McClory: The ‘Maine’ event is hunting and conversation up North

I anxiously look forward to this time of year ? deer camp with the guys! For the last 20-plus years, we have headed to Maine in November for the hunting and company. We have our routine and no desire to change. Over the years around the supper table, we talk about the successful hunts of the past and hope for a good season this year. The laughs and good times are just as important as the hunting. So far, deer sightings have been scarce, possibly because there is so much mast crop in the woods, and every day we’ve had to dress for springtime weather! The best days of our season have yet to happen and we haven’t given up yet. Traditionally, we all head north to hunting camp in Maine after a hearty Thanksgiving meal with our families. Friday morning, prior to first light, we hit the woods searching for the mystifying whitetail deer and with a bit of luck we’ll have a few days of typically crisp autumn weather so it truly feels like hunting season!Archers hunting deer in Massachusetts are reminded that the closing date for the archery season is Saturday, Nov. 20, 2009. This year, Thanksgiving falls on a “late” date and the usual 6-week archery deer season, which began on Oct. 12, 2009, ends on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Archers may not hunt deer during Thanksgiving week.Licensed black bear hunters took to the woods of western and central Massachusetts during the September season and emerged with 137 bruins. In Berkshire County, 51 bears were taken; 36 bears in Franklin County; 22 in Hampden County; 29 in Hampshire County; and one in Worcester County. Rifles, muzzleloaders, archery equipment, and certain handguns were permitted during the September season. This is the largest September bear harvest since 2003, when 142 bears were taken by hunters. The second bear season begins Nov. 2 and ends Nov. 21, 2009. Handguns are prohibited during the November season.Opening day for New Hampshire’s regular firearms deer season took place on Nov. 11, 2009, a date anticipated with great enthusiasm by the state’s estimated 60,000 deer hunters. The season runs through Dec. 6 in much of the state, except in Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) A in northern New Hampshire, where it closes Nov. 29, 2009. New Hampshire’s deer herd came through last winter in good shape according to Kent Gustafson, the deer biologist for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. The state’s archery deer kill through Oct. 18, 2009, totaled 1,561, somewhat below last year’s total.Two hunting-related shooting incidents occurred in New Hampshire on Saturday, Oct. 31, the opening day of the state’s muzzleloader season for deer. One was fatal. Both accidents happened because the hunters neglected to unload prior to pulling their weapons up into their tree stand. When you bring a firearm up into a tree stand, the gun must be unloaded ? for muzzleloaders, uncapped ? with the safety on. Also, control the direction of the muzzle of your firearm; know exactly where it’s pointing at all times. I’ll use this as an opportunity to stress how important safety is.Here are some basic reminders to those heading out into the field:-Keep the muzzle of your gun pointed in a safe direction at all times.-Never point a gun at anything you do not intend to shoot, and keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.-Treat every gun as if it were a loaded gun.-Wear an article of hunter orange clothing to alert others of your presence.For hunters climbing into their tree stands:-Wear a safety harness (Fall Arrest System) whenever you’re sitting in, climbing into or out of your tree stand.-Never carry a gun into your stand. Unload it, and bring it up using a secure haul line with the muzzle pointed downwards.-Inspect your tree stand for wear, defects or damage, every time you use it.In closing our column this week, I would like to wish everyone a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.All for now.