Moving through fall

I am now in a withdrawal mood from the cabin. I have officially closed the cabin (not in my mind), but it is not officially closed for the winter. My grandson, Dylan, and his wife, Kloe, are still up there spending a long weekend at said cabin. They are expecting in December, and I have no doubt that they will be great parents.

 

It always makes me feel good when Dylan wants to spend time at the cabin, whether Grandpa is there or not. He spent a lot of time with his grandma and I at the cabin when he was younger, so it has always been special to him. I am glad that Kloe likes to go fishing with him and she usually catches fish.

 

I am sitting on our front porch as I write this column. The porch has become my favorite place to go to relax and watch the birds and other critters that frequent the neighborhood. I have not seen as many rabbits as in past years. This may be attributed to the overabundance of felines that we have free ranging in the neighborhood. There are some folks that don’t seem to understand the meaning of “house cat” and just let their cats run amok in the neighborhood.

 

I still have to get my boat in the water to see if it runs better than it did the last time I had it on the water. It is now sitting in the backyard filling up with leaves. I tried blowing them out with the leaf blower, but the leaves would go straight up in the air and come fluttering down right back into the boat. Plan B is to take it for a drive and hope that they get lost along the way.

 

The fall colors have peaked in the northern part of the state, but the lower third of the state still hasn’t, so if you want to catch the colors, there is still time to take a drive and check out the beauty of fall before it is too late. Remember that the fall harvest is still going on in most parts of the area, so be aware of farm machinery.

 

There is still time to do a little fishing and the pheasant season is also under way. The archery season for deer is also going on and will go until the end of December. I have heard that, so far, the numbers are down for the pheasant population. With the mild winter, I thought there would be a bumper crop for birds this year, but all of the rain must have nullified that.

 

Until next time: Small game hunting for squirrel and rabbit runs until February 28th. Ruffed grouse runs until Jan. 1st. Hunting small game is a great way to introduce our youth to the sport of hunting. The more youth that we can get involved in the sports of hunting and fishing, the more we will be assured that these sports will be carried on for future generations. WMAs [Wildlife Management Areas] and WIAs [Walk-In Access] areas – landowners who give permission to the public to hunt their land go a long way to promote hunting for our youth. You must purchase a WIA Validation to legally hunt WIA sites.

 

Purchase Online opens in a new browser tab or call: 1-888-665-4236 (ELS CODE 190). Landowners cannot give others permission to hunt without a validation. Landowners are willing to enroll in this program because hunters have been respectful. Please take care of the land. Respect boundary signs. Do not damage property and do not leave garbage. Following these common-sense rules will make sure that these lands will be available for future use.

 

Please show your support for our troops who are now deployed. These service men and women are making that sacrifice, so that we may have the many freedoms that we enjoy today.