McClory: Plenty of options this time of year

Autumn has so many outdoor opportunities that it’s an effort to allocate time to each one. If only I had more vacation time I could easily fill the time. It’s a good time of year to drop the canoe in the local pond and fish for the bass as they fill up for the long winter ahead. You could also take a ride to Sluice Pond and try your luck at catching one of the leftover breeder fish that the state often stocks. Grab a buddy and head up to NH or Maine where the big lake fall salmon fishing is starting to peak. If you haven’t gone striper fishing yet this year, they are on their southern migration feeding all the way down the coast. Bluefish are everywhere, plus NH bow season is open. You can either check out your tree stand or you might even get lucky enough to fill the freezer with venison early. Of course, on a free Saturday afternoon, you can go to the club and sight in your rifle and shotgun to make sure they are ready for the hunting season. Massachusetts archery season starts in two weeks. If you are into fly fishing, why not wet a fly line in one of our local streams? Just to make it even more confusing, there are still many good days left for the links.There is a great program again being offered this year, on Becoming an Outdoorswoman (BOW). It’s a great opportunity for women to learn what the outdoors has to offer and how to safely take advantage of it. This program is presented by the Mass. Division of Fisheries & Wildlife in conjunction with the Shirley Rod & Gun Club and Devens Reserve Forces Training Area. It is a two-part program consisting of a 1-day seminar (Oct. 29) and a 1-day deer hunt on Dec. 3. Participants may choose to take part in one session or both. No previous hunting experience is required, but participants must have a shotgun and a valid 2011 Massachusetts hunting license. First-time participants are required to take the seminar segment if they want to participate in the Deer Hunt. The seminar will provide information on deer ecology, deer behavior and Massachusetts’ deer management. It will provide an overview of deer hunting strategies and allow you to select the type of hunting that is right for you. It will also provide an opportunity to check your hunting gear and to sight in your shotgun with expert assistance. If you have not hunted deer before or have minimal experience, you need this seminar. If you have not previously hunted deer with this program on the Devens RFT Area, you must take this seminar. If you have taken the seminar in the past three years, the seminar can be waived. Hunt Participants must have a valid 2011 Massachusetts Hunting or Sporting license. An antlerless deer permit for Zone 9 is not essential, but useful. You will need a shotgun with which you have practiced, and will be shooting deer slugs only. You will also need warm clothes that can be layered and a comfortable pair of hiking/hunting boots. For additional information and registration information, call (508) 389-6300, or visit http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/education/bow/bow_home.htm.Deer hunters are reminded that antlerless deer permit sales will begin Oct. 11, 2011, for surplus permits remaining in Wildlife Management Zones (WMZs) 10, 11, 13, and 14. There are no surplus permits available for any other wildlife management zones this year. Hunters will be allowed to purchase one permit per zone per day. The cost is $5 per permit. Permits will be sold in MassWildlife’s Westborough, Ayer, West Boylston, Pittsfield, and Belchertown offices. Hunters who purchased their hunting/sporting license online may purchase permits online. Once the quota is reached in a particular WMZ, permit sales for that zone will stop. Hunters must present their original license to purchase permits.Don’t forget, the oldest agricultural fair, the Topsfield Fair, started Friday, Sept. 30, and runs to Oct. 10. The fair is celebrating both its 193rd year and its 101st year at its Topsfield location, the old Treadwell Farm. If you go to the fair,