Occasionally, as this writer sits down each week to pen my weekly rant, there are several topics which will come to mind. This is one of those weeks and instead of going into any depth on these topics, each will be touched upon.

The first was one inspired by the seasonal focus on getting one’s boat ready for the season. For a majority of recreational boaters, Memorial Day is the start of the season. Quabbin boat fishermen needed to be ready for the opener on the third Saturday of April, so they had to get boats seaworthy early and all needed to make sure they had the boat inspected and sealed for use at Quabbin. There are two ways to seal the boat. One is Cold Weather Quarantine where the boat is left outside for the winter and freezing temperatures and dry conditions kill any and all aquatic invasive species. You then make an appointment with the MDC and get it inspected and the seal is attached for free. The other means is the Boat Decontamination program where hot water is used to clean the boat at authorized locations at appointed dates. We are fortunate to have a local location at the House of Wax in Orange. The cost is $60.

What triggered my interest is preparation for my trip to Maine in June. My wife and I are renting a place with her twin sister Pam and brother-in-law Norm McDade when the boys will fish, and the girls prowl around places they remember from visiting their grandparents in Augusta while growing up. Since we will be trailering my boat, a Preserve Maine Waters sticker, with a non-resident fee of $59, will be required. The fee goes to Maine’s efforts to fight invasive species in the state’s freshwater resources.

Other boat-related notes would include that although the mandatory life jacket period in canoes and kayaks from Oct. 15 to May 15 has passed, life jackets are required for those under age 12, riding a personal watercraft, waterskiing or riding an inflatable behind a boat or using a stand-up paddleboard. As previously reported here, the Massachusetts motor boating law will change on April 1, 2026, and will require all motorized boat operators to have completed a state-approved boating education course. If you were born after Jan. 1, 1989, you need to take the course by April 1, 2026, and if you were born on or before Jan. 1, 1989, you have until April 1, 2028. The free course is available online.

After taking in my bird feeders, it was my belief that the bear that had been checking out my yard would not be an issue, but he emptied my hummingbird feeder this week! That was a new one for me, but the feeder now comes in when the dogs are let out for the last time each evening. The smaller black pest, black gnats, black flies or buffalo gnats (it does not matter what you call them they are still a pain!) are very plentiful after the heavy rains we recently endured. Plenty of clean water for them to proliferate.

After two years, my efforts to attract a mating pair of bluebirds seem to have succeeded and the pair are regularly entering one of the bluebird houses erected last year. Hopefully they will successfully produce fledglings. After the money invested in the houses and mealworms, it will be nice to see results. The other yard birds are doing well without the feeders and hopefully the wet cold weather has not been an issue.

My turkey hunting effort to fill my second tag, and my plan to hunt turkeys in New Hampshire on Sundays never really materialized. What yours truly is seeing is evidence that hens are nesting as single toms and even pairs and a trio of longbeards have been seen out prowling during mid-mornings. My friend and turkey aficionado Steve Hickoff showed me wing bones from a gobbler he took that he is preparing to use to make a wing bone call. Dating back to Native Americans, the first record of use of wing bone call dates back 4,000 years, according to the North American Wild Turkey Museum! The Massachusetts season concludes on May 24.

Most local stocked trout waters have received multiple stockings at this point and the fishing is as good as it gets. Word also has been received here that black crappie (AKA calico bass or crappie) are moving into the shallows to get ready for spawning season. The smaller males come in first followed by the larger females. The big ones are great eating and really fun to catch! Bass, both largemouth and smallmouth, are right behind them and males are cruising the shallows and using their tails to carve our redds, sometimes referred to as fish beds, in favored spots with sandy bottom hoping to attract a female. This is a great time to catch a really big bass but most fishermen return them to the water so the circle of life can continue.

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Finally, my hat is off to the great staff at Athol Memorial Hospital’s Rehab unit. Thank you to those who have inquired about my status and thanks to their great work and advice, my shoulder is showing steady improvement. My range of motion is increasing, and the discomfort level is decreasing. My goal of being fully functional for my trip to Lakewood camps in the Rangeley, Maine region is on schedule!

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, former Connecticut Valley District representative on the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board, a Massachusetts Hunter Education Instructor and is a licensed New York hunting guide. He can be reached at mikeroche3@msn.com.