Rooster pheasants are the culmination of a busy start to fall. While their season opens in October, plenty of opportunities for grouse, waterfowl, deer and other game open throughout September.

By Nick Simonson

Covid-19 changed the complexion of my summer and that of many other folks, but what it failed to affect, save for the occasional cancelation of a fishing derby or walleye tournament I may have participated in or covered, was the summer angling efforts across the map.

In fact, many state agencies around the country are reporting a solid spike in angling license sales in 2020 due to the current situation. Outside of those few social aspects that a weekend fishing event brings to the pastime, most angling is done alone or with a close friend or family members and remains relatively untouched by the pandemic, and the solitude found in a stream or on a lake fosters further use of the resource. The same can be said for hunting, and despite the ongoing medical emergency spanning the country and the globe, with some opening dates already passed on the calendar and those to come over the next several weeks.

While hunting as a large group is tradition, particularly on those big openers like pheasant season and deer firearms, so many opportunities cater to the solo hunter, the father-son pair or a trio of buddies in the field. It’s likely in this time of social distancing that hunting will continue to help fill the void for safe recreational opportunities, and with so many chances to chase waterfowl, upland game and big game on the horizon or already upon us, whatever break one might have had – if any – is over and the takeover of those open days by these autumn outdoor opportunities is about to begin.

It’s a noted saying in the upper Midwest that “hunting and fishing often gets in the way of my hunting and fishing.” In the fall, that statement couldn’t be more true, especially on the hunting side of the coin. As an avid uplander and bow hunter, it’s often tough to choose between time on stand or starting a morning in the field behind my dog. I find it hard to believe I could make a decision if I added waterfowl to the mix, but for those who are more versatile than I, my guess is it is a welcome challenge penciling in their autumn weekends and scheduling out their hunts. No rest for the willing who rise before dawn and come in from a road traveled in the dark after tapping the last minute of legal light waiting for their quarry.

The effort and enjoyment goes far beyond the time in a tree or breaking a sweat along the edge of a brushline of buffaloberries and caragana. Whether it’s washing a load of camo in scent-free soap, or strapping a canine carrier into the back of a truck, while leaving room for a bow case and a set of tree steps, preparation is half the fun of getting set for an amazing stretch of hunting. Whatever it takes to prepare for success is easily accomplished this time of year as a new autumn sets out before us and takes over much of the free time allotted. That’s a price of admission that’s easy to pay, particularly with college and pro football operating on a limited scale, if at all for some schools, leaving more time for the field and less time in front of the screen screaming at yet another missed field goal.

So if you’ve been on snooze for the last few weeks, working your way through the dog days of summer, or have just taken some time off to enjoy a final stretch of fishing over the Labor Day weekend, fall is here in one form or another, and the excitement of hunting is about to take over your life.

Wake up, shake off the rust and get ready for your quarry to break loose in the field, regardless of if it crows, honks, grunts, ruts, flies or bounds away.