Gene Chague | Berkshire Woods and Waters: Outdoors community itching to get back together in person | Sports

Sick of being housebound? Check out these upcoming events.

Many outdoor sports folks want to resume attending banquets, shows, derbies, etc., in spite of the COVID-19 variants that are still around. Sportsmen’s clubs especially want to get their banquets, dinners and derbies going again as they rely heavily on the income derived from them to run their programs, pay their real estate taxes, send kids to camp, etc. Yes, people still like to attend Zoom meetings such as the one listed below, but they prefer to actually get out of the house and attend some of them with their friends. Event organizers are more than happy to accommodate them. Today and in future columns, I will be listing upcoming events. Grab your mask and attend some.

Wildlife tracking presentation

This Tuesday from 6 to 7 p.m., Richard Greene will speak at the Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) Pittsfield Green Drinks meeting via Zoom. He will talk about his experience with wildlife tracking and the many places this passion has taken him.

Greene has studied track and sign, as well as wildlife biology, with Keeping Track, Cybertracker, and Mass Audubon’s Field Naturalist Program. These interests have taken him throughout New England, Canada and South Africa. Although he spends most of his time nowadays at his home in southern Berkshire County, he has also presented many talks on the use of trail cameras in wildlife study.

As part of the discussion, he will present a slide show and narrative from his collection of wintertime track and sign photos. And perhaps even give us some tips and techniques on how to notice and identify wildlife tracks and signs.

Click onto the BEAT website to register to join this event.

Incidentally, Pittsfield Green Drinks is an informal gathering on the third Tuesday of the month. These nights are free and open to everyone with any environmental interest. The drinks aren’t green but the conversations are.

Green Drinks is an international forum where people who work in the environmental field meet for a drink and snacks at informal sessions. There will be a lively mix of people from non-profit organizations, academia, government, business, and the general public. Green Drinks is a great way of catching up with people you know and for making new contacts. These networking events are very simple and unstructured. Due to COVID-19, they are virtual until further notice. Registration is required to join this event.

Marlborough Fly Fishing Show is back

The 2022 FlyFishing Show will take place from Friday Jan. 21 through Sunday Jan. 23 at the Royal Plaza Trade Center, 181 Boston Post Road West, Marlborough, Mass. The hours are: Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

More than 10 demonstrations or audio/visual presentations each hour together with wall-to-wall displays of the newest fly rods, reels, lines, boots, waders, clothing and flies during the three-day mid-winter run.

In addition to tackle, lodges and exotic destinations, show visitors can view continuous fly-tying demonstrations, how-to-do-it seminars and presentations ranging from fly fishing for trout in Yellowstone National Park to Surf Fishing for Striped Bass on Martha’s Vineyard.

Seminars include Introduction to Spey Fishing by Tim Flagler, Salt Water Fishing by Jeff Currier, Nymph Fishing Secret Weapons by Jason Randall, Catching Difficult Trout by Ed Engle and much, much more.

Casting demonstrations are scheduled by Gary Borger, Alan Caolo, Sheila Hassan and others.

Featured fly-tiers include Borger, Caolo, Flagler, Engle, Joe Cordiero, Bob Clouser and others.

The world premier of the 2022 Fly Fishing Film Festival is Friday at 6:30 pm. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Cash-only at the box office, ATM available.

The FlyFishing Show admission is $15 for one day, $25 for two days and $35 for three days. Children under age 5 are free, as are Boy and Girl Scouts under 16 in uniform. Children under 12 are $5. Active military with an ID are $10.

For a complete list of fly-fishing films, classes, seminars, door prizes, demonstrations and more, visit www.flyfishingshow.com/marlborough-ma/ or phone 814-443-3638.

Whitetails Unlimited Banquet

Whitetails Unlimited (WTU) will be holding a banquet on Saturday, Jan. 29 at the Knox Trail Inn, Rte. 23, in East Otis, Mass. Tickets cost $50 for a single and $30 for a spouse, with the ticket order deadline being Jan. 20. There will be games and raffles.

The social hour begins at noon and the dinner at 1:30 pm.

Wow! There’s going to be some terrific prizes, too many to mention here. It’s best to check them out online at whitetailsunlimited.com. Contact Bill Bailey at 413-244-2304 for tickets. First-come first-served. Tickets will not be sold at the door.

WTU’s purpose is to raise funds in support of educational programs, wildlife habitat enhancement and acquisition, and the preservation of shooting sports and hunting tradition for future generations. To date, over $109.9 million has been expended on program services that enhance and foster its mission.

I can tell you from personal knowledge, that the Knox Trail Chapter has provided lots of enjoyable, memorable days for many Berkshire County kids over the years. All the funds they raise don’t go somewhere else.

Incidentally, depending on ice conditions, Knox Trail WTU has scheduled an ice fishing derby on Feb. 5 at Laurel Lake. For more information such as start and weigh-in times, entry cost, etc., contact Bill at the above phone number.

Fishing and Hunting Swap Meet

The Cheshire Rod & Gun Club (CR&G) will be holding its second annual Fishing and Hunting Swap Meet on Saturday, Feb. 5 at its clubhouse at 310 Curran Road, Cheshire. The hours are from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Open to the public, the admission cost is $3 for adults and kids 12-and-under free.

It is an opportunity to buy, sell or trade new and used fishing and hunting gear. No guns, ammunition, household items; unsold items must be removed.

I mention this event somewhat early as time is required to buy table space. Table space is still available at $30, which includes admission for one. To reserve a table, contact Jeff Kruszyna at 413-743-4168.

Staying with the Cheshire Rod & Gun Club, they and the Adams Outdoor For Youth organization have scheduled an ice fishing derby on Sunday, Feb. 20 on the 1st and 2nd Hoosac Lakes in Cheshire. It will run from sunrise until 4 p.m. with weigh-in at the Farnams Causeway. The ticket holder with the heaviest fish wins an Eskimo Quickfish 3 Ice Shelter and an 8-inch K-Drill Auger.

Prizes and refreshments will be at 5 p.m. at the Cheshire R&G Club House. Kids 14-and-under free with adult ticket holder ($10 donation). If cancelled it will only be because of lack of ice.

Important notice for deer hunters

Recently, MassWildlife issued the following notice. If you were fortunate enough to get a deer on Dec. 30 or 31, it may apply to you: “MassWildlife is aware of a technical issue that prevented hunters from reporting deer online at the end of the 2021 primitive firearms season. If you harvested a deer on 12/30 or 12/31 and were unable to report online using the MassFishHunt system, we still need to collect your harvest report. Gathering this information is important for managing deer populations throughout the state.”

To submit this information, you can either: Try to use the MassFishHunt form online to enter your harvest report or call 508-389-6300 during regular business hours and a staff member will take your information over the phone. If you get a voicemail, please leave your full name, customer ID, and a phone number for them to call you back.

If you already reported your harvest in person at a check station or contacted them about this issue, no further action is needed.

MassWildlife apologizes for the inconvenience and appreciates your cooperation. They hope you all had a safe, successful hunting season.

Hey! If any of you ever lived through a “conversion” at work, then you know what MassWildlife is going through right now. Be patient my friends, they’ll work it out.

Stay safe!