Milford Township
Fish, Game, and Forestry Association


The Straight Shooter

News

Presidents Column -- April/May 2011  

George D. Honeywell

Turkey season starts on Saturday April 30 please use caution and common sense while in the woods calling or moving.

It is now legal to kill Porcupines in Pa. I hope people restrict it to the ones doing damage to their property and leave the ones in the timber alone. They are kind of fun to interact with. One thing about porky is he is an easy meal for someone lost in the timber. There are not too many large tracts of territory out there that you can’t walk out of in a day if you can travel in a straight line but people are strange critters. So if you find yourself walking in circles for a few days and have to eat one let me know how they taste.

If you happen to tie flies and you happen upon a road kill or a tree they frequent, pick up a few quills, cut off the barb then split the quill with a razor blade, soak it in water for a spell and then use it for tying a cream caddis nymph, for smaller streams and smaller flies start the thread at the bend of the hook and tie in the quill then wrap the thread forward to just shy of the hook eye. Wrap the quill forward and tie it off with the thread, tie in a small piece of peacock herl and wrap it to the eye and whip finish the thread. For larger streams and rivers you can wrap the quill over some dubbing to make it appear meatier.

If you are looking for a good bird dog check this out.

 End of the season $500 bird dog special:

Female Wirehair:  close working, steady to wing and shot, great retriever.

Male Pointer:  flashy, handles great, steady to wing and shot.

Male Setter Pup:  great bloodlines, well started.

Call Quarter Moon Kennels at 484.880.0706 for these great bird dogs at only $500 and all your dog training needs.

The Vice President’s Corner

Club bio sheets and membership applications were handed out at the Calvary Sportsman Expo, we had discussed selling our gun raffle tickets at the show in 2012 but the report form the Club Members that hosted the table at the Expo did not think many tickets would be sold.

Remember guests may come to the Club but must be accompanied by a Member. There are forms in the clubhouse door which need to be filled out and deposited with the $10.00 fee in the slot box in the door. Both the member and guest must sign in at the range boxes. No guests are allowed in November and December.

Building Committee

Work continues on the Clubhouse, the electrical wiring is in, the communications and data lines will be installed soon, water lines should be complete around Easter. The front of the building has the stone, siding and soffits installed and siding is being placed on the gables. The weekend of the 4/16/17 should see all of the grade level siding done with just the “A’s” on the gables to complete. Insulation and drywall will be delivered the week of the 18th. We plan to get the wall close up inspection the week of 25th to allow insulation and drywall to go in. We are looking into epoxy for the final floor finish. Cost will be the determining factor in the end. The Excavator will be starting soon to complete the sanitary hook up. We will install the power, data and communications conduit and the water line to the existing Clubhouse while the trench is open.

Please call for the work schedule if you can help out for a day.

George D. Honeywell

Pamphlet

Any Member that would like to add something to the newsletter can do so by sending me an email @ bonefish@ptd.net or send it to the Club.

The bi-monthly newsletter can be viewed on the Club website www.milfordstraightshooter.com

If you know of anyone that would like to advertise in the newsletter let us know and we will contact them.

George D. Honeywell

Membership

Membership took in $1,610 in March and $345 to date in April bringing the total to $8,020 for the year.  (1) New member was voted into the Club in March and (4) in April.

Libby and Matt Bauman

Fishing Reports

Trout season is open.

Bob Meas

Game

Spring Gobbler season begins on Saturday April 20 and apparently porcupine season begins now. Let’s get to know this creature a little better.

The porcupine is the prickliest of rodents, its Latin name (Erethizon Dorsatum)  means "quill pig." There are about two dozen porcupine species. The porcupines found in North and South America are good climbers and spend much of their time in trees. Some even have prehensile (gripping) tails to aid in climbing. The North American porcupine is the only species that lives in the U.S. and Canada, and is the largest of all porcupines. A single animal may have 30,000 or more quills. North American porcupines use their large front teeth to satisfy a healthy appetite for wood. They eat natural bark and stems, and have been known to invade campgrounds and chew on canoe paddles. North American porcupines also eat fruit, leaves, and springtime buds. Other porcupine species live in Africa, Europe, and Asia. These animals usually live on the ground and can inhabit deserts, grasslands, and forests.Female porcupines have between one and four young, depending on the species. Babies have soft quills at birth, which harden within a few days. Most young porcupines are ready to live on their own at about two months of age.

George D. Honeywell

Forestry

There is more timber down and available for firewood, please contact the Club or President George Honeywell and we will get you in touch with the Forestry Chairman.

Club Timber Spotlight:

Red Maple (Acer Rubrum) grows 40’ to 60’ and reaches a matching spread. Habit is pyramidal in youth and rounded with age. It is tolerant of most soils but prefers slightly acidic moist conditions. Naturally occurs in wet areas and has excellent fall colors.

Archery

There were 51 Shooters at the March shoot. See the events schedule for the next shoot.

George D. Honeywell

Shoots

The Spring shoot took place on April 10, we will have the report at the next General Membership meeting.

Jim Erb

Ranges

It was noted we need backer cardboard on the rifle range, it will be installed this weekend.

Phil Fachet

PA Federation of Sportsman’s Clubs

We are still looking for a Conservation Camp participant, the youth must be at least in the 9th grade and have completed (1) science course. The camp is (1) week, takes place in Northampton County and includes classes and field work in stream life, orienteering, identification of plants and fauna and other outdoor related subjects. The camp is FREE to an interested youth.

Please contact us soon if you know of an interested person. They do not have to be Club members.

Dennis Young 

Public Relations

No Report.

Richard Ruth

Work Parties

No report.

Gary Erbe

Activities

None

John Burke

50/50 and Membership Drawings

There were (2) winners in the 50/50 drawing and member #192 was not present, the Membership drawing for May will be worth $25.

 

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