Vermont Fishing License Sales Boom During Shutdown

Posted by Wayne G.Barber

Spring is having a hard time this year deciding whether it wants to show up. Winter doesn’t seem to want to relinquish its grip. It’s the age-old Vermont battle of the seasons. A typical day right now sort of goes like this: Winter is at 6am. Spring starts at 10. Summer will be from 12 to 2. Fall starts around 4:30.

Mother Nature’s recent mood swings and snowy tantrums haven’t seemed to deter Vermonters though. We’ve seen an unprecedented surge in fishing participation this spring, with nearly 6,000 more licenses sold through April 20 then what was sold by the same date in 2019.

This isn’t exactly a surprise. It’s well-known the main reason people drift away from fishing is a lack of time. Our lives get busy. School, work and family commitments, kid’s activities … there’s a long list.

But with the current COVID-19 shutdown, Vermonters have found themselves with a lot of unexpected time on their hands, and they’ve come flooding back to fishing. It’s the perfect outlet for these times – a proven, and inexpensive stress-reliever.

My hope is all these lapsed anglers who’ve decided to pick up their rods again this spring after a long absence will realize what they’ve been missing, and remember all the reasons why they loved it so much in the first place. Enjoying our great outdoors, spending quality time with family, catching a fresh meal, all the while helping to fund important fisheries conservation and management work through their license purchases.

Fishing is the ultimate social distancing activity, as Fish & Wildlife staff member Megan Duni shows here fishing the Mad River.If you’re reading this and haven’t gotten out fishing yet this year, don’t worry. The best is yet to come. May is just around the corner, and it’s my favorite month to fish. Stream conditions will improve as the waters finally warm up, pre-spawn bass fishing will be on fire, panfish will start swarming the back bays, marshes and shorelines, walleye will be running, post-spawn pike will be prowling... the opportunities will be endless.

Just remember when you’re fishing, practice good social distancing. For more information visit the department’s COVID-19 and outdoor recreation webpage.

Stay Safe, and Fish On!

—Shawn Good, Fisheries Biologist shawn.good@vermont.gov

Female Wild Turkey taking a break from sitting on her eggs...4-24-2020

Posted by Wayne G. Barber       Photos and Video property of Wayne G. Barber

Wild Turkey Hunting Seasons

2020 Connecticut Hunting and Trapping Guide

Hunters may pursue wild turkeys during three separate seasons: Spring, Fall Archery, and Fall Firearms. A specific license and stamp are required to participate in each season. Spring turkey archery and firearms hunting bag limits and season lengths are not separate; whereas fall archery and fall firearms are separate seasons with their own unique bag limits and season time-frames.

Spring Turkey Season

New regulations have been adopted for the 2020 spring wild turkey hunting season. Hunters may now harvest a total of 5 bearded birds, regardless of property type. Specific state and private land bag limits no longer apply. In addition, spring turkey hunting hours have changed from a noon closure to a sunset closure.

Season Dates

• April 29 - May 30    State Land, Private Land, and Landowner

Bag Limit

• 5 bearded birds (on private land or state land or a combination of both). New Regulation

Hunting Hours: 1/2 hour before sunrise to sunset. New Regulation

License Requirements:

• CT Residents: Firearms hunting license or Small Game and Deer Archery Permit and a Resident Game Bird Conservation Stamp.
• Non-residents: 3-day out-of-state bird hunting license or non-resident firearms hunting license and a Resident Game Bird Conservation Stamp.
• Landowners (who own 10 or more contiguous acres) must obtain a Free Landowner Resident Game Bird Conservation Stamp to hunt wild turkeys on their property. Landowners who wish to hunt on other private land or state land for wild turkeys must purchase the Resident Game Bird Conservation Stamp for $28. There is no additional bag limit for turkeys due to the Free Landowner Resident Game Bird Conservation Stamp.

Legal Firearms: Shotguns, 20 gauge or larger, with #4, 5, 6, 7 1/2 shot, or any combination. Shotguns must not be capable of holding more than 3 shells.

Legal Bows: For the purposes of hunting deer and turkey, legal bows include long, recurved, or compound bows with a minimum draw weight of 40 pounds and crossbows. Mechanical string release devices are permitted. Projectiles coated with any drug, poison or tranquilizing substance are prohibited.

• Crossbows: The use of crossbows for hunting deer, turkey and all other species is permitted. Legal crossbows must have a minimum draw weight of 125 pounds and permanent fixed rifle type stock with a functional mechanical safety device. Adjustable crossbow stocks are permitted, but folding stocks are not. The bolt (arrow) length must be at least 18 inches, excluding the broadhead. Crossbows are considered loaded when fully drawn with a bolt in place. Telescopic sights are permitted.
• Arrowheads: Legal arrowheads for hunting deer and turkey must have at least two blades and must be at least 7/8 inch wide at its widest point. Arrowheads that are designed to open on impact are legal provided they meet the above requirement.

Tagging and Reporting:  Immediately upon harvesting a turkey, complete and sign a Harvest Tag and keep it with the carcass at all times. The Harvest Tag must remain with the turkey until it is cut up for consumption. See Tagging and Reporting Requirements.

Special Conditions:

• State Land Hunting - See Public Hunting Areas for a listing of areas open for spring turkey hunting with a Resident Game Bird Conservation Stamp.
• Private Land Permission - Signed written consent of the landowner on official forms for the current season must be carried while hunting.
• Decoys - Decoys may be used, but live decoys are prohibited.
• Free Landowner Resident Game Bird Conservation Stamp - only available to persons owning 10 or more contiguous acres of land. Additional permits are available for their spouses, lineal descendants, parents, grandparents and siblings. Landowners who wish to hunt on other private land or state land for wild turkeys must purchase the Resident Game Bird Conservation Stamp for $28. The stamp does not allow the harvest of turkeys over the standard 3 bearded bird bag limit.
• Junior Turkey Hunter Training Days - Saturday, April 18, through Saturday, April 25, 2020 (excluding Sunday)

Electric Fencing Offers Protection Against Chicken Predation

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Electric Fencing Offers Protection Against Chicken Predation

UNDERHILL, Vt. – Keeping a small flock of chickens at home to provide eggs and meat has become increasingly popular, but many first-time small-scale poultry farmers are discovering that several species of wildlife like the taste of chicken as much as we do.  The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department urges poultry owners to use electric fencing and follow other precautions to protect their birds from predation.

 

“We have had a dramatic increase this spring in the number of complaints about bears, foxes, raccoons, fisher, coyotes, skunks, and bobcats preying on chickens,” said Colonel Jason Batchelder, Vermont’s chief game warden.  “Many of the calls are coming from people who are new at keeping chickens and who do not provide sufficient protection for their birds.”

 

This problem is especially acute this spring in Underhill, where State Game Warden Jeremy Schmid has responded to several calls regarding a bear breaking into four chicken coops, destroying three of them and killing dozens of chickens as well as ducks, guinea fowl and peacocks. 

 

“Once I received these calls and responded to several complaints, I provided advice about several deterrent options that would be effective for this bear,” said Warden Schmid.  “Our goal is to get homeowners educated on non-lethal options and deterrents.  When these options are implemented, we tend to see a significant decrease in bear incidents.  These homeowners took a strong initiative for non-lethal measures, and it has now been a week with no complaints on this bear damaging coops and killing poultry.”

 

Protecting free-ranging chickens is impossible, so Col. Batchelder urges people to keep their birds contained inside electric net fencing and to make sure any wire fencing is secure.  Use of one-quarter-inch hardware cloth, especially along the bottom of an enclosure will block most small predators.  Weasels can get through a one-inch opening.  The electric netting, however, is good extra protection even outside the wire netting – especially against black bears which are strong enough to break into most unprotected chicken coops.  Several types of electric net fencing are available.  The netting is portable and can easily be used with moveable chicken pens. 

 

Here are additional tips to help keep your chickens safe:

• Apply bacon grease or peanut butter to a spot on the electric fencing as an added deterrent.
• Cover the tops of pens with wire or plastic netting to guard against attacks from avian and climbing predators. 
• Bury galvanized hardware cloth or netting 12 inches deep around the perimeter of the pen to prevent access by digging predators. 
• A motion-activated light to illuminate the coop after dark will discourage some predators.  Motion-activated alarms also can deter them. 
• Store poultry feed in a secure indoor location in tight containers, and only feed poultry the amount that can be consumed in one feeding.

Maine: Game Warden Pilot Locates Stranded Anglers

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Maine: Game Warden Pilot Locates Stranded Anglers 

PARKERTOWN TWP, Maine – Maine Game Warden Chief Pilot Jeff Beach located three missing anglers this morning after the trio had spent last night in their vehicle after it became stuck in the deep snow on the Lincoln Pond Road near Azischos Lake northwest of Rangeley.

Samuel Luebbert, Jessica Haskell, and Chad Mason, all 23-years-old and from Portland, were reported as overdue by family this morning after they had failed to return home and family were unable to reach them by cell phone. The group had traveled to the area for a day of fishing but their four-wheel drive vehicle got stuck on an uplowed portion of the Lincoln Pond Road.

Game wardens and members of Rangeley Police, Franklin Sheriff’s Office, Rangeley Fire and US Border Patrol began searching the area this morning. Warden Chief Pilot Jeff Beach searched from the air and located the vehicle at 11:00 this morning. Game Warden Mike Pierre and four US Border Patrol agents rode snowmobiles and drove one truck into their location and used a winch to free the stuck vehicle. All three were in good health after spending the night in the vehicle, and once unstuck, they were able to drive back to Portland today.

Attached Aerial photo courtesy of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. The stuck vehicle is indicated by red arrow.

New England gun background checks hit record high in March 

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

The FBI shows that the federal government has conducted more background checks in Vermont last month than in any month previously recorded: 7,023.

The last time background checks approached this level was in March 2018, as the Vermont Legislature debated a series of gun control measures that Gov. Phil Scott ultimately signed into law.

That month, the FBI conducted just under 6,200 checks for Vermont gun purchases.

Between August and February, the number of background checks hovered around 3,000 per month.

“People are, for lack of a better word, scared,”  said Trish Jones, who owns Green Mountain Sporting Goods, a gun store in Irasburg.

Last month, her business saw so much demand that it had to start limiting the amount of ammunition it could sell to individual customers. And she said the pandemic has brought many first-time gun owners to her store.
“We’ve seen a lot of people realize that the Second Amendment isn’t just for the hunting rights,” Jones said. “They’re concerned about protecting their families

On Friday, the Scott administration clarified that gun stores can stay open in Vermont during the COVID-19 crisis as long as they “limit in-person transactions.” 

The Agency of Commerce and Community Development recommends they conduct sales curbside or by appointment only, according to the office’s latest guidance. 

The Trump administration said earlier this week that gun shops should be considered “essential” businesses during the COVID-19 crisis. Until Friday, the state has not specifically weighed in on the status of gun stores after it ordered businesses deemed non-essential to shut down in-person operations.

Jones had already started offering curbside sales before the government issued its guidance this week. She said she is still seeing an uptick in business.

On Friday, the Scott administration clarified that gun stores can stay open in Vermont during the COVID-19 crisis as long as they “limit in-person transactions.” 

The Agency of Commerce and Community Development recommends they conduct sales curbside or by appointment only, according to the office’s latest guidance. 

The Trump administration said earlier this week that gun shops should be considered “essential” businesses during the COVID-19 crisis. Until Friday, the state has not specifically weighed in on the status of gun stores after it ordered businesses deemed non-essential to shut down in-person operations.

Jones had already started offering curbside sales before the government issued its guidance this week. She said she is still seeing an uptick in business. 

The FBI’s latest numbers show there has been a surge in gun sales across the country. 

The federal government conducted 3.7 million background checks in March, a 33% increase over February. That’s the most it has logged in a single month since it put its background check database online in 1998, according to Newsweek.

Bill Moore, a lobbyist for the Vermont Traditions Coalition, a gun-rights group, said the same impulse people had to stock up on toilet paper, food and other basic items during the pandemic is what drove them to purchase firearms last month.

“I’m assuming it’s people wanting to feel safe in their homes and secure in defending their families,” Moore said.

“I consider having Band-Aids and aspirin in the cupboard a way to protect your family. I don’t differentiate.”

The increase in sales has caused some gun control activists to call for firearms restrictions. On Friday, the gun control group Moms Demand Action called on Scott to take steps to close what is known as “Charleston Loophole.”

That loophole allows those seeking to buy firearms to receive some weapons before the FBI is able to complete a background check. 

The loophole was what let the shooter in the deadly church shooting in 2015 in Charleston, South Carolina, obtain a weapon.

Under current law, if a check isn’t completed in three days, a firearm can still be sold.

Last week, Rhode Island’s governor signed an executive order giving law enforcement 30 days to complete the background check before a purchase can be made. 

“Our law enforcement agencies, hospitals, and first responders are stretched thin as it is, and they shouldn’t have to worry about more guns in the hands of people who shouldn’t have them,” Seton McIlroy, a volunteer with the group, said in a statement.

Source: Vt. Digger

MAINE REMINDER: ATV trails are CLOSED for mud season!

Posted by Wayne G. Barber  Photos property of Wayne G.Barber


MAINE REMINDER: ATV trails are now CLOSED for mud season!

Please Check on New Hampshire and Vermont Regulations also:

Riding on trails before they open can cause significant damage and cause landowners to close trails to all in the future. Don't do it!

When will the trails open? Conditions around the state are varied and the decision to open trails is managed by the property owner and/or the club or organization who maintains the trail system. Nobody should expect any of the trails to open before May. All signs should have an opening date of May 15 or later. 

Do your part and respect private landowners and ATV clubs by obeying all mud season closure postings.

Thank You!.