Nick Simonson

With the rapid approach of the deer firearms season opener, more hunters are gearing up for another November afield. Whether in pursuit of that monster buck or a doe to provide enough sausage to last the winter, being prepared for the hunt and checking off those things needed to make it safe and successful is not only important, but also a good way to burn off the last few days before the season starts. What follows is a basic list to get you set, which can easily be modified to a specific hunt or to personal preferences.

No other upland bird provides a greater lesson in the importance of varied and secure habitat than the ringneck pheasant, and in that process, reinforces some vital protections those areas

With the rapid approach of the deer firearms season opener, more hunters are gearing up for another November afield.

Sunday night football just isn't for me, even if the Vikings are playing. Here in the throes of middle age, where my bedtime often settles in before that of my two boys, I'm more likely to wake up and shuffle from my recliner through a dark and quiet house at 11 p.m. than to come close to finishing the first half of the game, let alone watch the whole thing. Using the screen of my phone as a flashlight, I flick through the notifications to find the final score, and pleased that my lack of watching triggered a win, I am able to fall asleep this particular Sunday. I recall my last evening memory being the start of the Vikes' two-minute drill, just before the sugar of a filched peanut butter cup from my kids' Halloween haul put me under just before the half ended.

As things get colder and the season shifts around the start of firearms deer season, hunters can take stock of accomplishments in the first half and prepare for the second half to come as conditions and hunting opportunities change.

Ahead of the firearms deer season, I pondered over my nature. An excitable guy, subject to the throes of adrenaline and emotion, fidgety and talkative, it's a wonder I ever got into deer hunting at all, especially the kind I now enjoy most. After a couple seasons of walking hunting, a mentor introduced me to still hunting, and since then, I haven't looked back. That's usually because I'm seated against a steep hillside or the trunk of a large cottonwood tree to which my deer stand is attached and there's nothing really to see in that direction anyway. But it's also due to the fact I could never hit a buck at a dead run with an offhand shot as the deer gets up from cover and sprints away. All humor aside, still hunting has just been a better overall experience which has produced great memories in the long hours of waiting and a better shot when a deer did come into view.

Antlers. Those that are big enough reduce even the best hunter to a shaking pile of human-shaped jello on stand. Beyond their power in the field, however, there is a huge market — however sometimes dubious or even illegal — for antlers in one form or another. From curing ailments to bringing continued good health, the demand for antlers, especially in the far east, is as astounding as their effect on the average sportsman.

Expect deer – especially bucks – to become less nocturnal as the rut kicks in. A solid corn harvest will likely force them into nearby habitat and the urge to mate will draw them out into daylight, and the open, giving hunters a good chance at tagging out.

I've often said that each bird is a trophy, especially in those seasons where winter weather, dry summers, or other situations have impacted populations making it tougher to come by those favorite upland quarries. Even in this autumn of relative plenty, where every walk has produced a pheasant, partridge or some other winged target for my dog and I, each bird in the bag feels like a big success, especially last week while hunting the rolling hills of some public acres west of town.

I’ve often said that each bird is a trophy, especially in those seasons where winter weather, dry summers, or other situations have impacted populations making it tougher to come by