McClory: Stay off the ice due to warm temperatures

According to the weatherperson, warmer temperatures are expected for the end of the week. I had hoped that we may finally get some fishable ice until I heard temperatures may hit 60 degrees. Can you believe it for the middle of January? What does this mean to an avid outdoorsman? Stay off the ice! The most dangerous conditions of the season are here today. Until we get 4 or 5 days of sub-zero temperatures, I must repeat, stay off the ice. You can still fish, just don’t ice fish. Break out your rod and reel and safely cast to the fish. They are still hungry and will eat your offering whether it is through a hole in the ice or dangling from a bobber. If you are into fly fishing with temperatures around 60?, insect hatches will happen and trout will be on a feeding frenzy.While on the subject of ice fishing, MassWildlife reminds all outdoor enthusiasts, not just ice fishermen, but also cross-country skiers, snowshoers, snowmobilers and hikers to always exercise caution when venturing on or across ice-covered waters. Test the ice frequently as the thickness may vary in areas exposed to the sun, wind, or underwater currents and springs. Clear, blue ice on lakes and ponds is the strongest with a minimum of two inches needed to support a single person. Five inches of clear, blue ice will support a group of people. Ice strength drops significantly, however, if water is flowing underneath or if the ice is permeated with slush or snow. Honeycombed ice, which is created as the surface ice melts, is the most dangerous and should be avoided unless a safe layer of solid ice is found below. If you do end up in the water, don’t panic. Call for help and then extend your arms and kick your legs to help pull your body back up. Act quickly as the air trapped in your winter clothing will initially help keep you buoyant. Roll or crawl away from open water in the direction of the ice that supported your weight before. Get to the nearest source of heat and shelter as quickly as possible to prevent hypothermia.Preliminary reports on the 2012 paraplegic, archery, and shotgun deer season results have been compiled, though some game check stations have yet to report their tallies. During the special three-day deer hunting season for paraplegic hunters, 4 deer were taken. For the archery deer season, an unofficial statewide total of 3,879 deer were checked at game check stations. The Western District office tallied 314 deer while the Connecticut Valley District office reported 408. Central District stations checked 655 deer; Northeast District, 1,190; and Southeast District, 1,312 deer. During the statewide shotgun season, licensed deer hunters checked in an unofficial statewide total of 4,945 deer. The breakdown of the total is: Western District, 638; Connecticut Valley District, 731; Central District, 1,074; Northeast District, 911; and Southeast District, 1,591. In addition to the shotgun season total above, the DCR Quabbin Reservation reported 84 deer taken during their deer hunt. Preliminary muzzleloader season figures will be reported later this winter.A quick closing note about snow skiing. Last weekend we hit the slopes of Sunday River; the conditions were excellent. I’ve got to tell you that as soon as we crossed into Maine, we noticed plenty of snow and the farther north we traveled, the deeper it got. Sunday River has gotten about three and a half feet of natural snow this year and almost every trail on all 8 mountain peaks was open. Unlike the local areas, Maine and New Hampshire do have a lot of snow. Friday afternoon we skied into the evening under the lights and caught first tracks at 6 p.m. until closing. What an experience! Saturday morning we got on one of the only lifts that was open. It was really windy, so a limited number of lifts were open. We caught first tracks for the first 3 runs and it was spectacular. A short break for lunch and, later, an après ski drink and we were back to our condo for dinner at 6, a short swim in the pool