Rod, Gun & Game: Season of evolution begins in the autumn outdoors – Springvillejournal

The magical early hours of the October hunting and fishing day are cherished by any and all sportspersons and many other outdoor folks who enjoy a simple nature agenda. The sunrise is slow to rise and form shadows as the fog lifts from the silently traveled forest wildlife trails, where rabbits, raccoons, coyotes, deer and other critters traverse from their feeding areas to secret resting zones each day. This weeks rainfall along the waterways has turned the meandering main flows of Lake Erie tributary streams from babbling brooks to rambling creeks and rivers, with fresh runs of steelhead and brown trout. These fish have left the deep waters of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario far offshore. They now use their olfactory sense of smell to relocate to the waterways where they were born or stocked to reproduce and continue the cycle of life for these cold water species.

The full moon last week started the first cycle wave for many forms of fish and wildlife where the strong reproductive instincts of their species are initiated. If you are an angler not ready to hang up the rod and reel yet, this is one time of the season when the steelhead and brown trout are running upstream in all the Lake Erie tribs. In the Lake Ontario tribs, especially the more significant streams like the lower Niagara River, Oak Orchard Creek and farther east, the Salmon River, now is the time to cash in on the fun of big fish.

In big numbers, the giant King Salmon are running in the Salmon River near Altmar and Pulaski. Shore anglers wading the river in chest-high waders have a chance to catch fish that weigh 10 to 30 pounds and more. Last week, a local angler, Mathew Nardolillo, was fishing with friends while visiting Waters Edge Fish Camp Lodging near the river. Using his Lamiglass X-11 rod with Pfluger President XT reel, he was set up with 20-pound Berkley Big Game monofilament main line and Berkley 14-pound Vanish fluorocarbon leader. To the leader, he attached a size 6 hook with a Death Roe 8mm glass bead for bait. This team of friends scored big on King Salmon. Nardolillo shares humble secrets the group discovered. He says, We had never fished this river before and it was a learning process for us. We did not use any floats because it was too crowded with other anglers to do that, but we kept adjusting our drift to just tick along the bottom where the fish were. We would cast out to 10 oclock and have enough weight on to just tick the bottom at 12 oclock, then raise the rod to avoid snagging the bottom at 2 oclock and try it again. You needed to pick a section of the stream and do that and repeat. Thats fishing! At Waters Edge Lodging, this is their first year catering to anglers; call Polly Dieckman at 973-903-2344 for info.

With the NYS early big game archery season underway since Oct.1, whitetail deer hunters are well positioned to score on venison for table fare in the next several weeks. The incredibly well-developed olfactory sense of smell among the whitetail deer species allows bucks to locate does ready to breed as the ritual of reproduction begins at this time of year. This ridiculous deer sense of smell begets hunters to take note of the wind direction before heading out to their hunting area. Swirling wind patterns often trigger deer to sense man nearby, raise their awareness level of danger and turn to walk the other way, often frustrating hunters. The bright white deer hair of bucks and does is often the only thing a deer hunter will see when this happens. Hence, the reason these deer are called whitetail deer. For deer hunters with years of research and hunting experience, science has educated the group to understand that humans have a good sense of smell. Still, deer have an olfactory sense 300 times more sensitive than people. They can smell things that we cannot. Sometimes, this keen olfactory sense of the deer can lead them astray too. Savvy hunters in NYS are not allowed to bait deer with corn or apples on the ground, but hunters are allowed to use scent attraction formulas to raise the interest of deer to come and investigate. Deer are curious critters. A single apple cut in half and placed on a broken stick-out branch next to the hunter can act as a human cover scent, providing an attractive aroma for a favorite food for deer to locate and munch on. While deer in rut, in their breeding cycle, are usually not interested in eating at all, they are more interested in finding a mate, and right now. Immediacy is paramount for the bucks that sleep very little during the mating season. Understanding this part of the buck cycle, note that it is interesting that in NYS, it is legal to use bottled scents of does ready to breed and bucks looking for a doe. Each of these parts of the olfactory scent world of deer hunting allows the advantage to hunters, it seems. Yet when using these scents in the woods, it is surprising how often a hunter will see a deer coming toward him because of these triggers to follow scents.

The olfactory supremacy of the deer can also smell the hunters human scent and steers away. Advantage: deer. This is why many hunters set up their stand downwind of a deer trail, then drag an attractant scent on a dragline as they walk from the deer trail to their downwind stand placement. The deer will not smell the hunter whose scent is blowing away, while the nose of the deer is down to the ground following the fresh drag scent left by the hunter traveling to the stand with the string. Advantage: hunter. These are some things hunters do during this part of the hunting season. If you are a hunter, know that this is the fun part of the year and a time when using just arrows and strings, it is possible to attract a deer close enough for a harvest of organic, fat-free meat for the next several months. Wishing the best of luck to all archery hunters!

Wishing everyone healthy and safe fun at home and in the outdoors! God bless America.

Outdoors Calendar:

Oct. 1 Nov. 18: NYS Big Game Early Archery Season, hunting allowed 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset.

Oct. 15-28 NYS autumn turkey hunting season, hunting allowed sunrise to sunset, fall season bag limit: 1 bird of either sex.

NOTE: Submit Calendar items to nugdor@yahoo.com at least 2-weeks in advance.

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Rod, Gun & Game: Season of evolution begins in the autumn outdoors - Springvillejournal