It gets dark early now; gone are the times of June when daylight lasted until well after 9:00. Here now the ever shortening span of daylight hours, darkness seemingly in a rush to cover the world, to take back minutes of light every day. Days of temperatures that bump 80 degrees give false hope; darkness that falls earlier every day gives reality.
Those shorter days mark September; make it different, dramatically so, from August.  But also we are now into hunting season and the next days and weeks bring change on that front as well.  Bear hunters have their day now as do goose hunters.   Next weekend, the 13th, sees archery season kick off and with it the all-new crossbow season (now open to all comers). Deer numbers took a hard hit last winter but hunting enthusiasm remains steady. 
Next weekend also brings the opening of grouse season and with it conditions of thick cover that makes an open shot nearly impossible. But that will not slow the stalwarts. Fall turkey season starts as well and the week after, September 20, woodcock are fair game.
All of which is to say that the length of days is not all that is changing. We are seeing splashes of early fall color, red leaf among the green. Ferns will change soon. Blackberries are ripening but the crop is thin.  Birds are gathering now; early migrants are already on their way south.
Through all of this season change fishing remains a constant; that season is long and with the exception of trout closing soon, will mostly stay open. This month is the month when we can expect waters to cool off and fish to come on, bulking up for winter. As September ushers in the hunt so does it give hope to big-fish anglers who know that the waning months of autumn holds potential for larger fish.
It gets dark early now; gone are the times of June when daylight lasted until well after 9:00.  Here now the ever shortening span of daylight hours, darkness seemingly in a rush to cover the world, to take back minutes of light every day. Days of temperatures that bump 80 degrees give false hope; darkness that falls earlier every day gives reality.
 It is fair to say that no matter how warm it may get on a given day, the summer has passed; fall is here and change will come quickly now. And it is best not to waste time waiting for a better day to get outside.
The Outdoor Report is provided by the staff of Mel’s Trading Post in downtown Rhinelander.