McClory: Deer hunters will have a lot of company for a while

For The ItemDid you take a vacation day Monday? If you did, you were probably one of the many people who invaded the woods dressed in hunter orange. It was opening day for the 2007 deer season in Massachusetts. For the next two weeks you’ll be joined, in a quiet way, by many other hunters who will attempt to harvest a deer with a shotgun. As with most openers, the weather was less than desirableIt was pouring rain when our hunting party hit the woods at the crack of dawn. We hunted for that elusive white tail until we were soaked to the bone; our Gore-Tex rain gear got a real workout, and at the end of the day we had no luck. We’ll try again on Saturday when the weekenders will be out in the woods to help us get them moving.Because the deer season in Maine ended just in time for Massachusetts’ season to begin, Sunday was our day to travel home, shower, shave, wash the clothes, kiss the kids and wife, and head off to chase more deer in our home state! Oh, yes, and don’t forget if you are not successful during the shotgun season the mussel loader season opens on Monday December 10 and runs until the end of the year !uNew Hampshire’s 2007 moose season was a success, with preliminary figures showing that hunters took about 479 moose. With approximately 675 permits issued, this represents a statewide success rate of 71 percent.About 70 percent of the harvest was bulls, which is typical, according to Kristine Rines, Moose Project Leader for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. In 2006, by comparison, hunters took 449 moose for a statewide success rate of 67 percent.uThere are lots of deer in the woods this fall for New Hampshire hunters, according to early reports from the archery deer season.”Deer hunting this fall is definitely providing some excellent opportunities!” said Kent Gustafson, Fish and Game Deer Project Leader. The deer harvest through October 21 was the highest in at least nine years, with most counties showing significant increases. Archery deer hunters had taken 2,406 at this point in the season. The archery deer season continues through December 15 (December 8 in WMU A). Deer survival last winter was good, as was fawn production and survival last spring.uA total of seven deer were taken by paraplegic sportsmen participating in this special three day deer hunt conducted by MassWildlife and volunteers in Belchertown, Devens, Williamstown, and Mount Washington. Twenty six paraplegic hunters participated, harvesting 4 adult bucks, 2 does, and 1 button buck for an overall success rate of 27%.”This year proved to be another successful hunt” said Trina Moruzzi, Hunt Coordinator. “The hunt again would not be possible without the assistance of the many volunteers, Environmental Police Officers and Quabbin rangers who help with placement of hunters and retrieval of downed deer.” Almost everyone saw deer.uMassachusetts hunters who hunt cervids (deer, elk, and moose) in New York, or other states and Canadian provinces where chronic wasting disease (CWD) is found, are reminded that they can bring back only deboned meat, cleaned skull caps, hides without the head, or a fixed taxidermy mount. It is illegal for anyone to import, process, or possess whole carcasses or parts of cervids from wild or captive herds. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a contagious neurological disease that is fatal to deer, elk, and moose. Help keep Massachusetts deer and moose CWD-free – it’s the law.