Commonwealth Conversations: The Great Outdoors

Tree stand safety

Marion Larson

Outreach Coordinator, MassWildlife

View Marion's Bio

During October and November, Bay State archers hunting deer are perched in treestands, waiting for a deer to walk by within range. During the shotgun and black powder deer season in December, some deer hunters will also be found waiting patiently for their quarry in a treestand. Wildlife photographers also take to the trees in hopes of capturing images of elusive wildlife.

This photo was taken during a training workshop I attended for volunteer hunter education instructors. We were learning the safest way to set up different treestands and how to emphasize these safe practices in the courses we teach during the year.

Using a tree stand while photographing/watching wildlife or hunting game is a safe, recreational activity. By using common sense, treestand use by outdoor users will stay that way.

Anyone using a treestand needs to be mindful that falls from treestands can result in serious injuries and sometimes even death. Treestand safety has evolved over the years as new research and statistics become available. According the MassWildlife Hunter Education Program, treestands and placement methods that were once considered to be 'safe' equipment and practices 10 years ago are simply not considered 'safe' today.

Follow the safety tips below from the Hunter Education Program and the Treestand Manufacturers Association (TMA) to avoid becoming an accident statistic!

• ALWAYS wear a Full Body Harness/Fall Arrest System (FAS) meeting TMA Standards even during ascent and descent. Single strap belts and chest harnesses should NOT be used.
• ALWAYS read and follow the manufacturer's warnings and instructions before using the treestand each season. Practice with the treestand at ground level prior to using at elevated positions. Never exceed the weight limit specified by the manufacturer.
• ALWAYS inspect the treestand and the Fall Arrest System for signs of wear or damage before each use.
• ALWAYS practice in your Full Body Harness in the presence of a responsible adult, learning what it feels like to hang suspended in it at ground level.
• ALWAYS attach your Full Body Harness in the manner and method described by the manufacturer.
• ALWAYS hunt with a plan and if possible a buddy. Let others know your exact hunting or photography location, when you plan to return and who is with you.
• ALWAYS carry emergency signal devices such as a cell phone, walkie-talkie, whistle, and flashlight on your person at all times and within reach even if you are suspended in your FAS.
• ALWAYS select the proper tree for use with your treestand. Select a live straight tree that fits within the size limits recommended for your treestand. Use three people to set-up any ladder-type treestand.
• ALWAYS use a haul line to pull up your equipment, bow or unloaded firearm to your treestand once you have reached your desired hunting height.
• ALWAYS know your physical limitations. If you start thinking about how high you are, don't go any higher.
• NEVER use homemade or permanently elevated stands or make modifications to a purchased treestand.
• NEVER hurry!! While climbing with a treestand, make slow, even movements of no more than ten to twelve inches at a time.

Details on the tree stand safety tips.

Take an online Treestand Safety Course! A 15-minute interactive, narrated treestand safety course to learn about the latest Treestand Manufacturers Association's safety standards and guidelines.

Autumn outdoor safety

Marion Larson

Outreach Coordinator, MassWildlife

View Marion's Bio

Fall is a wonderful time to be outdoors with its dazzling colors, crisp air, and wildlife activity galore. Whether your passion is hiking, hunting, fishing, birding, or just taking in the scenery, a few common sense safety reminders will add to your enjoyment during a day in the field.

Know your limits. Don't take off on a long hike, hunt, or bike ride if you're not physically ready.

Always tell someone where you're going and when you expect to return.

Watch the weather. New England weather is notoriously unpredictable. Be ready with extra clothing.

Expect the unexpected. Carrying a pack with a few first aid items, matches, water, pocket knife, cell phone, map, compass, whistle, extra food, and flashlight can help prevent small problems from becoming big ones.

Wear blaze orange for visibility. Whether you're a hunter, hiker, birder or dog walker in rural areas, it's a good idea to wear a cap or vest of highly visible blaze orange clothing while you're enjoying the great outdoors.

Respect the water. Canoeists and kayakers are required to wear life jackets from September 15 to May 15, but all water enthusiasts, especially anglers who wade in larger rivers, would be wise to wear floatation devices now that water and air temperatures are cooling.

Respect other outdoor users. Mountain biking, horseback riding, wildlife watching, hunting, and hiking need not be and are not mutually exclusive activities. Know the hunting seasons and who is likely to be sharing the woods and waters with you. Keep dogs under direct control and respect other outdoor users' rights to enjoy our open spaces.

Finally, licensed hunters are reminded to take the basics of hunter safety to heart. Treat every firearm as it were loaded, keeping the muzzle pointed in a safe direction at all times. Positively identify your target and what lies beyond it.

More wildlife and outdoor safety information and tips.

Hunting Season information.

Family fun outdoors at the Big Moe

Marion Larson

Outreach Coordinator, MassWildlife

View Marion's Bio

This past weekend about 5,000 outdoor enthusiasts gathered in Sturbridge at the Hamilton Rod and Gun Club for the Facts About Wildlife and Nature Society’s (FAWNS) Massachusetts Outdoor Expo. At the expo, known as The Big MOE, participants learned about and tried kayaking, archery, rock climbing, fishing and target shooting. There were live birds of prey and native reptile exhibits and workshops to learn how to identify trees, build a bird box or safely use a tree stand for hunting or photography. MassWildlife’s Peter Mirick, who worked with MassWildlife’s Gary Zima and more than 200 volunteers to put on the event this year, said there was a superb group of reenactments of both eastern and western (tipi) pioneer encampments. There was also mountain biking, geocaching, taxidermy, ice fishing instruction, tomahawk throwing, wild game tasting, and wildlife arts and crafts.

The all-day family celebration of the outdoors and wildlife is in its 14th year and was free, thanks to co-sponsors like the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife, Hamilton Rod and Gun Club, The Weatherby Foundation, Whitetails Unlimited and the Worcester County League of Sportsmen's Clubs. It was a wonderful opportunity for people of all ages to connect with outdoor and wildlife education programs, sporting clubs, and other community pathways to learn more about outdoor activities.

The photos of the angler were taken last weekend by staff wildlife photographer Bill Byrne. Bill also made a photo of the family at the archery station at the 2008 Big MOE.

Bill Byrne’s photos

Join us next year on September 25, 2011 for outdoor and wildlife-related activities at the Big MOE.

FIELD REPORT: Women's turkey hunt

Mary Griffin

Commissioner, Department of Fish and Game (DFG)

View Commissioner Griffin's Bio

At 4:30 a.m. on May 3, I joined nine women and six guides for a turkey hunt in Devens sponsored by MassWildlife’s Becoming an Outdoorswoman (BOW) program. Fueled by coffee and a desire to hit the woods before first light, we met at the South Post of the Reserve Forces Training Area (RFTA) in Devens.

It was a really warm day, even at that very early hour. Every one of the participants saw or heard turkeys that day. I saw a total of seven turkeys during the hunt, including five toms, one jake (a juvenile male) and one hen, and I took my first turkey of the season.

Nancy Cunniff from Mansfield also took a turkey during the hunt (it was her first). We all enjoyed the camaraderie of the group hunt and got to practice our hunting skills with other women with shared interests.

After the hunt ended at noon, we came in from the woods to share lunch and our stories of the day’s adventures in the woods. Participants also saw deer, porcupine, bog turtles, a garter snake, and a coyote chasing a turkey.

Prior to the hunt, all participants had taken a one day class on turkey hunting skills and safety. The BOW program focuses on education for women on outdoor skills including basic fishing, beginning shotgun, kayaking, compass reading, archery, pond and stream adventures, nature photography, martial arts, outdoor and game cooking, edible plants and much more. DFG and MassWildlife appreciate the efforts of the many dedicated volunteers and partners who make the BOW program possible.

The hunt was led by a great group of experienced volunteer hunting guides. Many thanks to MassWildlife board member Bonnie Booth and fellow blogger Ellie Horwitz for organizing the event. Thanks also to Tom Poole helping us to partner with the RFTA for this annual event.

Coming up is a BOW weekend event, June 4-6 in Becket. Over 32 classes are offered over the weekend for women eager to learn new outdoors skills or brush up on existing skills.

Registration information on the June 4-6, 2010 BOW weekend.

Make the Quabbin your great outdoor destination

Jonathan Yeo

Director of Water Supply Protection, Department of Conservation and Recreation

View Jonathan's Bio

Now that residents in eastern Massachusetts are free to drink safely from the faucet again, it could be a great time to go out and take an up-close and personal look at the beautiful place that makes it all possible: the Quabbin Reservoir.

Certainly, the Quabbin is, first and foremost, the source of one of the highest-quality drinking water supplies in the nation. More than 2 million people depend on the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) to deliver that extraordinary water to their homes, and the MWRA does a great job through the transmission, treatment, and distribution system to ensure the best-possible drinking water at the tap. DCR's role, through the Division of Water Supply Protection, is to provide watershed protection across the Quabbin/Ware River/Wachusett system. DCR was recently honored by the American Water Works Association with the most prestigious award for water supply protection in North America, the Exemplary Source Water Protection Award.

The Quabbin is also, however, a wonderful place to walk, hike, bicycle, hunt, fish, and watch the birds. Miles of old roads wind through the watershed, and fishing opportunities - including boat rentals - abound. The Quabbin Visitors Center on Route 9 in Belchertown is open seven days a week and has information and interpretive programs on the history and wildlife of the reservoir and the watershed. One important component of DCR's Visitors Center is to honor and commemorate the sacrifice made in the Quabbin Valley to create the reservoir in the 1930s, and the loss of four towns: Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, and Prescott.

On a clear day, from the top of the Quabbin Observation Tower, it is possible to see Mount Greylock in the Berkshires, Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire, and the city of Hartford in Connecticut.

Quabbin Reservoir Information

MWRA “QuabCam” - Amazing view of the Quabbin Valley in real-time!

New guide available for outdoor enthusiasts

Mary Griffin

Commissioner, Department of Fish and Game (DFG)

View Commissioner Griffin's Bio

MassWildlife has just published the 2010 Massachusetts Fish and Wildlife Guide to Hunting, Fishing, and Trapping.

The guide is chock full of information about permits, licenses and outdoor and wildlife education programs. For budding anglers and hunters, the guide provides information about courses on gun safety, rules for trapping, freshwater fishing, and outdoor ethics.

Are you eager to get out on the 10,000 miles of rivers and streams or 2,800 lakes and ponds for freshwater fishing? The fishing section of the guide provides valuable information for anglers, about bait regulations, catch and release areas and this year’s free fishing weekend scheduled for June 5 and 6. The hunting section provides information about hunting regulations, Massachusetts gun laws, wildlife management zones and check stations. The photo is of me hunting turkey in Athol a couple of years ago.

For K through 12 students, the guide provides information about Project Wild, an environmental education program focused on the study of ecosystems. Features include articles about black bear research, public access to fishing holes, land conservation, and information about how to help stop the spread of invasive aquatic plants and animals.

The 38-page, color publication includes double the content from last year and also comes in a pocket-sized version. The best part is MassWildlife was able to produce this expanded guide at no additional cost to you by pairing with an outside publisher and selling advertising in the printed guide.

Click here to view the online version of the guide or pick up a printed copy at your local MassWildlife offices, town halls, sporting goods stores, or bait and tackle shops that sell sporting, fishing and hunting licenses. Click here for a complete list of hunting and fishing guides.

The Fisheries and Wildlife Board, Director Wayne MacCallum and the staff at MassWildlife worked hard to make this guide informative and accessible. I hope you’ll use it to plan your next outdoor adventure.

FIELD REPORT: Outdoor women on the hunt

Ellie Horwitz

Chief of Information & Education, MassWildlife

View Ellie's Bio

Ellie reported from the MassWildlife-sponsored Becoming an Outdoors Woman deer hunting seminar held on Sunday, December 6, 2009 in Danvers. Click here for more information about the Becoming an Outdoors Woman program.

At 5 am I am checking in 20 women signed up for a deer hunt and 10 expert deer hunters, men and women who have volunteered to guide and teach.

By 6 am everyone heads into the woods. The first glimmers of light are just appearing. I sit at the base of a large white oak tree overlooking a small valley. Just the sort of area deer would like.

Around 7 am I hear things snapping. Squirrels are collecting acorns. This is a good sign, deer like acorns. Aside from noisy squirrels it is silent.

At 8:30 am a shape appears behind my right shoulder. A big doe is eating acorns about 30 yards behind me. Another doe comes into view. There are noises on the hill. More deer? If I turn, they will run. Maybe they will come around the tree. Deer can hear everything. Can they hear my heart pounding? They are undisturbed by my presence. They move behind the tree and I am ready but they do not emerge, trotting off in another direction.

I wait. They may come back. Later I walk quietly through the woods. It is beautiful, silent. I can hear snowflakes falling.

By 5 pm we all gather for dinner and share our stories. Many deer were seen – none taken. This is hunting. It was a great day in the woods.

Deer data

Marion Larson

Outreach Coordinator, MassWildlife

View Marion's Bio

During this first week of shotgun hunting season for deer, MassWildlife biologists and technicians and Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Mary Griffin are peering into jaws, measuring antlers, and checking weights of deer checked in by hunters. This activity is part of a statewide effort to help biologists gain a better understanding of deer population and make recommendations about the number of deer that can be taken by hunters in future years.

How does this work? Deer hunters are required by law to take their deer to a check station where information about the deer is recorded by biologists. This information includes the sex, weight, and age of the deer and the diameter measurements of antlers. Once all the data are collected, MassWildlife Deer Biologist Sonja Christensen crunches the numbers to determine where deer populations are too high, how many deer might be born next year, and how many deer hunting permits should be allocated next year to hunters in various areas across the state.

People often ask me if you can tell a deer’s age by the number of points on its antlers. But points are not a factor in determining age. We look at the teeth and the pattern of wear on those teeth to tell a deer’s age. (Horse owners know this is also how you can tell the age of a horse.) If you visit a check station, you may see a "jaw board” of jaws from deer of different ages. These boards serve as a reference for biologists.

Measurements of antlers are a way to measure the quality of habitat for deer that came from a particular area. Weight and antler growth are indicators of health and, of course, knowing how many males and females have been taken by hunters is useful information to predict future reproduction.

Each year, just before the shotgun season, MassWildlife staff take part in training for deer aging skills. Cleaned jawbones with test numbers written on them litter the table at our office. Biologists and technicians work together on sample jaws before moving on to the test jaws on their own. Pictured above is Sonja helping MassWildlife Forester Jonathan McGrath, who is new to deer aging.

This week I’m working at the check station on Nantucket. Enjoy the fall!

Fabulous fall, be safe

Marion Larson

Outreach Coordinator, MassWildlife

View Marion's Bio

Fall is a fabulous time to be outdoors with its dazzling colors, crisp air and increased wildlife activity. Whenever I’m hiking, birding or hunting, I try to be sure I’m properly prepared. Weather changes in the fall can be quick and extreme, so I’ll tie a windbreaker or fleece top around my waist in case temperatures drop or winds start to pick up. Carrying water (in refillable bottles) is always part of my gear. Now that hunting seasons have opened, I’ll also pull on my blaze orange cap or vest for my weekend jaunt up Mt. Wachusett or short walk in the Westborough Wildlife Management Area. Hunters and other outdoor folks appreciate the safety aspects of visibility! Whatever outdoor activity you choose this fall, taking some simple safety precautions will make for a more enjoyable experience.

Click here for other autumn outdoor safety tips.

What do you do to prepare for an outdoor adventure? What do you take with you?

Enjoy the season!