Groundhogs, ground squirrels, chipmunks, turtles and snakes have begun to leave the above landscape and tree leaves are beginning to drop. Like bears, these animals resort to hibernation or similar winter lifestyles to avoid winter.
Autumn is their signal to change, as it is for a host of birds including most robins and bluebirds, tiny hummingbirds, sapsuckers and various blackbirds, along with much larger turkey vultures.
But watch for the return of others, including juncos, evening grosbeaks and maybe a snowy owl or two. Some of these visitors leave harsher more northern winter conditions than the Midwest provides.
American woodcocks, too, go a ways south, but not before hunters attempt to a take a bird or two. It’s likely that the timberdoodle will be more noticed this autumn with an unexpected decline in ruffed grouse.
October is generally when hunters, most with dogs, populate northern Wisconsin in search of partridge. But when that population is low, the smaller woodcock is featured in more bird discussions, is flushed frequently, and sometimes hunted directly.
In addition to ruffed grouse indications sounding an alert, the season has been shorted by about a month in northern Wisconsin, closing December 31.
All West Nile Virus sampling kits are in the hands of hunters, but more will be available next year to soak up drops of blood and jar the tiny heart for virologists.
One hundred Wisconsin ruffed grouse are now on the ground in Missouri as part of a three-year trapping effort to see if populations can be re-established in the Show-Me State. Wisconsin obtained a donation from Missouri to help improve more Wisconsin habitats for this forest upland game bird.
An attempt to make the ruffed grouse Wisconsin’s state game bird failed, but may be re-energized next year.
The first few weeks of crossbow and archery seasons recorded more than 6,000 deer. Follow the numbers on the DNR web page at http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/wildlifehabitat/harvest/deerharvest.html New registrations are added each week.
Wild duck season in southern Wisconsin is open through Oct. 7, then closed for five days and reopens from Oct. 13 to Dec. 2. The Northern Zone is open continuously until Nov. 27, while the Mississippi Zone is closed Oct. 6-Oct. 12 and the season closes Dec. 4.
Upcoming deer seasons include the Youth Deer Season, Oct. 6-7; and Gun Deer Hunt for Hunters with Disabilities, Oct. 6-14. Remember the blaze orange clothing rule (highly visible clothing requirements) applies to most other hunters during these times. Waterfowlers are exempt, however.
The general trout season closes Oct. 15 and reopens (catch-and-release) Jan. 5, 2019.
Shagbark hickory and black walnut gathering remain spotty at best after a bumper season last year. Acorn production and drop, particularly the white oak group, is good. Keep this in mind for hunting squirrels, turkeys, deer and grouse, too.
Wisconsin’s diverse forests and other plant ecosystems are usually not superior for autumn color, so best to diversify searches for alluring colors. Marshlands, prairies, mixed forests, savannas and coniferous forests all provide some spectacular viewing and photography.
Orange tops many lists as a green replacement in October. Look for bittersweet vines twining up trees, over fences and shrubs. Petite, bright orange fruits burst to expose a miniature pumpkin-appearing center. The plant name says it all; the bitter bark turns sort of sweet when chewed.
— Jerry Davis is an Argyle native and a freelance writer who lives in Barneveld. He can be reached at sivadjam@mhtc.net or at 608-924-1112.
