For the majority of hunters, the close of the regular deer gun season, followed by the calendar change from November to December, pretty much seals the fate of fall. While the past couple of weeks, I wrote about the many opportunities still available, the transition is inevitable. And it's not only hunters who are switching their focus...

For those of us who like to spend as much time as possible on the outside of the window, October is a sort of early Christmas present. Hunting seasons for just about everything are open, and fall fishing can be just as hot as summer, but without humidity and mosquitoes...

So Santa gets my Christmas letter and really appreciated that I had mailed it in July. He took special note of my thinking of him, and how busy he might be Christmas Eve. So I was surprised when...