A tour of Roraback WMA

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Hey Bob--

I operate a charter fishing boat and have been busy as hell striper fishing clients all week. Yeah I'm familiar with the coyotes on Roraback, I shot 2 this year on and around the border on the North Road side but they wised up on me. I used to call them and hunt but it is very hard in CT, now I hunt them much more successfully over bait. I shot 2 of the 6 different dogs I saw there this year and also got made a couple times, thereby ending my success. I guess they have to eat too, ya know? I personally think the human hunting has had an effect on the squirrel population more-so than natural predation. I have seen a lot of guys there squirrel hunting with shotguns more than .22's so you know they are blasting away. Couple that with the other predators and weak acorn years and there you have it, squirrel population decimation. By the way, awesome site, I love it...very cool. I checked out the whole thing and its very impressive. I attached a couple pics of the coyotes I bagged this year on the Roraback border and if you ever want to check out my new website, its www.outkastsportfishing.com. See you out there!!.........Kevin

For a followup I asked Kevin what he bagged them with and he responded:

".270 private land directly bordering Roraback. They came from the state land...always do."

On state land in CT we are limited to 22LR, but Kevin's fine using a .270 on private land. I once hunted a private farm bordering Roraback with my SKS. I still think the DEP should allow hunters to used 22 Magnums on state land. ~Bob

UPDATE: Arne Thompson added this. Thanks Arne:

"On private land you can use anything for varmints, but deer must be at least 6mm.........I've used my 30/30 for coyotes on private....state land is limited to 22LR for any small game.........shotgun you can use anything small than #2 nothing bigger than #2 shot......no double oo buck...."

My dad

I know it's not hunting, but it's the next best thing; fishing! My dad lived to fish. When he wasn't working or fishing for large mouth bass on a lake, he was standing in a fast moving river fishing for rainbow trout. I never remember my father coming home without filling the sink with bass, bullheads, or rainbow trout. I spent many a weekend sitting for 8 hours straight in the blazing sun fishing from a small boat in a CT lake. My dad always had a pith helmet in the boat, and when it would get too hot, I'd fill it with water and dump it over my head.

Dad used to rent a small rowboat and he'd attach the gas motor that he owned. We'd always spend a part of the day trolling the lake, and he'd let me man the controls. I'd usually have a couple drop lines over the side along with my rod and reel, and nothing was more fun than when we'd run into a school of pickerel. I'd be sinking the hook and pulling them in as fast as I could and it would seem like it would never end. I also pulled in some monster bullheads from that lake. Once I remember thinking I had hooked a boot, which ended up pulling in the biggest bullhead I had ever seen. My dad's favorite was Large Mouth Bass, and he never came home empty handed. At home he'd cut off the heads of the largest and let them dry on the clothesline (my mom must have been a saint). Once dry and picked clean by the flies, he'd varnish them and proudly display them over his workbench. He would have never considered spending our much needed money to properly mount a fish. I still remember cleaning the bullheads and watching their severed heads in the sink gasp for air. I'm glad squirrels don't do that.

When dad wasn't bass fishing, he was standing in a river fishing for rainbow trout with either fly or worm. Dad passed away over 30 years ago, but he left me with some great memories that I'll never forget.

From the Archive: Hunting with Jamie - spotted a coyote

Finally a break

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After working 12 long, high pressure days, it was good to once again rest under a tree in freshly fallen leaves, waiting for the appearance of a gray furry friend. I really needed some rest today, so there was no way I was going to be up at sunrise to meet the squirrels while they feed. Instead, I didn't get into the woods until noon. Everything was against me. It was cloudy, windy and the time was wrong. As expected, nothing moved, but it was good to just 'be there' today. The season is young and I'll be back.

Alex receives a .22 for his 12th birthday!

(Left to right) Alex, Ann Marie, and Peter

Happy Birthday Alex! Earlier this year my wife and I flew to Washington state for 10 days to visit my sister and her family. While there we spent quite a bit of time with my nephew Peter and his family which includes his 6 children. We spent one day in Idaho at his friend's back yard range, and Peter's son Alex (on the left) showed himself to be a real shooting and archery enthusiast! For his birthday this year, Alex received a .22 caliber rifle, and my sister just emailed me these photos of Peter, Alex, and his sister Ann Marie at the range. It looks like Peter also brought his .308. I'm so happy that our hunting and shooting heritage is being passed onto the next generation, and I look forward to the next time we can spend time together shooting and making memories. Next Alex needs to take his hunter's safety class so he can begin squirrel hunting. I looking forward to posting photos of your upcoming hunts Alex. Go get'm!