It's the question we deer hunters want to have answered each fall: When's the best date to hunt the rut? Well, I think I have the answer—NOW!

Trail cam photos over the past week were the first indication, but this morning's tree stand report has confirmed it for me: If you're thinking about taking some vacation time or calling in sick in order to go deer hunting, now is the time to do it if you live in the Northeast. 

"New" trail-camera bucks (those I haven't previously seen) were the first indicators and when I saw a couple of fawns without their "mom's," I felt as if we were getting close to prime chase-phase time. An e-mail from my buddy this morning confirmed it all:

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It's still early enough in the season that we welcome the snow—a few inches maybe, but not two feet! Ironically, on the 20th anniversary of the Perfect Storm came another fairfly rare fall snowstorm that has buried much of the Northeast in a foot or more of snow.

More than two feet cover the ground outside my Berskshire Hills deer camp and I can't help but think that a snowfall this deep, this early will be a game changer for the rut. Here's what I mean...

With almost a foot of snow on the ground by nightfall last night, all manner of deer seemed to be up on their feet and feeding heavily on apples. Make no mistake, the deer in much of the Northeast are on an apple pattern this fall.

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The Missouri Department of Conservation is warning outdoorsman about the potential dangers from encounters with non-native species including mountain lions, snakes, zombies and bears. Ummmmm... huh? Zombies?

In a special "Flesh Afield" blog, the MDC advised hunters to beware of the state's newest invasive species threat—ZOMBIES!

"While zombie management is largely left to the police, military and health agencies, conservation plays a role in protecting Missouri's fish, forest and wildlife resources—and Missourians—from this invasive species," cautioned the MDC. "Hunters, campers and others in the outdoors and on conservation areas should know there is always the chance they may encounter a zombie while out in the field. Good preparation helps you know what to do if you encounter this newest invasive species in Missouri.

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Mohammed Atta gunned the throttles of Flight 11 over 25th Street and 5th Avenue. I know that because I was directly beneath it on September 11. The roar of the engine is stuck in my ears 10 years later—I can’t forget it, don’t want to forget it. From the street, I watched the first plane go in, then the second and then saw both towers go down. I wondered just how many people—firefighters mostly—were standing under them when they collapsed. I wondered about Brian Boll first.

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Mohammed Atta gunned the throttles of Flight 11 over 25th Street and 5th Avenue. I know that because I was directly beneath it on September 11. The roar of the engine is stuck in my ears 10 years later—I can’t forget it, don’t want to forget it. From the street, I watched the first plane go in, then the second and then saw both towers go down. I wondered just how many people—firefighters mostly—were standing under them when they collapsed. I wondered about Brian Boll first.

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In what has to rank as one of the most bizarre yet fascinating outdoor tales we've heard of in years, biologists have now confirmed that the mountain lion struck and killed by a Tucson in Connecticut was originally from South Dakota! Confused? Okay, let's back up.

In early June, I reported on a spate of reported mountain lion sightings in Fairfield County Connecticut. Before the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and state police could even get rolling on their investigation, a mountain lion turned up dead on the Wilbur Cross Parkway—run over in the dead of night by a motorist in a Hyundai Tucson. Considering that the last confirmed mountain lion sighting in Connecticut was a century ago, the DEP was quick to conclude that the cat was likely someone's pet that had somehow escaped captivity. When their search for mountain lion permitees turned up nothing, the hunt for a better explanation as to the cat's origins and movements was on. The long-awaited necropsy results  tell an incredible tale.

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The tales of mountain lion sightings seem to take on mythical status anywhere east of the Mississippi, but especially in the Northeast where the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in March declared the eastern cougar extinct. Well it seems as if someone has some explaining to do. First, residents of the tony Fairfield County community of Greenwich reported a big cat roaming their woods late last week and now Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection officials report that a mountain lion was struck and killed by a car in Milford. 

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Anyone who hits the woods with a bow can tell you that it’s a wild rollercoaster ride of extreme highs and gut-wrenching lows. Bowhunting basically boils down to a strategic game of mere inches, yards and the tiny mistakes that can leave you second guessing yourself for an eternity. At some point, every bowhunter will inevitably hit rock bottom and suffer through their first heartbreak. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened to my son James last September during a close encounter with a beautiful high-racked buck in our home state of Kentucky. 

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Winter can take its toll on wildlife and this year has been especially hard on some species, and we’re coming into the most critical time period with as much as 30 days remaining in some areas before melt off.  I did some regional checkups on numerous states WSI(Winter Severity Index) and here are the results:

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From the "It-couldn't-happen-to-a-nicer-guy" department comes word that Jim Crumley of Trebark camouflage fame has won the Virginia Lottery's Millionaire Raffle.

Crumley, who compared the adrenaline rush with spotting a big buck from a treestand, plans to spend the money to boost retirement savings and sponsor a family trip.

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