Shifting from fishing to hunting

As a hunter who fishes, September is the month I shift my attention almost entirely from fishing to hunting.

How could I not since the ninth month of the year offers so much? Here’s  a sample of what’s to come:

Squirrels. Dedicated squirrel hunters have been in hot pursuit of bushy tails since the season opened back on the fourth Saturday of May.

In September, the month when squirrels get serious about cutting hickory nuts, a shotgun user or a rifleman can bag a limit from a single location.

This month is the hunter’s just reward for all that he or she endured during June, July and August and will endure from the first time the temperature drops below zero until Feb. 15.

Doves. In accordance with long-standing tradition, dove season opened on Sept. 1 and will close on Nov. 9.

Opening day action was the best this lifelong fan of the gray speedster has seen in years. Given that neither Hurricane Gustav’s rains or a prolonged cold snap interfere, dove shooting should remain good throughout the season.

Wilsons snipe and sora and Virginia rails. Yes, there is really such a thing as a snipe, and you can hunt them from Sept. 1 through Dec. 16.

Even fewer hunters can identify the two species of rails that are legal game from Sept. 1 through Nov. 9, but the Missouri Department of

Conservation’s “Migratory Bird Hunting Digest 2008” includes excellent drawings of both snipe and rails.

Their preferred habitats are flat, soft-bottomed shorelines with short, grassy cover.

Deer and turkeys. The archery deer/turkey season opens on Sept. 15, closes for the November portion of the firearms season and then reopens until Jan. 15.

An archery permit includes two either-sex deer tags and two either-sex turkey tags.

The tags may be filled in any order and more than one can be used in a single day. Archers may take no more than one antlered buck prior to the November portion of the firearms season.

Deer hunters throughout the area should be aware that the chances are good that their favorite hunting area is within the expanded antler-point restriction zone.

Bucks killed by any method in this zone must have at least four points on at least one antler. A point is defined as the end of the main beam and any projection from either the main beam or from another qualified point that is at least 1 inch long.

Note that broken points must have at least 1 inch of antler attached to the rack even though the entire point would obviously have been more than 1 inch long.

The entire responsibility for obeying this regulation lies with the hunter, so use whatever means are necessary to be sure the buck in your sights is legal before you shoot.

Giant Canada geese. The early season designed to help control the exploding population of giant Canada geese is relatively new, but it’s one I hope will become a tradition.

This year’s season, which I believe is two weeks too short, runs from Sept. 27 through Oct. 5. The limit is three geese, one more than during the regular goose season.

There are good numbers of resident geese on the state’s major reservoirs, but the best place to hunt these birds is on private farm ponds.

The filth left behind by a flock of geese is more than enough to convince most landowners to grant access to any responsible person who asks.

Rabbits. I have to fudge a single day to include rabbits on this list, because rabbit season doesn’t open until Oct. 1.

Rabbits are legal game through Feb. 15, so many hunters forgo the early part of the season at least partially to avoid coming into contact with sick rabbits.

Tularaemia, one of the most common human-transmittable diseases carried by rabbits, should be taken seriously. Always wear latex or rubber gloves while cleaning rabbits and discard any with white spots on their livers.

Rabbits that are listless or show other symptoms of illness should be avoided. My theory is that any rabbit that stays ahead of a beagle for a half-mile must be in pretty good shape.