up right in the travel channels. Being low tide it made it very difficult to get around.
Anyway, if this was the last day out boat hunting I managed to end it strong with a nice drake Black and a single goose I managed to call in and land on the flooded marsh next to my boat( well almost land – I shot as he stretched his feet out ). Called another flock of geese over but missed that opportunity.
Very few puddle ducks moved into the marsh. I saw approx 40 during the 5 hours I was there. Saw a couple flocks of geese moving as well. Was a very calm day( both wind and water )however and that certainly keeps bird movement down. I do not think however we have a lot of ducks in the area. I think all these storms have moved them out.
LOTS of Sea Ducks around if you can get your boat in and out. There is a large group of Eiders using the river daily and there are still some Oldsquaw around and that same small flock of WW Scoter.
Going to be very cold this week so who knows what it will bring? One thing we know is it will bring a lot of ice. Be careful if you head out and good luck.
Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest
Merrimac 01-15-2005 17:29
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 25-30 Degrees – Open Water
Hunted all day today, shot some Old Squaw with my dad, we could have banged out full limits but we were trying for all drakes, saw lots of eider & even a few scoter like Scott said, saw maybe 20 puddlers ALL DAY. Decent diver #’s kicking around, but they were always skirting the spread at 35-40 yards.. Pretty decent goose numbers as well, however I haven’t seen any using the fields in quite a few days now..
Mike
[Edited By Mike F. on 2005-01-15 17:30]
Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest
Merrimack River 01-15-2005 03:46
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Hunted Thursday( 1/13 )during intense fog and saw very few ducks. Figured it was simply they flew out of site. LOTS of geese however could at least be heard flying into the marsh and I managed a lucky shot at a flock flying back into the fog and dropped a nice bird.
Hunted Friday ( 1 /14 )through the flood tide and saw maybe 20 ducks and one flock of geese. Was raining very hard though and in my experience that tends to ground waterfowl not move them like other forms of bad weather.
Going to try again today( Saturday 1/15 )and HOPE that there are still some ducks around. There were good numbers of them last Tuesday( 1/11 )before the storm on Wednesday( 1 /12 ). Just hoping it didn’t push all the ducks out as has happened twice already this season with December storms. AT least the geese are around in good numbers so that helps.
There are a couple hundred+ Eiders and a couple hundred+ Oldsquaws using the river daily. If anyone wants to get after some Sea Ducks now is the time. Even a few WW Scoter around still. A real cold snap is coming next week and I expect the marsh and ramp to ice up as a result. Not sure how much longer there will be boat access?
Remember to be safe out there and to wear your life jacket while running the boat. The water is COLD!
Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest
MassWildlife News 01-14-2005 04:20
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HUNTER EDUCATION COURSES POSTED
Beginners and veteran hunters are reminded that it is never too early to sign up for a Basic Hunter Education course. Basic courses are now being offered in several locations around the state and more will be offered this spring. “Taking a course this winter or early spring will assure you of spring turkey hunting opportunities and a full fall season of hunting experience,” observes MassWildlife Hunter Education Program Coordinator Susan Langlois. “Too many young people and adults fail to consider their options early in the year. We urge them to plan ahead for taking this valuable and necessary instruction, and to look for a course in the spring. Unfortunately, many people wait until the fall when most courses have already begun or have ended.”
The Basic Hunter Education course is approximately 15 hours in length and is scheduled over 5-6 evenings or occasionally on weekends. Students must attend all class dates. Trained volunteer instructors provide information on the safe handling and storage of hunting arms and ammunition, hunting laws and ethics, wildlife identification, wildlife management, care and handling of game and basic survival skills. Upon successful completion of the course, students receive a Certificate of Completion which is acceptable for purchasing a Massachusetts hunting or sporting license and applying for a Firearms Identification Card issued by their local police departments.
Information on course locations and schedules is posted at www.mass.gov/masswildlife under “Education”. Course information may also be obtained by calling the Massachusetts Hunter Education Program at 508/792-7434 or 617/727-3623.
SPORTSMEN’S SHOWS SCHEDULED
Come in out of the cold and start planning your 2005 fishing and hunting experiences at sportsmen’s shows in February. The Eastern Fishing and Outdoor Exposition at the DCU Centre (formerly Centrum Centre) in Worcester will be held February 10-13. The Southeastern Massachusetts Sportsmen’s Show at the Standish Sportsmens Association on Burr Lane in East Bridgewater is scheduled for February 12 and 13. The Springfield Sportsmen’s Show at the Big E will run from February 24-27. MassWildlife will feature hunting and fishing opportunities, information on outdoor skills training sessions, and hunting and fishing license sales. Visit the MassWildlife booth to get answers to your fish and wildlife questions. For details about the Worcester show, visit www.sportshows.com or call 1/800-227-2067. For the Southeastern Sportsmen’s Show information, contact Hugh Hurley at hrhurley@comcast.net or call 508/588-9327. The Springfield Sportsmen’s Show at the Big E will run from February 24-27. For information on the Springfield show, visit www.osegsportsmens.com or call 413/467-2171.
Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest
Merrimack River 01-12-2005 04:21
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The big flood tides and warm weather have done their jobs well. The marshes & boat launches are completly open and basically free of ice( a few iceberg like pieces floating around here and there but of no concern ). Today’s weather( Wednesday 1/12 )is calling for some snow and sleet but then a change to rain and a 40 degree high so it should not do any major damage. Thursday and Friday are due to hit the 50’s before a cold front moves in Saturday.
Unfortunately, the last week of the season will see steadily falling temps so it is possible that we will get iced out before it is over. Looks like the start of the late goose season may mean walk in hunts as well. Can’t complain however as we have had open water pretty late.
Lots of geese around, plenty of Sea Ducks, and looks like a new wave of puddlers and divers has hit. Birds are around for those who are still after them.
Posted By:
krobison
Guest
Plum Island 1/8/2005 01-09-2005 16:52
Cloudy, Accumulating Snow – 25-30 Degrees – Open Water
Hunted PI with Buck Flather and Joe Giere (Joe is a New Jersey WF.Com member) We were anticipating a great hunt with the snow forecast and we were not dissapointed. We all got our BLacks and we managed to drop 2 geese out of a flock of 10. Saw a bunch of Goldeneye and a few mallards, the BLacks were flying all morning. The highlight of the day was when we dropped our first ever banded bird, a nice BLack with a very worn band, I’ll post on the dicussion forum once we get the data back as to the age of the bird. Hope everyone is having a great season. Ken Robison
Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest
01-09-2005 10:57
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Just posed some pics in bag limits & species shots
Posted By:
Tim-Dulkie
Guest
Mass 01-08-2005 16:19
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Went out goose hunting got two limits of geese before 8am ,saw alot, landed a few for good measures and went home . Great central season , know it’s goose TIME!!!!!!!!!
Tim
Posted By:
Dean Smith
Supporting Member
Central Mass 01-08-2005 15:59
– – 25-30 Degrees – Open Water
Well it’s the end of another waterfowl season for this hunter. The ducks finally appeared in some numbers New Years Day. For Sat, Mon.,Tues. and Weds. (1/1-1/5) had more opportunities and bagged more ducks than rest of season. Six ducks all four days, the numbers the same, 4 drake mallards, one black, one merganer. This makes it easier to forget those days in November, sometimes day after day, without taking the safety off once. The storm Thursday, 1/06, drove the birds out just as quickly as they arrived. Just wait till next season.
Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest
Merrimac 01-08-2005 15:34
Arctic Blast – 25-30 Degrees – Open Water
Didn’t shoot at a bird until 11am, after hunting from shooting time. Never shot so many Old Squaw, oh excuse me long tailed ducks in my life. Dad and I shot limits of old Squaw and a pair of blacks. Few mallards seen but high, the ducks were in large flocks set on Joppa. The snow made for an awsome hunt.
Mike
