Today—finally—CT’s small game hunting season opened. The third Saturday at 7:00 a.m. is a yearly ritual for many bird hunters who take to the fields and woodlots for pheasant and grouse, perhaps even a bobwhite. This year it has been a long wait and hearing about other state season openers just increases the anticipation even more. Now CT is not what you would call a pheasant-hunting purist’s destination. But it does offer the locals a chance at pen-raised pheasant. This year the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) purchased 15,857 adult pheasants.
Last year’s count include nearly 1,300 more. Here’s how the budget is determined. The net revenue collected from pheasant hunters in the previous year determines the annual budget. So in 2007 the Pheasant Program was decrease by approximately $8,000 in the net revenue collected from pheasant hunters in 2006. Pile on the usual cost of doing business—fuel and grain costs—plus the increase in the actual pheasant and you can see how SD, ND, IL, KS among others look like paradise to CT’s hell. But there is a silver lining to this dark cloud. Despite the reduction in the number of pheasants stocked, the ratio of pheasants stocked per hunter has actually increased and has been increasing over past years. And so says the DEP:
“…the prospects for pheasant hunting are as good as they have been in several years.”
The DEP has also dropped the permit-required condition to hunt on certain public lands. Obtaining the permit has not difficult but it was annoying. You had to go to certain vendors which provided the permit for specific locations. It was just a matter of fill out a form but it was not one-stop shopping. If wanted to hunt different areas you had to visit different vendors, plus you could only obtain the permit 3 days in advance; another minor prerequisite to hunt in the Nutmeg State. The DEP thought that that the permits would limit the amount of hunting pressure in areas. And it did. It also seems—after looking at the drop in 2006 hunter revenues—many CT hunters traded in their shotguns for compound bows. So, the DEP, in an effort to increase hunting opportunities have remove daily permit restrictions on five areas. You will no longer be required to have a permit for:
- Babcock Pond WMA in Colchester
- Bear Hill WMA in Bozrah
- Goshen WMA in Goshen
- Higganum Meadows WMA in Haddam
- Nathan Hale State Forest in Coventry
Oddly this change is not reflected in the 2007 Field Guide. Previous permit vendors have been notified and signs on the areas have been re-posted with "state-land hunting permitted" posters. The stocking of birds ends on Thanksgiving so if you are a local get out in the field. If you’re out-of-state be thankful we have the Midwest for pheasant hunting opportunities. Oh and if you are wonder how Coop and I made out, our game bag was light today. But there are a few more days left in the season.
MassWildlife’s Landowner Incentive Program is accepting grant applications from October 26 to December 21 of this year from private landowners, sportsmen's clubs, land trusts and non-profit groups interested in improving wildlife habitat on their properties. The state will reimburse landowners up to 75% of the cost of managing lands to improve wildlife habitat. It has been awarding grants since 2005 and in total 7,100 acres have received funding on properties that range from Cape Cod to the Berkshires. If you are landowner or have a rod and gun club it makes cents (sense) to apply. The state goal is to identify and reclaim appropriate sites for management of declining habitats, particularly grasslands, old field and early-successional forests, wetlands, coastal habitats and pine barrens. The wildlife benefits. Landowners benefit. Money does grow on trees in MA, well at least .75 cents on the dollar.
If you haven’t heard about the new 
Word on the street is the Winchester Model 70 is back. Winchester Repeating Arms announced the rifleman’s rifle will continue production in 2008 and it will continue to be American-made. I lament the fact that the barrel won’t be stamped with New Haven, Connecticut, but Columbia, South Carolina, is fine by me. Expect the classic pre-‘64 controlled round feeding, characteristic three-position safety, and improved fit and finish. They’ll ad a bit of enhanced accuracy, too. It will also tout a new M.O.A. trigger system. Should Savage and their 
The Heartland Region Chapter of Pheasants Forever in SD is hosting its first ever Annual Dakota Women of the Outdoors Pheasant Hunt on November 3. The event is limited to 30 spots and is open to women age 12 and older with a valid small game license. This a great opportunity to get your wife, girlfriend, daughter, and/or significant other involved in upland hunting. Some of my fondest waterfowl hunting memories include a lady with two feisty labs in upsate NY. She could cuss like she worked in shipyard and could call mallards all day long. She was darn good hunting whitetals, too. You can register for the hunt at JT Elite Auto in Huron, SD, or call (605) 352-2649.
Clucking and cooing may be sweet sounds to us upland hunting purists, but there are other birds worth mentioning—especially this year—the year when the bald eagle was taken off the endangered species list.
