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Fall is the time to leave the world behind and get outdoors!

alzheimersreadingroom.com

I’ve been penning stories about the outdoors now for almost a quarter century. One of the benefits of being an outdoors writer so long is sharing the knowledge I glean from all the professional hunters and fishermen I work with. 

I spend a lot of time out hunting and fishing. My goal has always been to share my passion for the outdoors, everything from the actual outing to preparing the fruits of my outings in a Dutch Kettle or smoker!

Oh, I occasionally comment on policies that dictate how we hunt or fish. Most of you know that I am 110 percent against the helicopter hog hunts. I think you probably also know that I am a big proponent of adopting new hunting regulations that allow the use of big bore air rifles for hunting. 

But mostly, I just try to relate to you what’s going on in the outdoors. The current journalist punch line for my style of writing, I believe, is termed a “blog”. A couple decades ago, I actually “covered” the outdoors, ie. pass along press releases from Texas Parks and Wildlife, interview the guys in charge of creating the legalization that adopts new regulations, etc. But in today’s world of instant communication via the internet, I know that information is as quick as a click of your mouse away.

I believe in today’s fast paced world, it’s good to slow down and dwell on something that is as constant as the Polar Star and as interesting as life itself, the outdoors!

This past week, I’ve noticed some buck rubs on the sumac bushes; it won’t be long until the early stages of the whitetail rut where I hunt. The rut begins the last week or so of October each year on my place and goes into full swing by the first week of November. Bucks that I’ve never seen before show up on my trail cameras when the resident doe herd goes into estrus and the rut begins.

The acorn crop this year is the worst it’s been in years. I have a couple of corn feeders going but I’ve been scattering a gallon or so of corn under oaks that usually have bumper crops of acorns. It seems the deer come to check these out, even in years with a scant acorn crop. I have several resident does and yearlings hitting these spots on a daily basis but the past week, only one smallish buck showed up on the camera. If the does remain in the area, the bucks will come.

I enjoyed my first ever (legal) air rifle hunt for squirrels this past week. I have a .25 caliber Air Force air rifle that is a tack driver. Topped with a 1-6 X 24 power Sun Optics USA scope, my little rifle equals or exceeds the accuracy I’ve ever achieved with my .22 rimfire rifles. The rifle is much quieter which makes it lethal in the squirrel woods. I have the rifle sighted in dead on at 30 yards and have learned that the trajectory changes very little at closer shots. Rather than pellets (which I believe will also work well on squirrels), I’ve been shooting 53 grain bullets by Hunters Supply. These heavier bullets group as well as well designed pellets and pack a much harder punch.

Fall is definitely in the air. Before another season passes, take some time away from the constant need to be connected and enjoy the great outdoors!    

Outdoors writer, radio host and book author Luke Clayton has been addicted to everything outdoors related since his childhood when he grew up hunting and fishing in rural northeast Texas. Luke pens a weekly newspaper column that appears in over thirty newspapers.