Family Fun Abounds In July With Rhode Island Great Outdoors Pursuit

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) today announced the July schedule of events for the state's popular Great Outdoors Pursuit. The public events include guided hikes, an evening walking lecture, and lessons in firearms safety and archery.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

Fishing in New Hampshire -- Try It, You'll Love It!

Are you planning a visit to New Hampshire’s lakes, streams or ponds?  N.H. Fish and Game offers a single-day freshwater fishing license to anglers who want to give New Hampshire angling a try.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

Antlerless Muzzleloader Deer Permit Applications

Vermont’s muzzleloader season antlerless deer hunting permit applications are on Vermont Fish & Wildlife’s website (www.vtfishandwildlife.com), and now printed applications are also available from license agents statewide. 

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

Increased Boat Patrols Set For This Weekend

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) will join partners across the country this weekend for the annual Operation Dry Water campaign – a national crackdown on impaired boating. DEM's Division of Law Enforcement will be conducting increased patrols from Friday – Sunday and monitoring for boaters under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

Boaters Warned about Dangerous Bridge Condition in Hooksett

The NH Fish and Game Department is warning boaters on the Merrimack River near Hooksett to beware of dangerous bridge conditions at the Lilac Bridge, which is to the south of the Department's Lambert Park public boat access facility.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

Post Spawn Bass

Waters are reaching warmer temperatures, finally, and that means the spawning beds are vacated and the shallow waters look like land mines have been set off. These times of the season can be a bit tougher for finding actively biting fish, as they are in the transition mode from spring to summer.

Waters we were recently fishing, the deeper waters of the lake, are very structure-less to say the least and cruising the shorelines, there is high evidence that the spawn is recently over. So with the post spawn happening, what baits would you use for seeking out some of these fish.

http://www.northlandtackle.com/post-spawn-bass

Downings Landing Ramp to Close for Drilling Assessment

The public boat ramp facility known as Downing’s Landing in Alton, NH, which provides access to Alton Bay and Lake Winnipesaukee, will be closed to complete drilling to assess soil depths at the ramp beginning late in the day on Tuesday, July 11, 2017.  The ramp is expected to be closed for one day on July 12 (weather permitting) and will reopen on Wednesday morning, July 13.  If there is significant lightning storm activity on July 12, then drilling activity may extend the closure into Wednesday July 13. An update to confirm the access site reopening once the drilling is complete will be published on the Fish and Game website.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

Watch for Piping Plover Chicks on the Beach in Hampton and Seabrook

If you’re heading to the beach to beat the heat this holiday weekend and beyond, watch for endangered piping plovers raising their young in the sandy coastal beaches and dunes. The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department reports that one plover nest has hatched within the last week, and another is expected to hatch after the Fourth of July weekend.  There are currently 4 unfledged chicks running around on beaches in Hampton and Seabrook.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

Get Set for Summer Fun with a Hike Safe Card

As the Fourth of July weekend and summer sunshine inspires you to get out and hike, bike and paddle New Hampshire’s scenic trails and waterways, the N.H. Fish and Game Department reminds all outdoor enthusiasts that the purchase of a voluntary Hike Safe Card helps support Fish and Game search and rescue capabilities -- and exempts the holder from certain liability for repaying search and rescue costs.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

Unit L and M Antlerless Deer Permits Available in Mid-July

Sales will begin soon for special permits allowing hunters to take additional antlerless deer in Wildlife Management Units L and M in southeastern New Hampshire during the fall hunting seasons. Hunters should note the specific details about the purchasing both of these permits.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

VT Migratory Bird Hunting Seasons Are Announced

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department has announced the 2017-2018 migratory bird hunting season dates and bag limits. 

A printable copy of the regulations can be downloaded from the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department website (www.vtfishandwildlife.com) under “Hunt” – “Waterfowl.” A printed version also will be available from license agents and post offices by late August. 

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

Deadline for 2017 Moose Hunting Lottery is July 3

The deadline to enter the lottery for a 2017 Vermont moose hunting permit is July 3. Applications are available on the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department’s website at www.vtfishandwildlife.com. Printed applications are also available from Vermont license agents. 

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

Public Hearings for Proposed Bear Hunting Changes

Two public hearings have been set by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board to gather input on proposed changes to the state’s bear hunting regulations. Vermont Fish & Wildlife Staff will be present at the hearings. 

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

Waterfowl Hunting Course for Women Offered

Registration is now open for a course for women who want to learn how to get started hunting ducks and geese. The N.H. Becoming an Outdoors-Woman Program (BOW) presents "Duck, Duck, Goose: An introduction to Waterfowl Hunting," on August 12, 2017, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Owl Brook Hunter Education Center, Holderness, N.H.

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IFW Successfully Saves And Restores Arctic Charr Population In Northern Maine Pond

After Arctic charr became perilously close to disappearing from one of the last remaining ponds in Maine, actions by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife have restored the charr population in Big Reed Pond in northern Piscataquis county. This was confirmed last week by IFW fisheries biologists who documented wild, naturally-reproducing Arctic charr at Big Reed Pond.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

Lucky Day for 2017 NH Moose Hunt Permit Winners

The adventure of a lifetime is in store for 51 people who have been offered permits to hunt moose in New Hampshire this October. They are the lucky winners in the state's 30th annual moose hunt lottery drawing, held this morning at New Hampshire Fish and Game Department headquarters in Concord.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

Reel Fun Vermont Expands for 2017

Vermont State Parks and the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department have expanded the popular “Reel Fun Vermont” program for 2017, meaning added fishing opportunities for park visitors statewide. 

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

VT Fish & Wildlife Successfully Relocates Moose from Stowe

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department successfully tranquilized and relocated a young bull moose that had been lingering just outside downtown Stowe for the past several weeks. Vermont state game wardens and the Stowe Police Department had been monitoring the moose’s movements. 

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

Fishing Tips for Kids

Trout Take Flight - to New Hampshire's Remote Ponds

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department completed its annual aerial stocking of remote trout ponds this week. Every year, Fish and Game contracts a helicopter to stock remote ponds, from Sunapee Region to Pittsburg.  During this one-day event, nearly 50 remote ponds are stocked with brook trout fingerlings from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Operated Hatcheries.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

CT DEEP Announces Closure of the Niantic River State Boat Launch In Waterford for Parking Lot Line Striping

Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) today announced that it will be temporarily closing the Niantic River State Boat Launch in Waterford on Thursday, June 15th, 2017 for line striping in the parking lot.  The boat launch will re-open on Friday, June 16th.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

VT F&W Releases Young Bears Back to Wild

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department successfully released several young orphaned bears back into the wild after a short stay with a wildlife rehabilitator. The juvenile bears had shown up malnourished in residential areas earlier this spring. 

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

Moose Permit Lottery is June 17, 2017 at Caribou Wellness Center

The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is pleased to announce that the drawing for Maine’s moose permit lottery will be held on Saturday, June 17, 2017 at the Caribou Wellness Center in Caribou, Maine.

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Reminder - NH Moose Hunt Lottery Drawing Is Friday, June 16, 2017

The annual drawing to select the lucky hunters who will be offered a permit to hunt moose in New Hampshire this fall will be held on Friday, June 16, at 9:00 a.m. at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, 11 Hazen Drive in Concord, N.H. The public and interested media are invited to be on hand to watch the excitement as the names are drawn.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

Give Nesting Loons Space

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is asking boaters and anglers to give loons a hand this summer by enjoying them from a safe distance. 

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

Summer Kayak Programs - Celebrate Summer with a Paddle on Great Bay

The NH Fish and Game Department's Great Bay Discovery Center at 89 Depot Road in Greenland, NH, is offering the following paddling events this summer.

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Keep Wildlife in the Wild

Baby animals are irresistibly cute and cuddly, but Vermont Health and Wildlife officials want you to leave young wild animals in the wild. 

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

Understanding New Waters

One thing that I like to do is fish new waters or totally different types of waters, as there is always something new to learn. New lakes are always fun to fish and try to figure out, but rivers, that is something that I rarely fish, may be the intimidating factor, but something that I really need to focus on.

Our local river system is setup somewhat as pool levels, but the dams are not navigable so they fish as separate types of lakes that may or may not have current. So the stretch below the dam typically is a shallow run and as you get to the downstream dam, the depths will dramatically change.

I have picked one of these sections, that has easy access to and I am going to start learning this stretch by breaking it down into smaller sections. Figuring that this approach won’t have me running up and down the river and concentrating more on learn what each section has to offer.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/reports-1.html

VT F&W Installing Devices on Beaver Dams

To prevent flooding on nearby roads, the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department recently completed several water control devices on beaver dams in Bolton and Richmond. Known as ‘beaver baffles’ these devices confuse beavers by using a large plastic tube to create a hidden breech upstream away from the beavers’ dam. 

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There's Still Room in Free Summer Youth Programs at Owl Brook Hunter Education Center

Free youth day programs are being offered once again this summer at Owl Brook Hunter Education Center in Holderness. These programs give both boys and girls ages 10-15 the chance to learn about shooting sports, bowhunting and other outdoor skills. Sessions will be offered in July and August.  Owl Brook is operated by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. Sessions are free of charge.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

Spring Weather Playing Games

What a crazy spring we have been having this year and that has been messing with the fish as well and making the fishing very interesting. Water temps rise, then heavy rains and cold temps come through and drop those temps back down again.

With the rise and fall of weather, soft plastics fished in the emerging vegetation has been producing a variety of fish. Been fishing an open Nature Jig with the Northland Impulse Core Swimbait and by working this slowly through the vegetation, this has been getting to where the fish have been hiding.

Short hops with the jig, will send the Core Swimbait tail into action as with this little movement, the paddle moves side to side very easily. There are three different sizes of these Swimbaits, 2.5, 3.5 and 4.5 inches in length and the 3.5 has been producing very well on the Bluegill, Crappie, Pickerel and Bass.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/reports-1.html

Residents Help Release Endangered Turtles Back into the Wild

Despite the dreary weather, local residents helped MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program staff release 55 Northern Red-bellied Cooters at Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area in Hanson on Friday, May 27. These turtles are federally and state listed as Endangered.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

1998 Lake Sturgeon Recaptured and Released

Fisheries staff from Vermont Fish & Wildlife received a pleasant surprise recently while completing survey work on Lake Champlain in the form of a 48-year old lake sturgeon that biologists first studied and tagged nearly two decades ago. 

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Maine’s Fish Stocking Program: What It’s All About

We receive lots of questions regarding fish stocking in Maine. Why do we stock? Why don’t we stock more? What species do we stock and why? Why do we stock varying sizes and ages of fish? Read on to learn more about Maine’s fish stocking program.

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Maine Bumble Bee Workshop Still Still Seeking Volunteers In Northern and Downeast Maine

The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is seeking volunteers from the Downeast and Northern areas of Maine to assist in the Maine Bumble Bee Atlas.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

Sign up for NH Becoming an Outdoors-Woman Fall Workshop

Women interested in learning outdoor skills in a beautiful setting can sign up for New Hampshire's fall Becoming an Outdoors-Woman weekend workshop, which will take place September 8-10, 2017, at Rockywold / Deephaven Camps on Squam Lake in Holderness, N.H.  The workshop fee of $335 includes two nights of lodging, plus all meals, instruction and equipment use. Participants must be age 18 or older.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

Public Can Help Slow The Spread Of Gypsy Moth

As campers and other vacationers prepare for their upcoming getaways, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is urging residents to inspect their vehicles and equipment to be sure they are not inadvertently transporting gypsy moth caterpillars to and from other areas.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

VT Summer Free Fishing Day is Saturday, June 10

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is reminding the public that Vermont’s annual, statewide summer Free Fishing Day is set to take place on Saturday, June 10 and will be highlighted by the 17th annual Grand Isle Family Fishing Festival, as well as the opening of the state’s traditional bass fishing season.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

Spring Panfish Tactics

As spring progresses forward, the crappies are wrapping up their ritual and coming right in behind them are the bluegill. The bluegill, inch for inch in size, is one of the hardest fighting freshwater fish with their side digging and unwillingness to giving up.

The sandy shorelines are starting to show the round disk shaped depressions where these fish are preparing to spawn. There may be areas that look like a land mine field went off with so many of these beds visible in the very shallow water.

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

http://www.northlandtackle.com/spring-panfish-tactics

Freshwater Fishing Workshops This Month

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) today announced it is hosting a series of free fishing fly-tying workshops for novice and experienced fly-tiers and a fly-fishing clinic this month.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

NH Moose Hunt Lottery Drawing Is Friday, June 16, 2017

The annual drawing to select the lucky hunters who will be offered a permit to hunt moose in New Hampshire this fall will be held on Friday, June 16, at 9:00 a.m. at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, 11 Hazen Drive in Concord, N.H. The public and interested media are invited to be on hand to watch the excitement as the names are drawn.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

Free Fishing Weekend is June 3 & 4

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is encouraging everyone to get out on Maine’s waters this weekend to take advantage of free fishing days.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/state-news-1.html

Spring Brings Multi Species

Spring is a fun time to be on the water fishing, as many varieties of fish can be caught while fishing the same typical areas. Waters are warming and fish are moving into their spawning ritual, making for a great time to be out there catching them.

Certain bodies of water harbor different species at some different times and after keeping track of these things over the last few years, this allows you to predict what they are doing and where they may be a little bit easier. Busy day planned with 3 bodies of water to fish and fishing for three different fish.

Morning trip; weather has been cool, wet and windy to say the least, water temps are behind a bit compared to normal. Water clarity is very dark and water depths shallow allowing for higher temps compared more than others.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/reports-1.html

Take a Friend Fishing on Free Fishing Day, June 3

Get out that fishing gear and take advantage of New Hampshire's Free Fishing Day, Saturday, June 3, 2017. On Free Fishing Day, you can fish anywhere in New Hampshire -- freshwater or saltwater -- without a fishing license. Both state residents and nonresidents may participate. All other fishing regulations must be followed, including season dates and bag limits.

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Annual Wild Turkey Brood Survey Participate in a Citizen Science Project for CT DEEP

Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) urges residents to keep a tally of all sightings of hen turkeys and poults (young-of-the-year) from June 1 through August 31 as part of the Wildlife Division’s Annual Wild Turkey Brood Survey. Results from this survey allow DEEP biologists to accurately determine turkey productivity and reproductive success by estimating the average number of turkey poults per hen statewide, assessing annual fluctuations in the turkey population, gauging reproductive success each year, and evaluating recruitment of new birds into the fall population.

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