September a beautiful month to be outdoors

September offers so many outdoor opportunities that I have difficulty allocating time to each one.If only I had more vacation time! I could drop the canoe in the local pond and fish for the bass as they gorge themselves for the long winter ahead.Maybe I should take a ride to Sluice Pond and try my luck at catching one of the leftover breeder fish that the state often stocks. I could head up to New Hampshire or Maine where the big lake fall salmon fishing is starting to peak.I haven’t gone striper fishing yet this year and I know they are on their southern migration, feeding all the way down the coast. Bluefish are everywhere.The fall run of King Salmon up into the Salmon River in New York from Lake Ontario is in full swing. We have heard reports of 20-plus hook up daily, with a half dozen fish being landed.And, of course, New Hampshire bow season is open. I haven’t enjoyed a fresh venison meal since last fall. I could go goose hunting for one of those geese that don’t realize they should be flying south.My fly rod is leaning against the wall in the garage. Maybe I should call my buddy Bill to see if he wants to wet a fly line in a local stream.Of course, to make sure they are ready for the hunting season I could head over to the sportsmen’s club and sight in my rifle and shotgun. My tree stand needs to be checked out to make sure it is still hanging safely where I left it last season. Wow, there is so much to do and not enough time to do it. Autumn is a great time to enjoy the outdoors.Oh, yes, I almost forgot, what a beautiful day to be out on the links!uSebago Lake in Maine is starting to show signs of fall expectations. Reports of spectacular salmon and lake trout are being heard. With cool evening temperatures, surface water has started to cool down, bringing the fish closer to the surface especially early in the morning. Use a sinking fly line or one to two colors of lead core and a tandem streamer. As the day progresses don’t be afraid to go down four or five colors of lead, the lakes haven’t completely turned over yet. DB smelts and Flashkings are also producing very well.uHopefully by this time if you applied for antlerless deer permit, you have checked to see if you are a winner and have followed the procedure to actually obtain your permit. The Division of Fisheries and Wildlife has decided to make the following changes to the sale of Surplus Antlerless Deer Permits for 2013. This year, to reduce user volume, they will stagger the sale of Surplus Antlerless Deer Permits by Wildlife Management Zone. Zone 11 permits will go on sale at 8:00am on Tuesday, Oct. 1; Zone 10 permits will go on sale at 8 a.m. Oct. 2; and Zone 13 and 14 permits will go on sale at 8 a.m. Oct. 3.Once on sale, permits will remain available until sold out in each Wildlife Management Zone.uIf you are 12-17 years old and a Basic Hunter Education graduate, the Youth Pheasant Hunt Program may be for you! This program provides youths who don’t have family or friends to take them hunting with an opportunity to develop their shooting skills and take part in a hunt with an experienced adult mentor hunter on designated youth hunt days prior to the regular pheasant hunting season. The program is conducted by sporting clubs across the state with the assistance of the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.The Youth Pheasant Hunt Program consists of three segments — shooting instruction and practice, a pre-hunt workshop, and finally, the actual pheasant hunt.During the shooting instruction, participants learn and practice the fundamentals of shotgun shooting and firearms safety by receiving hands-on instruction at a club range prior to the hunt.The pre-hunt workshop is a hands-on “in the field” session that includes instruction, working with dogs, and other upland bird hunting practices. The actual pheasant hunt takes place in the field under the watchful eye of a safe, responsible, experienced adult hunter.To find out what clubs offer this youth program, vis