Fall colors, pleasant temperatures and outdoor opportunities make October a special month

Mother Nature’s curtain is about to drop on the final act of October — my favorite month of the year. Temperatures were cool enough on many days to provide a pleasant environment for archery deer hunting. At the same time, nighttime temperatures were often warm enough to make for very productive trout fishing the following morning.

I took advantage of both opportunities and also had a day-long outing with my family at Little Buffalo State Park in Perry County. We had two open-fire-cooked meals together and did a little hiking at the park, which I had never visited before.

The autumn leaves were exquisite this year, from Act 1’s brilliant yellow birch leaves in early October, to the rusty maroons, golds, and reds of Act 3 these remaining days. I can’t remember a more beautiful fall.

I watched three different groups of deer last Saturday –- eight does and yearlings in total. I’ve seen does almost every morning or evening that I spent in the woods. I’m hoping that when the rut gets in full swing, the bucks will join the does and provide a shooting opportunity.

October’s final act will bring a day of wild-trout fishing with my brother Frank, a woodcock hunt and more time spent in my archery blind. I’m even driving south into Virginia next weekend to relive some of nature’s best colors as the leaves reach their peak along the spine of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia.

I hope that you have enjoyed the month as much as I have.