Case: Fall hunting seasons will sneak up on you if you let them

Staff Photo by Tim Barber / A deer decoy dressed in safety orange sits atop a tree stump near a wellhouse in view of U.S. Highway 11 just south of Wildwood, Ga., in October 2014. Although the heat of August remains and summer still has weeks remaining on the calendar, hunters shouldn't tarry in preparing for their fall game seasons, writes outdoors columnist Larry Case.
Staff Photo by Tim Barber / A deer decoy dressed in safety orange sits atop a tree stump near a wellhouse in view of U.S. Highway 11 just south of Wildwood, Ga., in October 2014. Although the heat of August remains and summer still has weeks remaining on the calendar, hunters shouldn't tarry in preparing for their fall game seasons, writes outdoors columnist Larry Case.

You can't imagine my surprise the other day when someone said summer was almost over.

Over? Really? I mean, it just started yesterday.

The other day, one of my shotgun buddies at a gun company asked me if I had any big hunting trips lined up for this fall.

"Well, it's a little early for that, don't you think? We just got done with spring gobbler season," I said.

"Larry, that was three months ago - next week is September," he responded.

Well, nobody told me.

I know we had some hot days, and I did the beach thing with the family on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and I had to mow a lot of grass, but I thought we had weeks and weeks to go till the end of summer.

For hunters, summer is a vacation and a rest we enjoy while wishing it was over and fall would come.

Summer is the time for the bucks to grow their horns (OK, antlers), the grouse and the turkeys to raise their broods and the ducks and geese to get ready to fly south. Squirrels come out of the summer lull and begin to cut the hickory nuts and remind us that it is almost time. The rabbits are growing in the thickets, and while they are dodging the foxes and the hawks, they practice the runs they will make when the beagles get on their trail.

Hunters tend to get fat and lazy during summer and think (like me) they have all the time in the world to get ready for fall and another hunting season. Sad to say, my brothers and sisters in camo, you don't. If summer is almost over, that can only mean one thing: It's time for hunting season!

Those of you who have followed my writing know every year I caution you about going over and checking your tree stands. You serious bow hunters have already been through the drill of dragging stands out of storage and placing them in select locations, but have you really checked them over? Are all the nuts and bolts tightened and in good shape? Did you replace that frayed strap from last year? (I didn't think so.) Is your safety harness in order?

Do not even think of getting into an elevated stand without a safety harness, pilgrim. One of the best is from Hunter Safety System, so if you hunt from a tree stand and do not have a safety harness, check out this product online now.

You bow hunters are spending an hour or so every evening in target practice, right? And, of course, you have been over your arrows and broadheads and everything is in good shape.

In many states, dove season starts next week. For shotgunners, summer is when you can spend time at the range, trapshooting, skeet shooting or taking aim at sporting clays, all in order to be a little more ready for the speedsters that rocket by you on the dove field.

photo Contributed photo / Larry Case

Maybe, like many of us, you figure you would be more successful in the field with a new shotgun. If you're new to this column, it's possible you've never heard Case's Shotgun Theorem No. 1, which reads in part, "You can never have enough shotguns." Enough said.

Most of us that hunt don't think of this when we talk about hunting gear, but it is important. First, do you have a license for this year? Some states' hunting licenses are good for a calendar year, but some run for a year after the date of purchase, so check yours.

Believe me when I tell you that the DNR and fish and game offices will get calls the day before squirrel or deer season opens, wanting to get little Johnny in a hunter education course so he can get his license. Many of these same callers will then become indignant when they are told no class is available just now as they have been offered for the past month or so.

Getting a hunter education card for those who need it takes a little prior planning. This isn't just for the kids. Are you planning a hunt to one of the western states this fall? Most of them now require a hunter education card for all ages.

All of you experienced hunters out there know there is a lot more to do in getting ready for this fall, and once again space does not allow me to cover it all. Take your time, go over your gear, check your hunting spots and tell yourself you will do everything possible to have a safe and enjoyable hunting season this year. Here we go!

"The Trail Less Traveled" is written by Larry Case, who lives in Fayette County, W.Va. You can write to him at larryocase3@gmail.com.

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