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A little Yankee ingenuity to help you bag that goose MARC FOLCO OPEN SEASON The late goose-hunting season, with its liberal daily bag limits of five Canada geese and 15 snow or blue geese, opens Jan. 19 and will run through Feb. 14. The season is open only in the entire central zone and the north coastal zone (from the Cape Cod Canal north to the New Hampshire border). The late season is closed in the south coastal and Berkshire zones (see Migratory Bird Abstracts for exact boundaries). Hopefully, the recent deep freeze and heavy snows north of us will drive birds from farther inland toward our southeastern area of the central zone. Here, the birds can find open water on the coast and fly short distances to feed in nearby fields along the fringes of the central zone. The geese will be wary, however, as they've been gunned since the early season began in September. Some resident birds have learned where they can feed undisturbed, and they'll be difficult to lure away from these areas, even with the best decoys and calling. If the birds have been feeding in a section of a field that's too close to a road or house to hunt legally, safely and comfortably and they won't come into your spread a few hundred yards away in the middle of the field, it's time for the scarecrow. The scarecrow? Yes, the scarecrow. It's very simple, which is why I thought of it. And it could revolutionize waterfowling. "Why didn't I think of this years ago?" I remarked one day last year after two companions and I hauled our limit of 15 Canadas (total), along with our other gear, across a field at only 8 a.m., thanks to our trusty scarecrow. And unlike other expensive waterfowling tricks on the market, scarecrows cost next to nothing to make. Make a simple cross out of two sticks, fearing strips or pieces of scrap lumber, stick it in the ground, put a blaze orange hunting vest on it, hang an orange cap on the top and behold, a scarecrow. If the ground is frozen, you may have to use a hammer and chisel (or a spike) to make a hole to stick it in. Long before sunrise, on the morning of the hunt, set a scarecrow or two out in the un-huntable area of the field where you found geese feeding during pre-season scouting. Then go to your usual hunting spot and set out your decoys so you'll be settled down come legal shooting hours -- a half hour before sunrise. When the birds begin flying in, which they usually do around 7 a.m., they'll want to land where they're used to feeding, but before they drop in, they'll flare at the sight of the bright orange "man" in their section of the field. Nine times out of 10 you'll be able to call them over to your spread, as you'll appear to be the next best game in town. I told you it was simple. You also can employ the scarecrow by staking it out at the opposite end of a field, even if there are no houses or roads, to force the birds over to your spread. How many times have you had them circle your decoys and then land at the far end of the field, way out of range? Then one of the hunters has to play "bird dog." He leaves the blind, then walks all the way around the field, hoping to get around the geese in order to get them up and flying over the blind where his companions are waiting. More often than not, they fly in the opposite direction. The scarecrow can help. Just a couple of things to keep in mind. Don't put the scarecrow too close to your spread, or they won't come to you either. I've enjoyed great success with my scarecrow just a few hundred yards from the decoys. If you're using the scarecrow to keep birds from landing in another huntable section of a field, make sure you're not imposing on other hunters. You can't call "dibs" on the whole field and put a bunch of scarecrows out in areas where others want to hunt. I think I'll market the idea and call it the "Scaregoose." Say you heard it here first, folks. CATS GO WILD California authorities have told The Outdoor Wire that a mountain lion attacked and critically injured a bicyclist in an Orange County park and may have killed a man whose body was found nearby. Ann Hjelle had been riding with a friend in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park shortly before dusk Thursday when the mountain lion attacked her, said Orange County Fire Capt. Stephen Miller. The lion pounced on her back, grabbed her head and began dragging her, said her friend, Debi Nichols. Nichols said she screamed for help and grabbed Hjelle's legs in a struggle to free her. "He dragged us down ... about 100 yards into the brush and I just kept screaming," she said. "This guy would not let go. He had a hold of her face." Other cyclists in the area threw rocks at the animal until it fled. Hjelle remains in critical condition at Mission Hospital. The 2-year-old male cat, which weighed about 110 pounds, was later shot and killed, and its body was taken to a laboratory for testing, said Steve Martarano, a spokesman for the California Fish and Game Department. After the attack, the body of an unidentified man in his 30s was found at the top of a trail near a bicycle. Authorities weren't sure how long he had been there and couldn't confirm if the man was killed by the mountain lion, but Miller said, "It's pretty obvious that an animal was involved." An autopsy was planned for Friday. This is the second aggressive mountain lion in California since last September. In that incident, an aggressive mountain lion spotted near an equestrian center in San Juan Capistrano was shot and killed, state officials said. California officials estimate that between 4,000 and 6,000 adult lions are roaming that state. Hunting of the big cats was outlawed in California and, as a result, the population is growing steadily, they are losing their fear of humans and lion attacks are increasing. SCUP HEARING The Division of Marine Fisheries will hold a public hearing to discuss Addendum XI to the Scup Interstate Fishery Management Plan on Tuesday evening at 7 at the Holiday Inn at 110 Middle St. in Fairhaven. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's (ASMFC) has approved the addendum, which provides states with a set of management options for the 2004 scup recreational fishery. These include regional or state-specific management programs for the scup fishery; options for developing mode-specific approaches (separate management programs for private anglers and the charter/party boat sector); and the management process establishing conservation equivalency. The ASMFC and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council manage scup jointly and meet each year to establish a commercial quota and recreational harvest limit. Recreational management measures include a combination of bag/size limits and seasonal closures to ensure that the recreational harvest limit is not exceeded. Final action will be taken Jan. 20 and public comment will be accepted until Jan. 16, and should be forwarded to Toni Kerns, Fisheries Management Plan Coordinator, at 1444 Eye St., Sixth Floor, Washington, D.C. 20005; 202-289-6051 (fax) or tkerns@asmfc.org. For more information, contact Toni Kerns at 202-289-6400, ext. 330. ARCHERY SHOOT A 3D archery shoot will be held Jan. 18 at the Wankinquoah Rod and Gun Club in Middleboro with registration from 7 a.m.-noon. There will be classes for any kind of modern or traditional bows, including a new class for crossbows. The shoot will be held regardless of weather conditions and entry is $9 for adults and $5 for youths. Breakfast will be available. The club is located on Pine Street, off Route 28 in Middleboro. For more information, call 508-748-0012. NEXT UP In the next Open Season column: Is Southeastern Massachusetts becoming the big buck capitol of the state? Take a peek at a couple of 200-pound-plus monsters that were taken in the area during the 2003 hunting season. Marc Folco is the Standard Times outdoor writer. E-mail him at openseason1988@aol.com. This story appeared on Page E10 of The Standard-Times on January 11, 2004.
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