Quabbin Deer Hunt

2011 Quabbin Hunt Begins

2011-12-01T19:47:00.001-05:00

Quabbin Deer Hunt 2011

The Pelham and Prescott blocks were hunted in the first segment of the 2011 Quabbin Controlled Deer Hunt. Opening day of the hunt hunters brought 19 deer into the Pelham DCR Deer Check Station while at the Prescott Deer Check Station 15 deer were recorded before nightfall.
Over the next few days we will add examples of some of the deer taken in this years hunt. Plus additional photos of interest taken during the hunt period. Thanks to all Hunters, DCR staff and volunteers who work together to provide a safe and effective hunt.

The Pelham Hunt began
21 Deer Taken in the 2-day Hunt

Marc Colcombe 198 lb 6 pointer

Frank Mancini of Webster with a 180 lb 6 pointer

Michael Graham and son of Ludlow

with a 171 lb 8 pointer

Christopher Pawlikowski with his 135 pound, 10 point buck

Leonard Ferst of Westfield Ma with a 112 lb 6 pointer

Rich Persson from Ludlow Ma with a 107 lb 6 pointer

The Prescott Hunt started slowly
19 deer taken in the 2-day hunt

Allen Donofrio of Chicopee with his 176 lb 8 pointer

DCR Wildlife Technician, Jillian Pereira, collects biological data from Allen Donofrio's nice buck

DCR staff with a special delivery from Thurston Brook

Thomas Clark of Ware with his 1.5 year old buck

Tyler Goodfield with his 3.5 year old, 127 pound doe

Paul Loranger from Grandby, Ma with his 1.5 year old 4 point buck

Kevin Benoit from Chicopee, Ma with 2.5 year old doe 132 lbs

Prescott Moose Survey Staff - L to R: Jim French, Billy Fregeau and Dave Wattles

DCR's Doug Stafford manning the Prescott Check Station

Week 2

Petersham started off well but ended with an unusually quiet second day

24 Deer Taken on day one but 0 on the second day

Robert McNeil and his 2.5 year old 139 pound 8 point buck

Sean Keenan with his 3.5 year old, 147 pound 9 point buck

L to R: Randy Horne, Jason Lichtenberger and Dana Cooley

Record numbers of deer were not taken at New Salem this year but a record number of moose

sightings were collected!

9 Deer Taken on the 2-day Hunt

Walter Sheridan too this 3.5 year old, 142 pound, 9 point buck

William Carroll with his 1.5 year old, 114 pound, 6 point buck

Robert Menko with his 110 pound doe

2010 Quabbin Controlled Deer Hunt Petersham and Hardwick

2010-12-12T10:20:00.001-05:00

The second part of the 2010 Quabbin controlled deer hunt went smoothly in spite of the near zero degree temperatures greeting hunters and staff alike. 32 deer were taken in Petersham an 24 were taken in the much smaller Hardwick section.

George Rooks of East Longmeadow with friends and the 3 point 134 pound buck

Paul Banus of Chicopee with his 136 pound 4 pointer

Shawn Couture of Phillipston with his 6 point 97.5 pound buck

MDFW State Deer Project Leader Sonja Christianson assists Dan Clark DCR Natural Resource Director
gather biological information on this handsome buck

Steve Villemaire of Chicopee with his 9 point 178 pound buck

Norman Sorrell of Ludlow with this fine 8 pointer

Steve Keenan of Littleton with his 160 pound 7 pointer

Tom Korzec of Springfield with an 8 Pointer

Many does were taken at both the Hardwick and Petersham hunts.
Here Tom Ferry of Dighton and Jason Pachoco of Springfield bring their deer in to the check station

As usual I didn't get to see all the deer. I thank the DCR team of biologists for taking many of the pictures and to all the staff for making our hunt safe and efficient...

2010 Quabbin Deer Hunt Begins

2010-12-02T21:37:00.053-05:00

The first 2-day segment of the 2010 Quabbin Controlled deer hunt successfully removed 60 deer from the watershed. Thanks to the more than 500 hunters, DCR staff, EPO's and our Moose survey volunteers who safely covered the 16,000 acres of the Prescott and New Salem blocks of the Quabbin Watershed.

Bernard Palmer Williston Vt Doe

Large buck on the scale, always a crowd pleaser

Eugene Strunjo Orange Ma 4 pointer

James Haggerty Easthampton Ma 135lb 8 point buck

DCR Biologist taking antler measurements on this fine buck in New Salem

Joseph Page Holyoke 5 point 183 lb buck

Mike Corenzo Easthampton 9 pointer

Paul Correngar Granby 7 pointer Prescott

Roland Matthews and friend of Athol Ma

Williams Brothers from Belchertown Ma a nice doe and Steves 8 pointer

Phillip Johnson Northboro Ma 8 point 141 lb buck

Alan Young Belchertown Ma 8 pointer

Frank Marz of New Salem began the 2010 Quabbin Season with this fine 9 point 197.5 lb buck taken in the opening ours of the New Salem section of the hunt.

Stay tuned, more to follow after some sorting... Thanks to all who help make this another safe and successful day of hunting...

Guest Blog By entomologist Eric Eaton

2010-01-06T23:12:00.000-05:00

Deer Ked

I volunteered to do a guest blog for my good friend Dave Small after he sent me an e-mail inquiring whether I might know the identity of an insect in an image he attached with his message. I didn’t quite understand the story at first, like why two hunters were involved, and why the insect was adhered to hard candy. The image was clear enough, though, that I could tell what the creature was, and that this was not a tall tale evolved from heavy drinking.

Deer Ked

Found by local deer hunters saved on hard candy

Deer and related animals play host to a variety of parasitic invertebrates, including the familiar, slow-moving ticks. Such blood-feeding creatures are quick to abandon a deceased host, however, and so animals harvested during the hunt often yield some strange, living cargo during inspection and dressing. The specimen discovered by these hunters is an insect known as a “louse fly,” among the most peculiar of insect parasites.

They are much more nimble than ticks, dodging attempts to catch them as they skirt through a host’s fur. Their flattened shape, top to bottom, and talon-like claws enhance their ability to slip between hairs and grip the hide of the host, avoiding licking and biting efforts to dislodge them.

Members of the fly family Hippoboscidae, most known louse flies are actually parasites of birds. The most infamous member of the family, though, is the “sheep ked,” well-known at least to those who manage flocks of ovine livestock. The adult flies are wingless, but find each other easily for mating when the host animals crowd together

Back to the specimen the hunters found, and collected by sticking it with a piece of hard candy. That would probably be a “deer ked,” Lipoptena cervi. Here is a terrific image of a related Lipoptena depressa from northern California. Both species have a life history that is typical of the entire family of louse flies, but truly mind-blowing compared to other insects

Female louse flies do not lay eggs. They grow one offspring at a time, within their bodies, much like mammals. A single larva develops inside the equivalent of a uterus, feeding from a “milk” gland. When mature, it is “born alive,” dropping to the ground where it immediately buries itself and pupates. An adult fly emerges weeks later. Deer ked are winged, at least initially, but females that have found a host will break off their wings, the better to maneuver through the dense, coarse hair of their host.

While keds are known to transmit certain diseases from host to host, they are for the most part not economically important. Consequently, little is known about them. Kudos to our hunter friends for bringing this one into the spotlight.

Thanks Eric for answering the Identification question... A pretty interesting life history... To read more insect related stories see Erics Blog on Blogspot. Thanks to Bill Rose and the staff at Vegetation Control Service for capturing this neat insect and passing it along. For the record I do not know the flavor of the hard candy.. nor will I seek to find out... DHS

dave@dhsmall.net

http://www.pbase.com/dhsmall

Hardwick Hunt December 11 and 12

2009-12-20T14:30:00.003-05:00

The Hardwick Hunt went very well this year with 51 deer harvested. Like Petersham great hunting conditions pushed the numbers higher than usual. Unfortunately I did not get a chance to even get into the Hardwick zone as the Petersham hunters kept us hopping. I don't have the weights of the individual images I have but feel free to update any information in then comments at the end of the post. I've included an image and letter received from one very successful family of hunters. Thanks Chris for sharing your story

Picture from left to right: Andrea Przybyla (sister), Ted Pawlikowski (Father), Jarek Przybyla (Brother-in-Law) and I, Christoher M. Pawlikowski.

Good Morning,
Just wanted to drop a line and a couple of pictures from the Hardwick hunt of 2009.
We have been hunting Quabbin since 1998 and have taken approx. 19 deer. This year we have the best hunt ever. I shot a 155lbs. 8 pt. at 7am, my father, Ted was next with his 8pt. 135lbs. at 8:30, around 9am my brother-in-law, Jarek shot a 8pt. 136lbs. and at 12:30pm my sister Andrea finished the day with a 110lbs. spikehorn. What a great day. The following day we finished the Quabbin hunt with my cousin Dan harvesting a 112lbs. doe and I finished my season with a 101lb. 4pt.
I'd like to extend our gratitude to those who make these hunts successful. From the biologists, managers, wardens, rangers, to the DCR workers that make sure everybody is safe. They're friendly and familiar faces always there trying to help if there's every a problem. (Trust me, we've had one swimmer)
While we as hunters only see the end product, it has always been like a second "Opening Day" for this family of hunters and we know that it's not just a two day hunt that takes a month to plan.

Thank you and Seasons Greetings.

Sincerely,

Christopher M. Pawlikowski
Chicopee Ma.

A few more images from the Hardwick Hunt

Brian Kubaska Ipswich Ma 8 Pointer

Connor Maloney Springfield Ma

Thomas Motyka Ware Ma 8 pointer

Prescott Hunt December 3rd and 4th

2009-12-15T21:44:00.000-05:00

The Prescott hunt was December 3rd and 4th and highlighted by pouring rain in the early morning checkin Thursday, followed by a violent wind event about 8:30 AM and developing into a beautiful 6o+ degree couple of days of hunting. The morning winds caused a tree branch to crash into a utility pole, toppled a transformer, closing the hunt access road for the day. Thanks to DCR Staff for quick shuffling of the exit route minimizing the impact on the hunting experience. Unfortunately the wind also toppled a tree whihc broke the windshield of a hunters vehicle, 2 vehicles required towing and another hunter is recovering from a dislocated shoulder... An eventful hunt for staff and participants. The hunters pulled through it all with 46 deer taken in a fine hunt.

DCR Biologist Kiana Koenen works the Prescott Deer Check Station

Jacob Poirer with his 10 pt 176 lb buck

David Robertson with 9 point 169 lb buck

Dennis and Matthew Letendre with 99 & 109 lb does

Yvon Torgeon 7 point 136 lb buck

Joe Dussault 8 point 159 lb buck

Penny Corliss 133 lb doe

Moose Survey at the Quabbin Hunt

2009-12-15T06:41:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Bruce Leduc for sending in these images of Moose taken during the Pelham scouting weekend. There has been a lot of interest in the state about the growing Moose population and Quabbin staff and UMass researchers have been aggressively studying this population. UMass scientists have radio colored dozens of adult Moose (both male and female) in Quabbin and around the state. These collars record the animals location by gps every 1 to 2 hours and run for about 11 months gathering thousands of data points which can be downloaded by researchers. This information tells us how the Moose are spending their time, what forest types they are using, and how many time they cross busy highways.

DCR and UMass staff are very happy with the enthusiastic cooperation in our first day of hunt Moose surveys. Your continued cooperation will provide valuable data that is not found in any other hunted area. We will post results when the hundreds of sightings and descriptions are analyzed... Thanks again for being a part of this survey.

Please send in other Moose, Bear, Bobcat images from the hunt if you have them

Pelham Section Hunt December 3 and 4 2009

2009-12-15T06:20:00.000-05:00

The Pelham hunt took place December 3rd and 4th in balmy 60 degree weather. 19 deer were taken from this area. Pelham is traditionally difficult to hunt with a long linear area with lots of heavy cover. Thanks to DCR Biologist Ken MacKenzie for providing these images from the Pelham deer check station.

December 3, 2009

Ray LaBarre 135.5 lb 9 point

Melissa Salls 103.5 lb doe

Rene Boudreau 106.5 Spikehorn
First Quabbin Deer after many hunts

Carl Lehberger 181.5 lb 9 points

David Gregoire 129.5 lb Doe
First deer ever taken

Day 2 December 4, 2009

Ted Drobiac 137lb 8 pointer

Petersham section of the Hunt did quite well - Page 1

2009-12-12T15:58:00.001-05:00

This is Kimberly Genereux and her 8 point 123 lb Buck

Bruce Spinney III with his 131 lb 8 pointer

John Siano with his 109 lb 8 Pointer

Richard "Dana" Cooley with his 195lb 10 pointer

Dana's son Adam responded the next day with a 9 pointer

Adam Cooley with his 9 pointer

Stay tuned more to follow

Petersham and Hardwick hunts off to a great start

2009-12-11T06:35:00.000-05:00

The second round of the Quabbin Hunt found near perfect hunting conditions and an enthusiastic group of hunters. 51 deer were taken in the Hardwick and 85 in the Petersham section with the largest a 195 pound 10 point buck taken by Richard "Dana" Cooley not far from his family's ancestrial farm in the former town of Dana.

More to follow in the next couple of days
The old site of imagees is still available at:
http://www.dhsmall.net/2008Quabbinhunt.htm