| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 1207.1 | BRING YOUR RIOT GEAR | OFSITE::OKEEFE | | Thu Oct 08 1992 10:46 | 16 |
| I believe opening day is Oct. 20. I think grouse opens a week or so
before, I'm not sure of the exact date.
If your planning on going to an area where the state stocks birds, be
sure to bring your riot gear. I went to an area on opening day last
year, Bolton flats, and was amazed at the goings on. The stench of
booze was incredible. DON'T GO ALONE!!!!! If you shoot a bird that some
'opening day' hunter thinks they hit, give it to him. It ain't worth
it.
IMO wait till 10:00am. Their are still birds, but no BUZZARDS.
Good luck
Jim
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| 1207.2 | | ESKIMO::BING | | Thu Oct 08 1992 11:51 | 7 |
|
Jim I went to the Bolton flats at 9a.m. last year too, never got out of
my car. It just wasn't worth it. I live two minutes from there and
only went there a couple times later in the season.
FYI grouse opens the 10th of Oct
Walt
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| 1207.3 | Gave up on the Flats | LEDS::VESESKIS | | Fri Oct 09 1992 09:28 | 28 |
|
I agree with the previous notes. I use to hunt the Flats a lot on
opening day but gave up a couple of years ago. Too many jerks out
there who are either hungover or still hammered. I stopped going after
I seen one guy take about 1/2 dozen #6 pellets in the face. He was
walking towards some other hunters on the other side of a field when a
bird went up coming right at the guy. It was a low flyer so he kept
his sense about taking a shot at eye level. The other yahoos were not
so bright and they opened up taking the other guy out. He was lucky he
didn't catch any in his eyes.
Another time I watched about 10 guys converge on a corner of a corn
field when a bird went up. They all started blazing away. Even after
the bird was hit they kept shooting making mince meat out of it. The
wierd part was when a few of the guys started to fight over what was
left of the bird. There was absolutly nothing worth keeping after
being hit so many times.
We now either hunt there late in the morning or go out to the
Hubbardston WMA where there is more area and less hunters. I only live
about 10 mins. from the Flats but I would rather spend the extra time
and mileage to stay away from that place.
Finally, grouse opens up tomorrow and we are heading out west come
rain or shine. I would rather hunt grouse over pheasants any day.
Just my $.02,
Ken
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| 1207.4 | My advice... | ASABET::POMEROY | Bass'n and Bust'n !! | Fri Oct 09 1992 15:00 | 29 |
| I tried hunting the Flats about 3 years ago and I never left my car.
I got there about 7:30, pulled into the parking lot and rolled down
my window. I just wanted to hear if anything was going on...When all
of a sudden I hear 2-3 shots fired and then "ARE YOU ALRIGHT???" Well
I just left and went elsewhere. I used to hunt the Georgetown area
until I had a run-in 3 times with moron hunters. The 1st was in a
breakfast place at 5:00 a.m. I heard one guy tell another guy about
sound shooting. So I asked him what he meant. Well this is what he
told me..."Sound shooting is when you hear something and turn and shoot
it". I asked him which area he was hunting so I wouldn't go there.
The second one happened in Georgetown also. I was at the top of a
ridge with a friend, both of us all in orange, when 2 shots were fired
up over our heads. We yelled down to the guys who shot, then two more
blasts came over us. We finally ran down the hill after these fools.
We chased them otta the woods. The last one was in Geaorgetown again.
I watched one pheasant go up and about 8-10 people shoot at it. It
looked like one of those hacky-sack balls.
Stay away from Bolton Flats, Georgetown and the Westboro (better known
as little-Vietnam).
I like to hunt the Templeton, Winchendon area. I have never had
problems out there. Lots of nice areas. I am going to hunt my
backyard this year. I just bought a house on 4 acres and it is right
next to a large area of state land in Townsend.
Good Luck....
Kevin
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| 1207.5 | | PCCAD::RICHARDJ | Bluegrass, Music Aged To Purfekchun | Fri Oct 09 1992 17:00 | 7 |
| Most of the management areas are mini-Vietnams. My dog almost got it
a couple years ago. Now I hunt during the week at a secret area that
is stocked. I think pheasant hunting would be better served if you had
to buy a pheasant stamp.
Jim
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| 1207.6 | Grouse on the Grill!!! | KIMBER::STURNER | | Sat Oct 10 1992 03:18 | 28 |
| Grouse opens today and I'm packed and ready to head out after work.
I don't get out till 8am though, bummer. I'll take grouse hunting over
pheasant any day. But I still like pheasant hunting. I pushed a nice
size Partridge at Westboro WMA last monday while going for crows and
grays. I stay away from WMAreas on weekends though. Going to a secret
spot for grouse today.
Walt and Jim, I was at Bolton flats last year also. We went in at
official sunrise time. There was around 40-50 hunters there going in
all at once. We waited about 15 minutes till they spread out a little.
It got a little scary there for a while. I made the mistake of going
into the woods to take a leak. While I was in there I heard about 5
rounds go off less than 50 feet from me on the trail. I ducked behind
a big pine and heard it raining bbs all around me. Then later in the
corn feild I pushed a cock and before I had a beed on the thing around
ten shots went off and the bird exploded. Ended up coming out empty
handed.
I was thinking about hitting the Wesboro WMA this year for opening
day but you say thats just as bad eh? MMM, I was going to go alone too.
Maybe I should blow it off till the 21st. I'm sure there would still be
birds left and not so many hunters.
Dam, a little past 2am and it's pouring!!! Might have to skip
opening day for grouse today...
Good Grouse Luck,
Scott.
|
| 1207.7 | Quabbin Bound!!!!! | OFSITE::OKEEFE | | Sat Oct 10 1992 11:20 | 7 |
| Well I guess we cut up the flats pretty good. There'll probably be
nobody there now,,,,NOT. I think I might try Herald Parker this year.
I know they stock, but haven't heard any WAR stories about it. If
anyone of you have any info/stories it would be appreciated.
Jim
|
| 1207.8 | Come on Dec 4th and 5th... | ESKIMO::BING | | Mon Oct 12 1992 12:17 | 14 |
|
Scott,
there aint no way you'd catch me out at the Westboro WMA on opening
day. I went there on a Thursday morning a couple years ago at 8a.m.
and counted 15 vehicles in the parking lot. I figured at least two guys
in each so I left. I'm sure the rest of you feel like I do, I go hunting
to relax and enjoy myself and if I'm lucky bring something home for the
table. At the BF or WWMA I feel lucky to come home never mind relaxing
or anything. I live 2 minutes from the BF but would rather drive up to
an hour away and hunt an area that is stocked, has grouse and have a great
time without seeing a sea of orange.
Walt
|
| 1207.9 | ex | GIAMEM::LEFEBVRE | I brake for tailgaters | Mon Oct 12 1992 13:57 | 13 |
| Westboro is as bad, if not worse, than Bolton flats. The WMA in Bolton
is a larger area than Westboro. I too, was shot at in Westboro on the
only Saturday I ever hunted there. Haven't been back to either in over
9 years.
Almost punched some guys lights out for stealing my bird at Westboro.
Saw one hunter carrying his dead dog out of the field. Not for the
squeamish.
These places serve a useful purpose. It keeps the deep woods void of
idiots.
Mark.
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| 1207.10 | A differant opinion | JUPITR::NEAL | | Tue Oct 13 1992 10:00 | 12 |
| I am not going to hop on the old bandwagon. I like the WMA's. I do not
hunt Bolton or Westboro, but the WMA's I do hunt are not
"Mini-vietnams", the stench of booze has not passed my way either. I
sure hope that they stay that way. I have been hunting these WMA's for
some time now. On opening day and the first few Saturday's they are
somewhat crowded, but there are plenty wooded areas that most hunters
ignore. From what I read here, it sounds like WMA's should be shut down
because they are a public hazard. I disagree that they are as bad as
the press they are getting in this file. I do like the idea of you all
shying away. They will be even less crowded this year. :-)
Rich
|
| 1207.11 | | DATABS::STORM | | Tue Oct 13 1992 14:56 | 10 |
| Rich, I agree with you. The specific complaints about Bolton and
Westboro shouldn't be generalized to "all WMA's". I'd also like
to point out that I have had some successful and relaxing hunts
at Bolton Flats. The reports earlier in this note are certainly true,
but it's not that way all day everyday. Skip Saturdays and try a late
morning or early afternoon midweek. Or, as another note suggested,
spend more time driving to one of the less congested WMAs.
Mark,
|
| 1207.12 | No Grouse yet, Bummer! | PIPPER::STURNER | | Wed Oct 14 1992 05:03 | 12 |
| Rich and Mark, Most of the storys in this note about the WMAreas are
talking only about opening day for pheasant. I hunt both the flats and
Westboro. My rep #6 story was the only time I had a bad experience
there at Bolton. I still tend to stay away on Saturdays and head out
to public wooded areas where I seldom see other hunters.
Working third shift, "Mid-8am" allows me to hit the WMA during the
weekday mornings when most other hunters are working. More than once
I've had the flats and Westboro all to myself!!!. It would be a sorry
day if the WMA where ever to be shut down.
Scott.
|
| 1207.13 | Try it during the week. | LEDS::VESESKIS | | Wed Oct 14 1992 08:43 | 26 |
|
Though I have had some bad experiences hunting Westboro and BF I
still go there a lot before and after pheasant season. If we do
hunt there during pheasant season it is never on opening day or any
Saturday thereafter. We try to catch it during the week and get an
hour or so before we come into work. It is a great way to start the
day. Also during the off season I go there quite a bit for crow and
grays. Sometimes, like during January and February, we have the whole
place to ourselves. If you really want to hunt pheasants on a Saturday
then check out some of the other WMA's out in western Mass. There is
less people, better scenery and more safety.
Finally, went out for grouse on opening day last Saturday and got
skunked. We only put up one bird but the cover was too thick to get a
clean shot. We decided in the afternoon to get a little trout fishing
in on the Miller's River since it was getting kind of warm trouncing in
the woods for grouse. Right after I got off the dirt road and starting
walking along the edge of the river I put up a grouse. It flew straight
away and would of been a clear and easy shot. It flew only about 30 yds
and gently landed on the ground and I watched it walk away in the
brush. Hmmm, I did have my rod in my hand. Maybe I should of tried a
cast at him.
Up to $.04 now,
Ken
|