Sportsman's Corner: Mahar Fish 'N Game Club celebrates 60 years

Let me begin by wishing everyone a very happy St. Patrick’s Day! It is a very special day for those of us with Irish ancestry, and we are more than willing to share the enjoyment and reveling with everyone else.

This past Thursday, a full house at Mahar Regional School cafeteria enjoyed a feast as the Mahar Fish ’N Game Club celebrated its 60th year with a game supper. The club began its long tenure with a Father ’N Son Banquet when the school opened in 1957, and added female members to the high school club in 1969. Almost 20 years ago, a middle school club was added, and 16 years ago the first game supper was held.

It has evolved into a first-rate meal with appetizers and main course items that are made from moose, venison, bear, pheasant, rabbit, squirrel and various fish. All the meat is donated by local sportsmen and sportswomen, and the kitchen crew is spearheaded by members of the Orange Gun Club. It is delicious and there is always plenty of food — no one goes away hungry.

The club offers door prizes for those attending, and also holds fundraising raffles with the money raised helping to defer costs for a trip some of the high school members have planned for June when they will return to the Boundary Waters Wilderness Canoe Area in Ely, Minn.

Another tradition at Fish ’N Game Club events is conservation awards presented to individuals who have distinguished themselves as supporters of youth conservation efforts. This year, Mike LaFontaine, who is a counselor and fishing instructor at the Massachusetts Junior Conservation Camp, won an award. Mike is a long-time volunteer in the Massachusetts Angler Education Program, and has helped scores of young people get involved in fishing.

A local conservation award recognized the Tully Community Club for its long history of support for young people. The club has held many ice fishing derbies and supported the efforts of other groups involving young people in outdoor activities.

The club also recognizes a member who has demonstrated leadership similar to that of the members who were officers the year the club was formed — this year, club president Haley Jean was given the Founder’s Award. Club member Owen Rich was presented with the Massachusetts Ducks Unlimited Greenwing Award by former Chairman Mike Donnelly.

Joe Judd, longtime turkey hunting enthusiast and well-known presenter on turkey hunting, gave a talk on the wild turkey in Massachusetts, with slides that provided a history of the re-introduction of the wild turkey to Massachusetts after it had been extirpated.

Update on regulatory changes

This past Tuesday, the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board met in Westborough and took up the proposal to add restrictions on dog owners at Massachusetts Wildlife Management Areas. A public hearing on the proposed regulatory changes was held last month with more than 200 people attending. After the hearing, the board took additional written comment, and more than 200 submissions were received and considered.

At the meeting, the staff summarized the public input and also made three recommendations of changes to the proposal. The first would require all persons (including hunters and dog trainers) to immediately collect dog waste within designated parking areas and within 100 feet of designated parking areas, while maintaining the exemption from feces collection/removal for hunters and sporting dog trainers on the wildlife management areas greater than 100 feet from designated parking areas.

In addition, it would add the word “physical” before the word leash to make it clear that virtual or electronic devices would not qualify. The staff also requested that a person may not allow a dog under his control to interfere with any other person’s use or enjoyment of a wildlife management area as the phrase was vague and difficult to enforce.

After voting for the changes, the board unanimously voted to approve the regulations, which would require all dogs to be on a leash at wildlife areas, except those involved in hunting or sporting dog training.

Assistant Director Mark Tisa updated the board on the impact of a back-up generator failure at the Sandwich Hatchery March 2 and 3 during Nor’easter Riley. When the power was lost and the generator failed, hatchery staff and senior staff from Westborough did yeoman’s work in keeping the pumps going and avoiding a major loss of stock at the facility.

Many of the MassWildlife employees left their homes without power and serious issues to work to prevent a catastrophic loss of trout at the hatchery. The entire hatchling population of nearly one-half million fry were saved — that constituted most of the fish for 2019 and 2020 stocking season. The backup generator did ultimately fail, and before the supplier could provide a temporary replacement, there was some mortality, but it was less that 1 percent of the stock, which typically is around 5 percent — above the goal the agency sets for each fishing season. It appears that the extraordinary efforts of the many dedicated employees prevented a major disaster.

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