Of all the months in the outdoor calendar, September just might be the best time of the year for fishermen and hunters. It’s a time of transition, and with summer not entirely gone, fall not fully arrived, the season offers a wealth of opportunities to enjoy a taste of both.
Labor Day is done, students are back at school, the main tourist rush is over and the edge is off the heat of summer. While the days are pleasant and invigorating, nights already bring a hint of fall. On the hillsides, aspen leaves are showing the first signs of turning to gold. And with the Rockies poised to make another late-season run for the playoffs and the Broncos’ season just beginning, the woods and waterways are relatively uncrowded.
Fishermen may find some of their best times of the year while hunters can be searching high or searching low through the early bird and big-game seasons.
Trout fishermen can hardly go wrong. Rivers are low and clear and fish are rising to a smorgasbord of bugs that might include late-season hatches of Trico mayflies, evening caddis, grasshoppers and other terrestrial insects, along with some early blue- wing-olive mayflies — har- bingers of the approaching fall. Brown trout are growing more aggressive as their spawning time nears, and are more likely to take streamer flies, as well as more traditional offerings.
Trout in many lakes are becoming re-energized with the cooling water temperature and moving into shallower areas to feed for longer periods of time. Kokanee salmon are staging near inlets of larger reservoirs in preparation for their fateful spawning run upstream. Brown trout that have pulled a disappearing act into the depths during the summer are likely to be moving toward inlets to spawn, or cruising through shallow areas near the shore.
September also is a time to explore a mountain creek or a chain of beaver ponds, or possibly make that one final trek to an alpine lake. Brilliantly colored brook or cutthroat trout might be the reward, and in some cases, small- stream or high-lake fishing can be a natural combination with early season hunting.
While the dove-hunting season opened Sept. 1, several other seasons also are underway and others soon will be. Archery seasons for deer and elk continue through Sept. 26. Muzzleloaders with the required permits may take to the field Saturday in pursuit of deer, elk and bears, and continue through Sept. 19.
Though many hunters are single-minded, some enjoy a little fishing on the side. Archery and muzzleloader hunters might try some fishing during slow times of the day or as something to do after a successful hunt, when others in camp are still in the woods. Elusive blue grouse may be found near mountain creeks, and a trail through ptarmigan country might lead to an alpine lake. Teal hunters in the mountain counties also can try their hands at fishing the beaver ponds.
Whether combined with bird hunting or fishing, or merely as a great excuse to get into the mountains, September also is the time for looking ahead to the primary big-game seasons that open later in the fall. A scouting foray to areas that will be hunted can provide valuable knowledge about the lay of the land. A preseason camping trip can be a test run for new gear. But most important, hiking through the area that is to be hunted well before the season starts is a great way to get some exercise.
Hunting, fishing . . . streams, lakes … mountains, plains . . .
September offers much, but has one big downside. With so much going on, the month has only 30 days. No matter how you might combine things, that’s simply not enough time to do it all.
Seasons of September
Archery pronghorn: Through Sept. 20.
Archery deer and elk: Through Sept. 26.
Muzzleloading deer, elk and bear: Sept. 11-19.
Blue (dusky) grouse: Sept. 1-Nov. 21 west of Interstate 25.
Chukar partridge: Sept. 1-Nov. 28.
Dove: Sept. 1-Nov. 9.
Ptarmigan: Sept. 11-Oct. 3, statewide except units 44, 45, 53, 54, 66, 67, 68, 70, 71, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 444 and 751.
Sage grouse: Sept. 11-17 in units 3, 10, 11, 18, 37, 181, 201 and 211; Sept. 11-12 in units 6, 16, 17, 161 and 171.
Sharp-tailed grouse: Sept. 1-19 in units 4, 5, 12, 13, 14, 131, 211, 214 and 441.
Teal: Sept. 11-19, east of Interstate 25 and in Lake and Chaffee counties.
Turkey: Sept. 1-Oct. 3, west of I-25 and unit 140; Sept. 1-Oct. 22, east of I-25 except unit 140.
