Rhode Island DEM monitoring fish kill in the Seekonk and Providence rivers

Scientists from the Department of Environmental Management are monitoring a large fish kill of adult menhaden in the Seekonk and Providence Rivers. Based on field observations and water quality measurements, the ongoing incident is being caused by low oxygen levels in the bottom waters.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/RI_News.html

Fishing Report July 25 & 26 2015 Massachusetts

This past weekend’s fishing trips entailed a couple of different tactics for fishing where one was live lining live bait and the other was probing the deeper depths with jigs. My son goes to a day camp on a lake and he spends a lot of his time fishing while there. He sees and attempts to catch a number of largemouth bass and has one particular one that has become his goal of catching this summer.

So we loaded his small boat and headed off to this lake and the way that he has been catching them is by using live-bait. We brought a number of minnows along and had set off for his little honey hole in search of the giant that has been haunting him. You are not able to use the camp’s docks when the camp is not being used so we had to position the boat as best as we could so that he was able to make good casts to where he felt the fish was going to be positioned.

We had a decent amount of wind, air temperatures were only in the upper 60’s and the skies were very cloudy. He was casting his bait into an inside corner of the dock and wasn’t long and he had a fish on that dived into the thick lily pads and had popped the hook off. Re-baited and kept working this small area and didn’t take long for getting either the same fish or another fish on but wasn’t able to get a good hookset into that fish.
http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/Fishing_Reports_2015.html

Peregrine Falcon Nesting Cliffs Reopened for Hikers

On August 1, Vermont Fish & Wildlife will reopen the cliffs closed to hiking and access earlier this spring to protect nesting peregrine falcons.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/VT_News.html

Greenfield Lake Boat Ramp Repaired and Open to the Public

The NH Fish and Game Department has completed a major renovation of the boat ramp at Otter Lake in Greenfield, NH.  The ramp and small gravel parking area had been in a state of disrepair including cracked bituminous pavement and scattered concrete slabs leading up to the ramp.  The conditions made launching boats difficult and allowed eroded sediment from the ramp and parking area to enter the lake.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/NH_News.html

KIDS OutDoors page updated at BWS OutDoors

We have updated our KIDS Outdoors page at BackWoods Sportsman OutDoors for the upcoming outdoor education classes offered across New England for July 27 – August 5

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/Kids_OutDoors.html

Women in the Outdoors Event, Aug. 15 at Buck Lake

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department and Vermont chapters of the National Wild Turkey Federation are putting on a one-day “Women in the Outdoors” introductory course on Saturday, August 15 at Buck Lake in Woodbury.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/VT_News.html

Hunters Reminded to Apply for Antlerless Deer Permits

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department reminds hunters they can apply for muzzleloader season antlerless deer permits for use in the December 5-13 muzzleloader season.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/VT_News.html

John Guilmette Fishing Access Area now open for public use

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department today announced that it has completed reconstruction of the John Guilmette Fishing Access Area on Lake Champlain in South Hero and the facility is now open for public use.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/VT_News.html

New Hampshire Newborn Lifetime Combination Hunting and Fishing License Available

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department now offers the best baby gift ever for the outdoors family! The Newborn Lifetime Combination Hunting and Fishing License is now available.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/NH_News.html

Fishing Report July 19 2015 Massachusetts

When we get into the heart of the summer months, the fishing can go either way of hot bites or having to work very hard in finding and catching fish. This past weekend was one that humbled us as anglers as the fish that were caught, had a lot of work behind them getting them to bite and to the boat.

 We started the weekend at a small pond that we had never fished in open water and had heard that there are some nice largemouth bass in there. Getting the car topper boat into the pond was a chore to start the day off as the shorelines are undeveloped and with that hoping that the fishing was going to be worth it.

 After a while of fishing this particular pond, there was no evidence of any sort of structure to be able to concentrate on so we fished around the shoreline weed lines. Casting rattle traps and shallow running crank baits to cover as much water as we could as well as understand the features of the pond and finding actively feeding fish.


http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/Fishing_Reports_2015.html

Updated Hammond Cove Range to Re-Open Under New Rules on Thursday, July 23

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department has completed its upgrades and will be re-opening the Hammond Cove Shooting Range in Hartland, Vermont on Thursday, July 23 at 10:00 a.m.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/VT_News.html

Hot Hold Pond Boat Ramp in Concord, NH, to Close for Repairs

The public boat ramp at Hot Hole Pond in Concord, N.H., will be closed beginning Monday August 3, 2015 for approximately three weeks for repairs and improvements. The project will require closing Hot Hole Pond Road at the ramp location to through-going-traffic.  The ramp is located approximately 0.60 miles west of the four-way intersection of Hot Hole Pond, Shaker Road and Snow Pond Road.  Entering Hot Hole Pond Road from the east (Loudon side), the ramp is located 0.35 miles from the intersection of Hot Hole Road and Shaker Road.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/NH_News.html

Free Workshop on Woodcock and Ruffed Grouse Hunting

Get set for the fall grouse and woodcock season at a free workshop on ruffed grouse and woodcock hunting on Saturday, August 29, 2015, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department's Owl Brook Hunter Education Center in Holderness.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/NH_News.html

Early Migratory Game Bird Seasons Set

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department has finalized the 2015 hunting season dates and bag limits for early season migratory game birds, with no changes in bag limits from last year.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/NH_News.html

Vermont Turkey Brood Survey Starts Aug. 1

Wild turkeys are found throughout most of Vermont, but their reproductive success is monitored annually by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department with a little help from "citizen scientists" who report the number and size of turkey families they see during August. 

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/VT_News.html

KIDS OutDoors page updated at BWS OutDoors

We have updated our KIDS Outdoors page at BackWoods Sportsman OutDoors for the upcoming outdoor education classes offered across New England for July 20 – July 29

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/Kids_OutDoors.html

N.H. Spring Gobbler Season Results

New Hampshire hunters took 4,005 turkeys during the May 2015 season, 2.4% more than last year, according to N.H. Fish and Game Department Turkey Project Biologist Ted Walski. In 2014, spring turkey hunters took a total of 3,911 turkeys.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/NH_News.html

Migratory Bird Hunting Season Regulations Meeting

Will take place at DEEP Marine Headquarters, Old LymeConnecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) today announced that the Migratory Bird Hunting Regulations Meeting will be held from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. on Friday, July 31, 2015, in the rear conference room at the DEEP Marine Headquarters, 333 Ferry Road, Old Lyme.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/CT_News.html

Fishing Report Week July 6 2015 Massachusetts

I am very fortunate for having a family that enjoys camping and also generally we seek out campgrounds that have lake options as well. We had been to this campground last year and our campsite is on the lake and also comes with our own dock. This allows us easy access to the lake for fishing and my son has his Jon boat at the ready at all times.

He has a great passion for fishing at the age of 13 and having his boat right there, he spent almost every minute on the water. If he wasn’t in his boat then he would be standing on the dock fishing and there wasn’t anything else that he wanted to do.

Last year we had concentrated on the bass fishing and we had started this same way this year as we had figured that was the dominant fish. My son’s first outing had changed that as he was searching for bass, he had a crappie take his rattle trap and that had opened the door for a multi species fishing trip.


http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/Fishing_Reports_2015.html

Fishing Report July 4 2015 Massachusetts

Since there was bass fishing yesterday the decision for today was to go for sunfish and crappies on one of our smaller ponds. Having a small boat for this type of fishing opens up a lot more opportunities for us that we aren’t able to get the big boat into.

 

Being this is the fourth of July, the pond was quite a bit busier than it generally is but still big enough that everyone can still spread apart for their fishing. The crappies are a bit harder to find these days as the waters have warmed to the mid 70’s and they are going to be much deeper now and on the move.

 

 

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/Fishing_Reports_2015.html

Vermont Moose Hunting Permit Winners Are Drawn

The winners of Vermont's 2015 moose hunting permits were determined Thursday, July 16, at a lottery drawing in Barre. 

Governor Peter Shumlin, standing alongside Fish & Wildlife Commissioner Louis Porter, started the computer-generated selection process that randomly picked 265 winners from more than 9,500 lottery applicants. 

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/VT_News.html

Fishing Report July 3 2015 Massachusetts

Target Species: Largemouth Bass and Crappies
Location: Northern Massachusetts
Depth: 5’ to 18’
Air Temp: 70-80 degrees
Water Temp: 72-76 degrees
Wind: Variable
Baits: Fluke style plastic/Rapala ScatterRap/Clam Pro Tackle Blade Spoon

 

There are certain lakes that you need to fish during the week as come the weekend the boat traffic does increase dramatically. Today’s venue lake is just one of those and since today was also a holiday acation day during the week, figured that we would give this lake a go.

 

Lake scenario is that over half of this lake is mucky and shallow and the other half they had dredged years ago so that there is varying depths and loads of structure. This lake also is an inner city lake so that being said the water quality is very green/brown coloration with thick shallow weeds.

 

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/Fishing_Reports_2015.html

Lake Sturgeon Sampling Yields Encouraging Results in Vermont

Fisheries staff from the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department are reporting that a total of 17 lake sturgeon were collected during recent sampling activities on several Lake Champlain tributaries, an encouraging sign for the prehistoric, endangered species.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/VT_News.html

Public Hearing Set for Proposed NH 2016 Fishing Rules

A public hearing on proposed New Hampshire freshwater fishing rule changes for 2016 will be held at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, August 5, 2015, at the N.H. Fish and Game Department, 11 Hazen Drive, Concord, N.H.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/NH_News.html

Live VT Moose Lottery Drawing

Join us in person for all the excitement or tune in on Froggy 100.9 to hear us read off ALL the lucky winners’ names.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/VT_News.html

Hoots and Owls Program at Kellogg Environmental Center, Derby CT

Join other owl lovers and find out what each one sounds and looks like at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 18 at the Kellogg Environmental Center, Derby.   The presentation by Education Staff from Kellogg will teach you about these magnificent aerial hunters all the way from an egg to an adult. You will get the chance to make your own owl mask at the end.  All ages are welcome to attend  this free program and registration is not required.  Children must be accompanied by an adult.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/CT_News.html

KIDS OutDoors page updated at BWS OutDoors

We have updated our KIDS Outdoors page at BackWoods Sportsman OutDoors for the upcoming outdoor education classes offered across New England for July 13 – July 22

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/Kids_OutDoors.html

Introduction to Bowhunting Workshop Offered for Women

Women interested in learning how to bowhunt can now sign up for an introductory workshop presented by New Hampshire’s Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) program. The session will take place August 23, 2015, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Owl Brook Hunter Education Center in Holderness, N.H.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/NH_News.html

New Deer Hunting Regulations Effective in 2016

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department says several changes in Vermont's deer hunting regulations will become effective in 2016.  None of the changes will be effective this year.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/VT_News.html

Fishing Report June 27 2015 Massachusetts

Finally the waters are warming nicely and having a surface temperature of mid 70’s gets me excited as the spawn is over and the fish are starting to relate to offshore structure. I am not a big fan of running the shorelines looking for aggressive fish but more of dissecting deep water structure for the bass that I am fishing.

Many of the lakes here in New England have their shorelines pounded on a daily basis and while I was fishing I was watching that unfold from the anglers on this particular lake. Many anglers here either don’t know the deeper structure is here, or, they may not be confident enough to fish these areas. Key to fishing these types of areas is having good electronics that are telling you what is going on at that location and also GPS for keeping you there.

As every season begins, you never know what the weed content is going to be like as they seem to turn over on this lake quite regularly. From this fishing trip I found that this year we will have to deal with the very stringy thin grass that if you work through it too fast, this will gum up your bait and presentation very quickly.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/Fishing_Reports_2015.html

Rhode Island DEM environmental police officers to conduct OPERATION DRY WATER boat patrol June 26 to June 28 to enforce boating under the influence law

Safe boating patrols will be stepped up on June 26 to June 28 in a joint operation conducted by the Department of Environmental Management's Division of Law Enforcement. The effort is part of Operation Dry Water, a coordinated national crackdown on Boating Under the Influence (BUI). It is aimed at reducing the number of alcohol-related and drug-related accidents and fatalities, and making recreational boaters aware of the dangers of alcohol and drug use on the water.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/RI_News.html

New Hampshire's Unit L and M Antlerless Deer Permits Available Soon

Hunters who want the chance to take additional antlerless deer in Wildlife Management Units L and M in southeastern New Hampshire during the fall hunting seasons will soon be able to buy special permits from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. Special permits for Units L and M will be available online and at Fish and Game headquarters in Concord after 9:00 a.m. on July 1, 2015.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/NH_News.html

Maine's Any-Deer Permit Applications Now Available

Applications for 2015 any-deer (antlerless) permit lottery are now available online from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Online applications are due by 11:59 P.M. on August 17, 2015. Paper applications may be submitted in person or by mail no later than 5 P.M. on July 27, 2015. To apply online, visit www.mefishwildlife.com.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/ME_News.html