Overdue - September- Geese, Deer, and Fish

     Apparently I haven't updated this since late August! Lack of motivation I guess, but this is going to be a slow week for me work wise and duck season just ended yesterday, so I figure I can at least write about and recap another season. Overall it was slow. We had trouble finding good numbers of ducks, when we did things often didn't work out as planned. There were certainly high points along the way though, and it was still one to remember.

September 

Early Goose
     September brings us the first waterfowl season of the year. Early canada goose hunting.  Canada geese can be broken down into two very basic categories: migrants and residents. Residents are the birds that breed here and stay all year long. These are often the birds you see in parks, golf courses, and on lawns during the summer months.  The migrant population are generally birds breeding in Canada which begin to migrate south at the beginning of fall.  The goal of most wildlife agencies is to reduce the number of resident geese which are often seen as a nuisance, all the while maintaining a healthy migrant goose population. Since the majority of migrant geese don't begin arriving until October, very liberal bag limits are allowed during all of September. 
      Like many other hunters in the area we take advantage of this season. It's a great way to shake the dust off the gear and get back into the groove for the next five months of waterfowl hunting. The trick to this season (for us) is hoping the geese are using areas we can hunt (mainly farm fields).  The problem, was that the birds mostly weren't using the farms we were able to hunt.  We went out a few times and had a couple decent hunts, but it set the pace for the rest of the waterfowl season. Slow!

A pair of Canada geese on the approach.

A goose with a leg band taken during the Sept. goose season.

Deer
     Along with goose hunting, the season for white-tail deer also begins in September.  Archery hunting begins in the middle of the month and is a great way to get out hunting while the weather is still warm.  I have only become a "deer hunter" in the past few years. Although I had gone for many before, I never cared for it much. I now look forward to sitting in a tree with a bow and arrow (or gun depending on the season) and waiting for a deer to walk by.  I also enjoy filling my freezer with delicious venison! I hunted several times in September for deer and was able to get things started with a nice doe.

 Venison: butchered and ready to wrap and freeze.

Fish
      September is a great month for fishing as well as hunting. The days are still hot, but the nights are generally a little cooler.  Freshwater fishing picks back up after being slow during the heat of the summer. Saltwater fishing follows this trend as well.  Many saltwater game-fish begin their migration south and feed heavily along the way.  For the months of fall, saltwater fishing can be extraordinary as seemingly endless amounts of striped bass and bluefish inhabit the coastal waters of Rhode Island and Connecticut. Inshore appearances by pelagic species also become more common and the brief arrival of small tuna species such as atlantic bonito and false albacore begins.  These fish are all hungry on their migration leading to some of the best inshore fishing of the year. As with most falls, my mind generally switches to hunting mode and I don't fish as much as I would like to or should.  I did however make it out several times and caught a few along the way.

A false albacore taken off the coast of Rhode Island on a cool September morning. These fish offer great light tackle fishing for a brief window each fall.