Happy New Year! Finally, the holiday madness is over and now we can all get back to our normal routine and prepare for the next season. What season is that, you may ask? Well, I don’t mean tax season. I mean show season! Time to plan for the upcoming fishing and hunting shows that will take place over the next few months. Oh yes, and how can I forget to mention the catalogue attack! I’m sure by now your mailbox, just like mine, is overflowing with your favorite spring clearance outdoor catalogues from Cabela’s or Bass Pro Shop, just to name two. Their timing is perfect because it’s just in time to pick out that special hunting or fishing article that Santa forgot or, even better, use that gift certificate. What really bothers me about trying to get something from one of these clearance catalogues is that even if you call the minute you get the catalogue, the chances are your size or color is out of stock. Oh well! Incidentally, the first show of the “show season” is the tenth annual Fly Fishing Show in Marlborough on Jan. 18-20 at the Royal Plaza Trade Center. From I-495, take Exit 24B on to Route 20 West (Boston Post Rd.).Winter made an early strong appearance in Massachusetts, but variable temperatures like this week’s record-breaking 67 degrees that prevailed in the state recently mean the condition of ice on local water bodies is unpredictable at best and could be treacherous. How can you tell if ice is safe? There are no guarantees; always consider ice potentially dangerous. Assess ice safety by using an ice chisel to chop a hole in the ice to determine its thickness and condition. Make sure you continue to do this as you go further out onto the ice, because the thickness of the ice will not be uniform all over the pond or lake. Be aware that ice tends to be thinner on lakes and ponds where there are spring holes, inlets or outlets. What if you fall through the ice? As with any emergency, don’t panic! Briefly call for help. Kick your legs while grasping for firm ice. Try to pull your body up using “ice pins” that should be hanging around your neck. Once your torso is on firm ice, roll towards thicker ice. This will better distribute your weight. Remember that ice you have previously walked on should be the safest. If a companion falls through the ice, remember the phrase “Reach-Throw-Go” If you are unable to reach your friend from shore, throw him or her a rope, jumper cables, tree branch, or other object. If this does not work, go for help before you also become a victim.Now, with this being said, Ippi’s Bait and Tackle’s Annual Kick-Off Ice Derby with the Four Winds Pub on Sluice Pond is scheduled for Jan. 20 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the Annual Flax Bass Ice Derby is scheduled for Feb. 17 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Contact the shop at 781-596-0317 for additional information.If you haven’t had enough and enjoy walking in the field, there’s no need to put the hunting equipment away yet. Rabbit hunting opens in January and runs for eight weeks.There is also another kind of hunting that serious deer hunters overlook this time of year. It’s called antler shed hunting! In the northeast, bucks shed their antlers in late December and in January. Now is the time to find them before the critters start to eat them. A lot can be learned about a buck while searching for sheds, especially now that some of the snow has melted. Unusual feeding patterns, bedding areas, and hideaways can be revealed by where sheds are found. It’s a great way to extend the season, and stay in shape. Sheds also make nice trophies and can be used for rattling horns.During the September and November bear seasons, licensed hunters took a total of 143 black bears. During the September season, 125 bears were taken, and 18 more were taken in the November season. The breakdown of figures is as follows: 71 bears taken in Berkshire County, 33 in Franklin, 9 in Hampden, 28 in Hampshire and 1 in Middlesex County. The bear in Middlesex County is the first bear taken in t