Commentary By George Morse
SUN Staff Writer
The days are still warm, but the mornings feel a little cooler and fall is just around the corner. We’re entering that time of year when if you’re a sports writer who also loves the outdoors, there aren’t enough days in the week or hours in the day.
Football season starts Friday, but three days later dove, grouse, pigeon and squirrel hunting seasons also open. Some of the most enjoyable days I’ve spent outdoors have been while walking through the forest toting a shotgun, keeping an eye out for any of these species. Next month the aspen leaves will turn golden and fall to the ground — I’m looking forward to walking through the mountains while listening for an elk bugle to locate a good hunting spot come October.
Blue grouse provide gourmet eating and are good-sized birds, with some reaching about three pounds. They can be hard to find, but there are worse ways to spend a day than tramping through the woods looking for grouse. You’ll often see pigeons and squirrels while you’re looking.
Look for dove at lower elevations. These birds like to have a drink of water before roosting for the evening, so water holes and rivers are good places to wait for them. These small, fast-flying birds are challenging targets and good eating, although it takes a lot of them to make a meal.
It’s time to fill your fishing reel with fresh line as well. The cooling water brings trout closer to the banks of lakes. Brook trout start taking on their brilliant red spawning colors and brown trout also become more active in preparation to spawn. Thanks to a good runoff and summer rains, the water level in the rivers and streams was pretty good most of the summer and there should be some good-sized browns taken. The fishing this summer was excellent for smallmouth bass at Abiquiú Lake and the abundance of small bass bodes well for the future. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Abiquiú become a top bass destination in coming years, and possibly produce a new state record.
The walleye fishing has been good as well at Abiquiú and some good-sized channel catfish have been caught too. To complete the smorgasbord of species available, there are some sizable brown trout. The trout are pretty deep this time of year, but later in the fall they should move into shallower water. One of the best trips to plan in the fall is a hike into the Rio Grande Gorge. You’ll find cooler temperatures, lower water levels and uncrowded conditions. The big brown trout in the Rio Grande are active in the fall as they prepare to spawn, and this may be the best time of the year to catch them. You might get a northern pike as a bonus.
My brother has become interested in gathering wild mushrooms and in September the shaggy mane mushrooms start popping out of the ground. If you pick wild mushrooms, be 100 percent sure of your identification of the species. Some of the most poisonous mushrooms are very pretty, taste good and are deadly with no known antidote.
One year, I picked some absolutely enormous giant puffballs in September and then stumbled across a patch of delicious wild black currants. I’d really like to see if I could find them again.
This time of the year is green chile picking and roasting time. Apples, melons, winter squash, corn, tomatoes and many other fruits and vegetables are starting to ripen.
For a hunter and outdoorsman, fall has been called the best time of the year and I wouldn’t argue with that. The good fall memories I have are too numerous to recall. Finding time between all the football games, volleyball games and cross country meets is a challenge, but one I’m certainly not going to back down from.