Subtle, but sure, signs of Fall hunting -- What are yours?

[Jeff K.]

So where is that field exactly? LOL

[Double Lab]

Sept. 1st, opening of dove season. To me this signals the end of summer and the beginning of fall. Now the only decision to make is what long barreled smallbore to take. Just kidding, the 30" 28ga VHE is already on the top of the list.

[Jeff K.]

I have a 32" 20 ga. that needs some exercise. I need to charge up the MOJOs.

[charlie cleveland]

weather cooling a little here and the yellow butterfliies are on the move.....grass is also slowing down a bit...even seen some giant pecans on my dads old orchard and the chinese chestnuts are falling and opening up.....i will have to really watch those pecans if i get any of them.....got my shells and gear setting out in the floor in the way....going backwards this year on shooting irons first a double barrel vulcan factory 27 1/2 inch barrel 20 ga and a 410 stevens double barrel......charlie

[Mills]

This is the best August weather I can remember here ever. Mills and I tried to go fishing, but it was a comedy of errors. We were trying to go in a different place but all the landings had problems. We finally made it out on an old reliable landing, had an equipment malfunction. Then we got checked by the game warden and we were all legal but that is always a pain

[Dean Romig]

Yup, it can be a little inconvenient but I love it when a game warden checks my license and required safety equipment if I’m on my boat, and when they check if I have the proper tags.... It shows that they’re doing their job protecting the resources I love so much.





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[Craig Larter]

On the eastern end of Lake Ontario the tops of the maples are showing a little yellow. The nights are in the 50's and days in the 70's. The woodies are all in full flight and the blue winged teal will be arriving any day. The new england asters are in full bloom and the may apple have gone dormant. The thistle has gone to seed and the goldfinches are feeding on them. Hummingbirds are building as the migration must be in full force. It won't be long. Starting a new puppy Nellie, 13 months and ready for her full life as a hunting dog. Life is grand!!!

[edgarspencer]

Craig, that’s one of the best, and most descriptive posts I’ve seen in a while. Some people can go through life and not take note of as much as you’ve just written.

[mobirdhunter]

Originally Posted by Craig Larter

On the eastern end of Lake Ontario the tops of the maples are showing a little yellow. The nights are in the 50's and days in the 70's. The woodies are all in full flight and the blue winged teal will be arriving any day. The new england asters are in full bloom and the may apple have gone dormant. The thistle has gone to seed and the goldfinches are feeding on them. Hummingbirds are building as the migration must be in full force. It won't be long. Starting a new puppy Nellie, 13 months and ready for her full life as a hunting dog. Life is grand!!!

Craig, your wonderfully composed post reminded me of some of the words of an author, whose book I read continually, almost every day of the year. David Grayson is a pseudonym for the pulitzer prize winning author, Ray Stannard Baker (although born in Michigan, he's a New Englander at heart). His book, "A Countryman's Year" is a day-by-day account of life on a small farmstead in Mass. around the second decade of the 20th Century. I keep the book handy and read a passage for each of his date entries of the year. I've been reading this book for many years, completing it every year and then starting anew.

Here's the passage from a day at the end of August that reminds me of your post:

"In low spots along old country roads today I found the joe-pye weed in bloom; a rank grower, which in mass is often beautiful. There is a real touch of fall in the air: at twilight the crickets call. The goldfinch has a swooping flight; the aristocratic cedar birds are through with their late nesting; already the robins are beginning to gather, restless for their southern journey. And I found a fringed gentian by a woody roadside."

It's so nice to live where you can see the seasons unfold, and have the familiarity with your surroundings to know their subtleties and nuances.

Again, thanks to all of you who have contributed to this post. We are going through some tough times here with one of our dogs having cancer, and my own diagnosis with the same. It's nice to read these positive posts in a time when there is so much acrimony elsewhere.

Thank you!

[Craig Larter]

Edgar: We are all blessed with a love of the natural world. The cycle of the season calms my mind and makes me smile. Identifying birds by their song, trees by their bark, wildflowers by their bloom is what gives me joy in this crazy world. Those who pursue the world outdoors live a full life.