Athol Daily News – The Sportsman’s Corner: Dear Santa: A very good boy’s wish list

As you all know, this writer has been a very good boy this year, as always. With Christmas coming, it is time for me to let Santa Claus know what he can be stuffing my stocking with on Dec. 25. Since he must be an avid reader of this column this should suffice as a “letter to Santa.”

With the shotgun deer season on in Massachusetts, the hours of lugging around my 12-gauge Remington 1100 have made me think maybe it is time to downsize. A light 20-gauge slug gun would be nice and a pound or so lighter and still perform the same. In fact, the ballistics and trajectory of a 20-gauge slug are almost identical to the 12 and the energy is only slightly less. Time to go light! Santa, another 1100 would be fine but a Winchester SuperX3 or 4 would also fit the bill nicely. Please make it a rifled barrel as the sabot slugs shoot really well.

Next on the list would be some new Muck boots. The Muck Wetland boots purchased almost 10 years ago have held up well but are showing wear. They are my “go to” footwear for both deer and turkey hunting and are insulated well enough for ice fishing as well. The old ones will probably make a one-way trip to Kansas in April and be packed away to save future room on the flights.

Since we are talking feet, we always include Darn Tough socks on our wish list. They are the best and come with a lifetime guarantee. Last year, I sent four pairs that were at least 10 years old back and got new socks! They are the warmest and most comfortable socks for outdoor and everyday wear and, Santa, you can get them locally at Trail Head in Orange.

With winter cold due anytime, we need to think about ice fishing. An ice fishing pop-up tent would be nice. They are portable and would keep my old bones warm and away from the cold wind and would get me outside (kinda) more this winter.

A “must-have” gift, like every year, is my 2022 Massachusetts sporting license. At this stage of my life, Santa, this one will only set you back for the permits so get the saltwater license as well!

The new MassHuntFish system just went online so you might want to wait a bit and let the bugs and glitches get worked out.

While we are talking about staying warmer, Santa, you could get me a snow cab for my snowblower. When the wind is howling, clearing the driveway gets a bit nippy, so the cab would be a huge comfort upgrade.

Since it is deer season, things related to that endeavor are on my mind. In recent years, trail cameras have become commonplace. Yours truly is old enough to remember when scouting for deer season meant walking around in the woods and reading signs of deer activity. My mentor, Gig Darey, would carry thread with him and string in across deer runs (the trails deer create as they repeatedly travel the same trail) and check it at dawn and then at dusk to see if the trails were being used at night or during daylight hours. He taught me to look for sharp sticks along the runs because if they had deer hair caught on them it was sign of night travel. Today, you buy a trail camera and place it to monitor the deer activity and it is time-stamped. Santa, there are now cell phone compatible trail cameras that send you a message when a deer passes. They are pricey and require a cell phone signal and carrier. But after all, I have been really good!

Maybe you could gift me a stay during bird season at Tim Pond Camps in Eustis, Maine. My first stay there was when I attended the great fly-fishing school they hold each spring and my first French Brittany, Lily, joined me for a stay one October and we found the grouse hunting to be excellent. This year, they were booked up early so you might want to get right on that gift, if you are so inclined.

One final gift idea would be a gift certificate to the Corner Café in Orange. Terry does a great job with breakfast, incredible pastries and lunches so good that we are there all the time. It has become the meeting place and you can also check out what is new at Trail Head as you walk through.

Thanks, Santa! You are a great and generous person. Keep up the great work!

Deer hunting has, as always, been interesting. When we have had a group of hunters, we have moved deer with a number of does sighted but no bucks. Those bucks are outsmarting us to date. One of the group did fill his doe tag with a nice mature doe that should provide good venison.

My solo trail watches at dusk and first light have not been productive. Somehow figuring out where the deer will move through to and from nocturnal feeding has been a puzzle that my feeble mind cannot solve but the solitude is something that brings me peace as day begins and ends. There is still a lot of December left and sooner or later my luck will change.

Mike Roche is a retired teacher who has been involved in conservation and wildlife issues his entire life. He has written the Sportsman’s Corner since 1984 and has served as advisor to the Mahar Fish’N Game Club, Counselor and Director of the Massachusetts Conservation Camp, has been a Massachusetts Hunter Education Instructor for over 40 years and is a licensed New York hunting guide. He can be reached at mikeroche3@msn.com.