New: Bass fishing tips
Attention hunters: Apply for ADP before July 16
The deadline for applying for an Antlerless Deer Permit is July 16. Click here to learn how to apply.
Summer school for young wildlife
June has long been the month when children and adults celebrate a break from the classroom with a summer of adventure and relaxation. But for young wildlife, June is the start of summer school. This is the time of year when coyote pups and fox, skunk, and raccoon kits start to emerge from their dens to join their adults for a crash course on how to be a successful wild animal. With less than one year before leaving their family group, these young animals will have a busy summer learning how to survive on their own.
One important lesson for a young animal is how to hunt and forage for food. Coyotes, foxes, skunks, and raccoons are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and meat. At first, young will rely on their mother’s milk for nutrition. As the pups and kits start to wean, adults will find food and bring it back to their den for the young to eat. When they get a little older, pups and kits will observe the adults hunting and foraging and try to copy that behavior. While raccoon and skunk moms are the sole caretaker for their kits, young coyotes and foxes will learn from both parents and potentially from other family group members too.
In addition to learning how to find food, some wildlife, like coyotes, use the summer to teach their young how to communicate. People often think coyotes howl to announce a kill, but this is not true. Coyotes howl primarily to communicate with other coyotes. Adult coyotes will teach pups how to communicate within their family group or communicate to other coyotes intruding on their territory. So, keep an ear out this summer for a coyote chorus of yips and howls!
June is also when pups and kits become more mobile and visible to people. MassWildlife commonly receives reports about fox kits outside playing or resting. This playful behavior is important to the kits’ physical and social development. Luckily, fox activity in residential areas very rarely causes conflict with people and pets, and simply seeing wildlife in your neighborhood—even during the day—is not a cause for concern. The best thing for people to do is to give wildlife space, leash and directly supervise pets whenever they’re outside, and never intentionally or unintentionally feed wildlife. If you had a den under your shed or porch this spring, consider installing a barrier, like chicken wire, over the opening after the animals have vacated the site to prevent wildlife from denning there in the future.
Believe it or not, you can be a young wildlife teacher! While most wildlife is naturally wary of humans, they can become less cautious if they spend a lot of time around people or regularly feed on human-associated foods, like bird feeders, unsecured trash, or unprotected livestock like backyard chickens. We can make sure adult animals teach their young to search for natural foods by removing and securing all human-associated food sources around our homes. For coyotes, we can also remind them to be cautious around people by effectively hazing them whenever they’re on our property.
Just like kids, the lessons young animals learn now are what they’ll carry with them as they grow into adults. By giving them the opportunity to learn how to find natural sources of food and shelter, we can prevent current and future wildlife conflict, which is good for people, wild animals, and pets!
Wondering what to do if you find young wildlife without an adult? Never assume a young animal is orphaned or abandoned. In most cases, the best thing to do is leave it alone. Learn more.
Looking for an indoor animal activity for a rainy summer day? Check out these wildlife coloring pages, including a Coexisting with Wildlife activity book made by a local Girl Scout.
Click here to learn more about coyotes, foxes, skunks, and raccoons.
5,000th Headstarted turtle released into the wild
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Masswildlife’s Northern Red-bellied Cooter Headstart Program—one of the longest and most intensive freshwater turtle headstart conservation programs in existence.
The northern red-bellied cooter is listed as endangered under the federal and state endangered species acts. Like most Massachusetts turtles, northern red-bellied cooter hatchlings have many predators and few make it to adulthood and reproductive age.
Through the Headstart Program, turtle hatchlings are removed from the wild in early fall and paired with educational and scientific facilities from across the state. For 8–9 months, the turtles live in a warm aquarium environment with unlimited food. This greatly accelerates the growth of the turtles which increases the likelihood of survival. This size advantage gives each turtle a "head start" at life before release back into the wild.
When the Headstart Program began in 1984, the estimated population of northern red-bellied cooters in Massachusetts was only 300 turtles. Due to the success of the Headstart Program, the population is now over 2,000 adults.
This year's headstarted turtles were returned to MassWildlife in mid-May. Each turtle was fitted with a Passive Integrated Tag (PIT) which is used for identification and tracking. The young turtles were then released back into the wild at suitable sites in the southeastern part of the state. This included the release of the 5,000th headstarted red-bellied cooter!
Northern red-bellied cooter facts
Common name: Northern red-bellied cooter
Scientific name: Pseudemys rubriventris
Size: Males: 10–12 inches long; females: 11–13.5 inches long; weigh up to 12.7 pounds
Range: Massachusetts population: Plymouth and eastern Bristol counties; primary range: New Jersey coastal plain south to North Carolina's Outer Banks, inland to West Virginia's Potomac watershed
Conservation status: State listed and federally listed as endangered
Fun fact: Life expectancy is believed to be more than 50 years
There are 10 species of native freshwater turtles live in Massachusetts. Six of these turtles are listed under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act (MESA). Learn more about our native turtles and what you can do to help them thrive.
Learning to love lampreys
At first glance, sea lampreys may not inspire affection. A closer look reveals that their migratory and spawning activities provide many benefits to Massachusetts’ river ecosystems. Read more and find out how you can help.
Sea lampreys are native to Massachusetts and can be found in coastal streams and in the Connecticut and Merrimack Rivers and several of their tributaries. Lampreys are primitive, eel-like fish with a suction-cup like mouth ringed with rows of sharp teeth. Despite their unusual appearance, sea lampreys do not pose a threat to people and provide a variety of benefits to our aquatic ecosystems.
Life as a lamprey
Sea lampreys are anadromous fish, which means they are born in fresh water and spend their adult years in the ocean before returning to freshwater to spawn. Lampreys hatch from eggs and spend their first 4 years in rivers and streams feeding only on drifting plankton. In their fifth year, they migrate to the ocean and start the parasitic phase of their lifecycle. While in the ocean, adult sea lampreys feed on ocean fish by attaching to a host and feeding on its blood and body fluids. After 1–2 years in the ocean, adults detach from their host and make their way back to rivers and streams to spawn.
Adult sea lampreys can be seen in the Connecticut and Merrimack Rivers and some of their tributaries during May and June. Lampreys are not invasive or a threat to other fish or animals—including humans—swimming in the water. Adults save all their energy for spawning and do not feed while they are in freshwater. After spawning, which takes place primarily in June, the adult lampreys die.
Both bloodsucking and beneficial
The migratory life cycle and nesting behavior of sea lampreys provide many benefits to freshwater river ecosystems.
- When adult lampreys die after spawning, nutrients from their bodies are recycled and become available to other plants and animals in freshwater systems.
- Lamprey construct nests of stones on the riverbed. This nest construction restores and enhances streambed structure. Abandoned lamprey nests are also used by riverine fishes such as shiners, fallfish, and salmonids.
- After lamprey hatch, they drift downstream and burrow into sandy areas. Lamprey eggs and larvae are food for a variety of fish, birds, and mammals.
Threats
Like other anadromous fish, sea lamprey populations have been reduced or eliminated in some areas by dams and pollution. As an example of their decline, records of sea lamprey passage at the Holyoke Dam on the Connecticut River show that current abundance is roughly 50% of historic numbers. While fish passage facilities at dams on the Connecticut River have restored access to portions of the lamprey’s historical range, barriers on tributaries still prohibit them from reaching a great deal of suitable spawning habitat.
How you can help
Anglers and others recreating on the river can protect sea lamprey populations by simply letting them be as they go about their spawning behavior. You can also let others know that lampreys found in rivers are not a threat to native fish or to people.
Public archery ranges open now
MassWildlife is opening temporary public archery ranges from June through September on Wildlife Management Areas across the state. If you have your own archery equipment and need a place to practice, sign up for a range pass at one of 4 locations.
Top 10 campsites for fishing in MA
Nature is calling and the fish are biting! Plan the perfect summer getaway that includes fishing, camping, hiking, or just relaxing by the water. Check out our list of the top 10 campsites for fishing in Massachusetts.