Outdoors: Theres more to turkeys necks than just color – Worcester Telegram

Wild turkeys displaying fields are thinning out as many of the recently fertilized females are now on their nests. Frustrated, polygamous males are walking farther to find the dwindling number of still-unfertilized, potential mates.

Exchanging my shotgun and crossbow for binoculars, I took the opportunity every morning this past week to closely observe the testosterone-driven males bizarre wattles that decorate their necks.

The red, white, and blue, naked, wrinkled and bulgy wattle skin isnt just a patriotic color combination. Its actually a very functional courting ornament for numerous species of male birds, including roosters and pheasants.

Wattles vary greatly. Large wattles correlate with peak maturity, high testosterone levels and good nutrition. They consequently advertise a sexy, healthy male and help turn on females. Young jakes have small, less impressive wattles.

During hot months, those highly vascularized pouches of skin, which are then predominantly white, can also help reflect and release heat. And now, when males are breeding, blood flow can engorge them so much in moments of excitement that they turn fire engine red for even greater sexual attraction. If I werent studying them to write about, Id be putting them on this weeks menu.

Successful turkey hunts have meant many delicious meals of supremely healthy meat that contains no man-injected hormones or anti-biotics that we find ubiquitous on our market shelves. And preparation is easy.

In quickly dressing their birds, many turkey hunters just fillet out the breasts. Most discard the highly tendinous, tough legs. But they shouldnt.

Those tough legs can be surprisingly delicious. I asked both my son and son-in-law, who were each successful in taking turkeys last week, to save their legs for me. Oakham bow hunter Rob Toupin taught me how cooking them and deer shanks in low heat for three to four hours in a crock pot will produce succulent, tender meat that can be easily pulled off the tendons. Dark meat is always more flavorful than white meat.

As for the breasts, its hard to top slicing off broad, thin pieces, then pounding them between wax paper to a uniform, pancake width, which allows for even, quick cooking. Just give them an egg wash, dip them in Panko, and saut them briefly in butter. Theres no simpler, quicker or more delicious way to serve them.

Turkey season continues through May 23. Forest walkers would be prudent to safely wear orange each morning till then.

Creatures of spring

This week, baby robins hatched, and mothers secretly carried away their shells and droppings. Red trilliums blossomed along with apple trees. Newly emergent, highly variable shades of young green thrilled our eyes.

Just as we were drawn outdoors by the high-70-degree temperatures, ants were drawn indoors, exploring countertops and floor board boundaries. Female mosquitoes searched for blood, and blackflies found many human faces to aggravate.

Sitting under a tree for a sundowner by our fire pit, I had several baby caterpillars and other insect larvae fall on me. No wonder the migrant songbirds from the jungles are returning en masse from the tropics.

To our regret, not all the caterpillars are good, though. Reader Pamela Shanley sent in photos of duct tape she just placed around her oak trees to protect them from gypsy moths, which are hatching on the ground right now and climbing up to eat fresh, tender, most nutritious baby leaves. While their population may be down this year, its worth killing every gypsy moth caterpillar we can. A single female can lay from 500-2,000 eggs.

Pamela annually wages war against them, even banding her neighbors together to fight the endless war. She recommends that this week we overlap three or four layers of duct tape around the trees inside out so the sticky part captures the instinctively climbing larvae. Once the tape is full of stuck caterpillars, Pamela applies new strips right over the used tape, which she totally removes from her trees in mid- to late June.

Here come shad

The number of shad passing over the Holyoke dam on the Connecticut River has been very impressive, considering how early the season is. Some 7,291 shad passed over on May 4 alone. Receding water levels helped that first passage last week, but rising flows over the wet weekend forced closure of the fish lift operations again. Interestingly, the COVID-19 challenge has resulted in the implementation of video counts.

The runs duration is much dependent on our weather. Shad will proceed upriver and drop their eggs in place wherever they are when water temperatures are about to get too warm. Its vital that males accompany the females all along their way to eject their sperm at the precise moment that the eggs are laid.

Plenty out fishing

The opening of Wachusett and Quabbin to shore fishermen was celebrated like Fourth of July. Reader Peter Bourneuf reported, Took a ride around the Rez yesterday. Must have been over 300 cars, trucks, and bikes over there. But the fishing has been great. Three- to 4-pound lake trout have been the main prize at Wachusett.

Over on the West River, size 14 black quills have been hatching out along with caddis to provide some excellent dry fly action.

Tuna limits adjusted

Big game recreational fishermen may be surprised to learn that NOAA adjusted the 2020 tuna daily limits. Private, permitted vessels are allowed two bluefin from 27 to less than 47 inches, and one 47 to less than 73 inches. Anglers can additionally catch and release or tag and release bluefin tuna of all size. Were counting on those latter anglers to be ethically responsible and handle those fish in a manner that will maximize their survivability without removing the fish from the water.

Permitted charter boats will now be able to take three school tuna (27-47 inches) and one large tuna 47-73 inches. Head or party boats will be able to take six school tuna and two large ones. Some local charter boat captains think this increased limit is too high and blame the vocal and politically influential charter boat lobby down south.

The commercial limits have yet to be set. Last year was a fiasco. The season opened with a three-fish-per-day limit, which almost instantly flooded the market. A knee-jerk reduction right afterward failed to heal the damage, and prices beneficial to fishermen never rebounded. Some captains would like to see opening week limits set at one fish per day and possibly adjusted sensibly afterwards.

Party and charter boat fishing may open May 18, if all goes best. Those first party boats with large capacities will be fishing mostly for scup and sea bass. They attract many outsiders from the bigger cities. As charter boat captain Bruce Peters shares, There really isnt an effective way to safe distance individuals on these boats. But small charter boats can be very different, and as such, may deserve differential treatment.

Most charter boat customers are families, workmates, and friends, already in close contact with each other," Peters claims. "Our charter boat takes six or fewer people, and are large enough to enable social distances. With masks, there is not a high-risk factor at all.

Peters is hoping that by June, restrictions will be more reasonable.

Good bass

On the striped bass front, cows up to 40 pounds have reached as far north as western Long Island Sound, and faster-moving schoolies already have invaded the New Hampshire coast. Although fluke season doesnt open here until May 23, its open now in New York, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

Lobster pots now

Since the last right whale mothers have taken their babies north out of Cape Cod Bay, lobstermen can now set their pots, and boaters can increase their speeds.

Have some fish

Meanwhile, as pork, chicken and beef supplies from outside our region become less reliable, this is a great time to patronize fish markets and support our local fishermen who can bring us the best fresh haddock, squid, shellfish, scallops, lobster, sea bass, mackerel, striped bass and fluke.

Contact Mark Blazis at markblazissafaris@gmail.com.

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Outdoors: Theres more to turkeys necks than just color - Worcester Telegram