Autumn – My Favorite Time of Year

Autumn officially begins on a September day when there is equally 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. This happens somewhere around the morning of the 23^rd this year (2011). It doesn’t really matter to me…in fact it is one of those things that I know can’t be controlled; it is going to happen and we are just along for the ride. And what an awesome ride it is. I love autumn; always have and always will. It is my favorite time of the year, no questions.

When I was a kid it always meant that we got to hunt. Now…there was some work involved as we would typically get up early and squirrel hunt, cut a little wood, or maybe fish in and around doing a few things on my grandpa’s farm…but in the end there was a lot of outdoors involved. I can still recall vivid memories of us taking a break while cutting wood and having on the radio…listening to Don Fisher as he would call an IU football game. Eerily it is still much the same today as Don’s iconic voice is still heard and unfortunately he still has to get very excited over what is regularly below average success…maybe, just maybe, Coach Wilson will be the one; a guy can always hope?

As September moved into October and the warm, left over, summer days started to have a nip in the air…my thoughts would turn to rabbit hunting and I knew that just around the corner I would be cracking and popping as I followed around one of our many beagles (beetles as dad would call them). Oddly I can recall running the dogs through so many coveys of quail and not being able to chase or shoot them…it was torture then and just plain cruel today as those memories are about all we have to shoot at in southern Indiana.

When I turned 23, bachelors and masters degrees in hand I set out for a new venue…Wyoming called and I spent the next 6 years chasing just about anything that could be chased across the “Cowboy State”. Fall in Wyoming is and will always be a special place. If you haven’t ever been there in October…then please set your sails west and put it on your bucket list. There is no place or no sight like the high mountains when the Aspens turn into their golden treat. The veins of gold that run vertically up and over the mountains are a sight that has inspired many a great man….and it certainly did for me as well. I had one glorious morning in Natrona County as I sat waiting for the fog to lift; knowing that somewhere below me was a herd of antelope. As early morning progressed into late morning and the sun did its job, there below me was about 100 antelope all grazing or lying around…just taking it easy. Amidst the big herd was one special and large antelope buck. He was resting, back against a large boulder with his harem just below. The picture is emblazoned in my mind; Aspens were aglow and for once the fog had been my friend and not a single critter knew of my presence. I eased my .308 Winchester up, dialed down the scope to 4X and squeezed off one accurate bullet and my buck still hangs today in our living room at home; a reminder of an autumn day, when I was a much younger man, a day that it all came together and for a while was perfection.

Late autumn is my very favorite time of year…when the world doesn’t know if it is still fall or winter. I love to be out with my dogs on these early December days in pursuit of birds; it seems as though all is good and I know that God is cleaning up the growth of spring and summer as well as the harvest of autumn. The nip in the air tells me that in the not too distant future all is about to change and soon we will once again be yearning for those warm spring currents and watching for gobbling turkeys as well as the beauty of a yard full of flowers…ah, but for now…it is, or shortly will be autumn. I hope you have a wonderful season and spend as much time as possible just outside Enjoying the Great Outdoors.