Here it is, the month many nature lovers have been waiting for is here. September is the month when hunting seasons really start and the time when stream fishing in the Great Lakes starts to heat up. Hunters and fishermen alike are looking forward to this month for different reasons.
Goose hunters will start the month strong on September 1st with 24 days to chase down their prey. The shotgun action is sure to hone your shooting skills for the upcoming firearms season. That will be followed up a week later with early September squirrel season, which will teach you patience for October archery season, which is just a few weeks away.
But if you’re one of the lucky hunters who gets one of 14 antlerless or 15 antlerless archery moose tags, everything else will probably have to be put on hold. The moose archery season runs from September 10 to 24 this year. It’s probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hunt a Pennsylvania elk and nothing else stands a chance by comparison.
Of course, if you’ve tried all of that, there’s always another option. You can try your luck wing-shooting those fast-flying birds which are a real challenge and good to eat. Yes, I am referring to pigeons and rails, which provide excellent breast meat when wrapped and cooked in bacon to make a top-notch table dish.
In the meantime, while participating in the above, you can check the Great Lake fishing reports online and get out there angling at a fast pace. Salmon is exciting, but hooking up with a rainbow trout, also known as a silver bullet, is truly an amazing experience. Anglers know that when lakes start to cool down and fall rains raise river levels, fish will start to run upstream.
Get ready now and get your gear out for the exciting month ahead. Don’t waste an entire month of a great outdoor adventure sitting around waiting for archery season. It’s a good time to be outdoors right now.
David Orlowski is a writer, hunter, fisherman, and outdoor enthusiast from Potter County. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association.