Moving into the early fall period can be a real dilemma for people like me who love hunting and fishing. Hunting seasons are underway, and some great fishing can still be available. Case in point: I was talking with an avid trout angler recently, and he told me a few weeks back he picked up a decent bunch of trout while fishing beetle patterns on the surface. That same week, I had several people tell me about the nice bucks they were able to take on the first day of the archery season.
The truth is that the first week or two of archery deer season can be very productive. Think about it: the woods have pretty much been left alone all summer, and the deer have been left undisturbed. Now is a good time to locate a stand between bedding areas and frequented feeding areas. Getting into a stand in that early season before other hunters have been roaming all over your territory, disturbing the normal deer behavior can be beneficial. As we move towards the latter part of the archery season, the “rut” becomes a major factor and can also be a very rewarding time to hunt.
The rut is defined as the actual breeding period; does’ estrogen levels start to climb, and they begin to smell different, and buck testosterone levels also peak, setting the stage for the rutting period. Bucks begin moving more during the daylight hours, rubbing, scraping, chasing does, and fighting other bucks. Archery hunters know that locating a stand along a line of scrapes might very well lead to a chance at a good buck. The rut is also a good time to make use of some calling techniques, especially during the “seeking phase” of the rut when bucks are more apt to encounter other bucks seeking after available does.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, not only is fall a great time for archery deer hunting and other small game, but it’s also a good time to hit some local streams.
I think this year might be especially productive since we have had a good amount of rain, and our streams and rivers have remained at good levels, helping to keep trout and bass in more suitable surroundings.
Most streams may not offer much in the way of hatching activity but make no mistake about it — it’s still a good time to hit the stream with a fly rod. Now is a good time to present an assortment of surface patterns and terrestrials like beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, and one of my favorites, the ant pattern.
Oh yeah, it’s also one of the best times to hit the river or a lake for both largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. Surface lures can be very productive, but so are a lot of other lures like minnow imitations, spinnerbaits, worm and lizard patterns, ned-rigs, and an assortment of jig patterns. Oh, that’s right, fall is one of the best times to be on a lake for panfish like bluegills, perch, and one of my favorites-crappies. For the most part, as the water temperatures begin to cool, it’s probably best to fish the deeper water or transition areas. Use a depth finder and locate schools, and go to work with a light spinning outfit and small jig heads tipped with about inch and a half tubes or soft plastic grubs.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention — fall is also the time to be on the lookout for mushrooms. My wife and I have already enjoyed several meals of Hen-of-the-Woods, Giant Puffballs, and Gem-studded Puffballs.
Warning: do not pick or eat wild mushrooms unless you know exactly what you are picking since some mushrooms can make you sick or even cause death.
Well, after reading this, if you haven’t found anything to hunt for this fall, remember that Christmas is coming, and you can go shopping.
