Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Going on a Hike... Hike Safe.... It's your Responsibility!

Have a great time hiking in New Hampshire's vast wilderness but please prepare properly before you head out!
A. Plan your destination
B. Notify friends and family:
  • of where you are going
  • what trails and mountains you are hiking
  • who is with you
  • how long you expect to be gone (day or multiday)
  • map it out
  • check your gear

For Summer Day Hikes:
The Ten Essentials:
1. Map (Terrain maps can be found online or in many bookstores)
View Larger Map

2. Compass (know how to use it)

3. Warm Clothing:
■ Sweater or Pile Jacket
■ Long Pants (wool or synthetic)
■ Hat (wool)

4. Extra Food and Water (A healthy, average-sized person can produce as much as 32 oz of sweat during per hour of moderate to vigorous exercise.  Trail bars or mix are great for a quick energy boost)

5. Flashlight or (Headlamp so your hands are free)

6. Matches/Firestarters

7. First Aid Kit/Repair Kit

8. Whistle (uses a lot less energy than yelling if lost, and is more apt to be recognized as a sign of distrress)

9. Rain/Wind Jacket and Pants and/or Poncho (Weather can change rapidly)

10. Pocket Knife


Pleasure trip or serious hiker?  Please take the next 8 minutes of your life to watch this video, it could save you a lifetime.  Expect the unexpected and be prepared, the conditions can change very quickly in the New Hampshire Mountains.  You will enjoy your trip more with the peace of mind that you are prepared for what the conditions may throw at you.


"hikeSafe: It's your responsibility" highlights the experiences of three avid hikers and the lessons they have learned in the mountains of New Hampshire. Though the mountains are beautiful -- and hiking can be incredibly fun -- the mountains must also be respected, and hiking must be approached with full understanding of its demands. These hikers share their knowledge, sometimes earned through discomfort and even danger. Whether lost alone on a wilderness trail, buffeted by icy ridgetop gales, or forced to spend an unplanned night out by a raging river, the hikers speak earnestly and candidly so that others may benefit. The hikers stress the hikeSafe responsibility code, which encourages outdoor enthusiasts to be fully prepared for the challenges of the outdoors.


Some quick FACTS:

Three hundred twenty-one incidents involving 457 subjects were analyzed. The mean age of the subjects in the incidents was 35.6 years, with 64.5% men and 35.4% women; 73% of the subjects resided in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. At the time of the incident, 57.3% of the subjects were hiking. Injuries precipitated 39.3% of the rescues, whereas lost and missing persons accounted for 41.4%. Fractures accounted for 33.7% of the reported injuries; 49.7% of the injuries were to the lower extremities. Sixty-four of the subjects (14%) died; 32.8% drowned, and 23.4% died from cardiac events. Volunteers were used in 53.3% of the rescues, a rescuer was injured in 2.5% of the incidents, and at least 36.4% of the subjects were transported to a hospital.


FYI:

Three states besides New Hampshire – Hawaii, Oregon and Maine – have laws allowing agencies to bill for rescues!
$25,000 is the going fine in New Hampshire.


Sunday, June 3, 2012

MLB - BOS Home Run TOP 5TH - TOR 5 BOS 1 - K Shoppach homered to right center.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

NH man returns from climbing Mount Everest

NH man returns from climbing Mount Everest


 Joe Pratt's accomplishment comes at a time when there's renewed concern about hiking Everest. With more and more people attempting the challenging feat, there are now bottlenecks on the most treacherous portions of the mountain.


Two adults and four children rescued near Little Haystack in NH.


click for larger image
Conservation officers from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department responded to the Falling Waters Trail near the summit of Little Haystack Mountain at about 9:15 p.m. Friday to rescue two adults and four children. The hikers were Josie Rogers and Christopher Kangas, of St. Johnsbury, Vermont., and children ages 8, 6, 5 and 2.

This is a very scenic hike but during the wet season should not be hiked without the proper gear. This trail is very wet during the spring and the nights are still very cool. Hiking regardless of weather and even if only going on a day hike should include a change of clothes, dry socks and without a doubt a flashlight or headlamp so your hands can remain free.

Sample video of the trail they were on:











Friday, June 1, 2012

NH Weekly Fishing Report – May 31, 2012

Stocking report: www.fishnh.com/Fishing/Stocking/current.html

FREE FISHING DAY is THIS SATURDAY! - June 2, 2012: http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Newsroom/News_2012/news_2012_Q2/free_fishing_day_041712.html

Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nhfishandgame




><> North Country

June presents an unusual paradox for New Hampshire anglers. The weather is picture perfect, with warm days, cool nights, and plenty of daylight hours in between. The only negative variable in this equation is the insects that spring to life in these conditions. After a particularly successful evening on a trout pond Saturday, I had more black flies stuck in my hair than flies in my fly-box. Mosquitoes dined on my arms while I was tying knots, and landing a fish was a daunting task as I tried to do so while slapping at hungry deer flies.

I suppose that, without insects and their sometimes inconvenient life cycles, fishing may not be the intriguing sport that it is. Mixed in with the no-see-ums are the caddis flies and mayflies that trigger aggressivetrout strikes. For every application of bug spray, there are even doses of dry fly floatant. Biting insects are almost always aquatic at some point in their development and trout have no hesitation eating black fly or mosquito larvae. When they hatch in great densities, a fly-fisherman can be less than perfect when choosing an imitation. Pheasant tail nymphs will resemble an emerging insect closely enough to fool a trout that is gorging itself.

There is no magical time of day when biting insects take a break. An angler is a constant target and, sometimes, the only cure is landing a beautiful fish and forgetting the bugs. – Andy Schafermeyer, Fisheries Biologist

><> Lakes Region

A recent trip on Lake Winnisquam produced a couple small lake trout, it certainly didn’t help that a southeast wind was present that morning. I noticed a great deal of “junk” floating on the lake’s surface, by junk, I mean tree pollen, and flowers from assorted trees. It meant that lines had to be cleaned frequently of this debris. I noticed some male smallmouth bass still sitting on nests; the eggs should be hatching any day now as the lake temperature is near 68 degrees. The flow at Lakeport Dam is approximately 800 cfs (cubic feet per second), and this means there are still good opportunities at fishing the Winnipesaukee River in Laconia, and at Lochmere Dam, at the outlet of Winnisquam.

Fisheries biologists Matt Carpenter and Ben Nugent are nearing the end of stocking river herring into Lake Winnisquam. We will monitor the progress of this species, as the YOY (young-of-the-year) alewives grow throughout the summer and into the fall as they prepare to leave the system on their journey back to the Atlantic Ocean.

Aerial pond stocking will occur the week of June 11. JBI Helicopter Services of Pembroke, NH will again be guiding us across the landscape as we stock fingerling Kennebago strain brook trout into 48 remote, high elevation ponds. Approximately 110,000 fingerlings are stocked in this one-day event. If you have never fished these ponds, you are missing out on some fantastic fishing, in remote, wilderness settings.

Don’t forget that this Saturday, June 2, is free fishing day in New Hampshire. Take advantage of this day with a friend and enjoy the wonderful outdoor opportunities we have here. – Don Miller, Fisheries Biologist

><> Monadnock/Upper Valley

Water temperatures in our local trout ponds are more like mid-June than the end of May. Fishing at Dublin Lake last week showed a surface temperature of 69 degrees! Despite these earlier than normal warm temperatures, reports I have been getting point to good trout fishing.

The Cold and Ashuelot rivers have been stocked heavily with brook, brown and rainbow trout. Anglers are taking notice -- and are also taking home some heavy stringers in the past week. Beard’s Brook in Hillsborough is also producing some nice catches of rainbow and brook trout. Don’t forget about the area where Beard’s Brook and the North Branch meet in Hillsborough by the Chinese restaurant, as this area has always produced a few nice trout for me. Anglers have been having good luck on these streams using Powerbait, worms, and small inline spinners such as Mepps and Rooster Tails.

For ponds, both Gustin (Marlow) and Newell Pond (Alstead) are producing some excellent brook trout, as is Smith Pond (Washington). Whittemore Lake (Bennington) has been giving up some fat rainbow and brook trout as well. A friend of mine relayed to me that the last couple weeks at Willard Pond (Antrim; fly fishing only) have been great. As he put it, “emerging insects, a North wind, and hungry trout make for a great combination on Willard.” There have also been some big smallmouth bass caught in Willard during the past week or so.

Finally, I received a report that anglers are already starting to catch walleye in the Connecticut River by trolling large crankbaits such as Reef Runners. – Gabe Gries, Fisheries Biologist

><> Southeast NH/Merrimack Valley

Anadromous fish species have begun to appear at the fish lift at the Essex Dam in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Already around 100 Atlantic salmon and 5,000 American shad have been counted at the fishway. Once our efforts to transfer river herring to Winnisquam Lake are over, we will begin moving American shad from Lawrence upstream to the Merrimack River in the Boscawen/Concord area. The same principles associated with transferring adult river herring are found with the movement of American shad. The mature adults trapped at lower sections of the Merrimack River will be trucked to more ideal spawning habitat upstream. The adults will leave shortly after spawning, while the hatched juveniles will spend the summer months in this stretch of river before returning to the Atlantic in the early fall. The juveniles will be utilized as a seasonal forage source in the river, benefitting several different sport fishes. – Ben Nugent, Fisheries Biologist

><> Seacoast Area

Well, the groundfishing has been slow this past week, but as the river herring runs slow, stripers are moving back down river and anglers are catching stripers in the Piscataqua and the bay. Mackerel are being brought in by the cooler full, most of these coming from the Piscataqua as well.

Winter flounder have had a really slow season so far, and it doesn’t seem to be picking up. One of our biologists took a flounder trip this past weekend down in Rye Harbor; he fished for 4 hours and only got 1 bite. I guess any day where you get to bring home dinner can be considered successful, even if it is a little disappointing. – Becky Heuss, Marine Biologist

><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>

 "Round 8 Fishing Rod Rack"

FEDERAL AID IN WILDLIFE AND SPORT FISH AND RESTORATION: A User-Pay, User-Benefit Program. Researching and managing fisheries and teaching people about aquatic ecosystems are funded by your license dollars and by the Federal Aid in Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program. Your purchases of fishing equipment and motorboat fuels make a difference to New Hampshire's fisheries. To learn more: http://www.wildnh.com/SFWR_program/sfwr_program.htm.


><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>

LEAVE YOUNG ANIMALS ALONE -- KEEP WILDLIFE WILD

CONCORD, N.H. -- Young wildlife is in the news these days, as two young bear cubs, orphaned when a vehicle collision killed their mother, were caught and taken to a wildlife rehabilitator after days of anxiety about their fate. While this is a heart-warming story, it's worth noting that in most circumstances, if you encounter young wildlife – even young animals that appear to need help – the kindest and safest thing to do is to leave them alone and let nature take its course.

Reports have already begun coming in to Fish and Game and local wildlife rehabilitators from people who have picked up young animals, often mistakenly thinking they are orphans. "Picking up fawns, baby raccoons or young animals is an error in judgment," says Fish and Game Lt. Robert Bryant. "People think they're doing a good deed, but they are often removing the animal from the care of its parents and potentially exposing themselves to the risk of disease. In particular, your actions may result in the animal having to be euthanized for rabies testing."

Young wild animals (including mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians) typically have their best chance of surviving when they are in their own natural environment, says Fish and Game Wildlife Biologist Kent Gustafson. What should you do if you find a young animal? "Give wildlife plenty of space and leave them alone and in the wild, where they belong," he said. If in doubt, report the location of the animal to N.H. Fish and Game by emailing wildlife@wildlife.nh.gov or calling 603-271-2461.

Gustafson explains that seeing a deer fawn alone, for example, does NOT mean that it is orphaned or that it needs your help; it is normal for a doe to leave her fawn alone while she goes off to feed in the early morning and evening hours. In many cases, the doe will not return until nightfall.

"Fawns are not defenseless creatures. Their cryptic coloration, tendency to stay perfectly still and lack of scent are all adaptations that help them survive," Gustafson said. Does are easy for predators to detect because of their size and scent, so they keep a distance from their fawns, except during brief nursing bouts, so that predators don't key in on them. If sympathetic people repeatedly visit a fawn, it only serves to prolong the separation from the doe and delay important feeding.

"This hands-off and keep-your-distance policy also applies to bear cubs and moose calves," Gustafson continued. "It’s also worth noting that sows and cows can and do actively protect their young. In any case, if you're lucky enough to see a deer fawn, bear cub, moose calf or other wild animal, count your blessings and leave the area."

Only qualified people with special rehabilitator permits, issued through N.H. Fish and Game, may take in and care for injured or orphaned wildlife. Improper care of injured or orphaned wildlife often leads to their sickness or death. For example, under NO circumstances should anyone feed a fawn. Improper foods such as cow's milk invariably lead to severe diarrhea (scours), which is usually fatal. Unless you have rehabilitator credentials, it is illegal to have in your possession or take New Hampshire wildlife from the wild and keep it in captivity. For a list of licensed wildlife rehabilitators, go to http://www.wildnh.com/Wildlife/wildlife_rehabbers.htm.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is the guardian of the state's fish, wildlife and marine resources and their habitats. Visit http://www.wildnh.com.


Thursday, May 31, 2012

Bushes humorous return to White House

Published on May 31, 2012 by CNN
Former president George W. Bush and wife Laura Bush bring humor to the unveiling of their official White House portraits





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