As I walked behind the mower last week, I saw them – brown, green, crisp and dead – laying there in the mower’s path; they were the first visible signs that fall is almost upon us.

I realize that Labor Day isn’t even here yet, but the dead leaves laying in the yard, the yellowing of the beans and corn, as well as the lower morning temps, are a sure sign that fall will be here soon.

This time of the year is always magical for me.  And as the corn stalks start to droop, and the apples start to get closer to turning into cider, something changes inside me.

It won’t be long before I spend many hours in a treestand.  And it won’t be long before I have my first close encounter with a whitetail.

It won’t be long before I feel at home.  It won’t be long before I feel alive.

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If any of you Michiganders who read this happen to be in the area, you should stop by our booth at the Dewitt Ox Roast this weekend.  A few of the SimplyOutdoors crew are going to be there, and we’d love to have you stop by and say hello.  You’ll find us in the Arts and Crafts area.

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I really can’t call it jet lag, because we traveled by car, but I still definitely feel a bit of vacation lag at the moment.  There is just something about riding in a car for 11 hours or more – it really starts to wear on ya.

Last week my wife, Abby, some of the wife’s family, and myself took a weeks vacation to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  All of you who read this blog know about my fascination with the Civil War, and after my trip to Shiloh a few years ago, I knew I had to visit Gettysburg as well – and it didn’t disappoint.

We visited the battlefield, took in the town a little, visited Washington, D.C. and just had a great time.  We stayed in a private campground near Gettysburg, and we loved spending the time outdoors, although the sweltering heat and humidity did make it a challenge at times.

We had an incredible week, and once I get things back in order around the homestead, you can be sure that you’ll see a few posts about our experiences in Washington, Virginia, Maryland, and most important of all, a little town in Pennsylvania.

It was incredible.

Hopefully, while I was gone, you took in Matt’s post about his first fishing experience in Hawaii.  It sounds like it was one heck of an experience.

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I know this has nothing to do with the outdoors, and I really have a great idea bouncing around in my head for a post, but I can only say one thing right now:

He’s staying!

And all of us Michiganders couldn’t be more happy!  And all of you other college basketball programs should be worried – very, very worried!!!

I love, love, love seeing loyalty, especially in this day and age.  Lets go Spartans!

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I watched the brown, chunky furball scurry across the road in front of me, and proceed to make his way from one farmer’s field to another.  A part of me wanted to punch the gas, and take the fat little chunker off the map.  But my family’s safety was far more important than doing my small part to help a local farmer out.   Plus, he had already made the grass near the side of the road, and the chances of me hitting him were slim to none.  I wouldn’t go through this much trouble to hit a squirrel – I hit the brakes for them – so going out of my way to end this varmints life wasn’t on my agenda for today.

And, if the truth be told, there was a much bigger reason I didn’t hit the gas:  I normally don’t kill anything I don’t eat.

But in this case, and because I know the headaches these pesky varmints can cause for farmers, I fantasized about aligning a .17 with his head, and pulling the trigger.  I don’t know a farmer in my neck of the woods that wouldn’t be happy to see a woodchuck dead; their dens cause damage to farm machinery, and they tend to eat up the farmers profits.  Plus, there are so many of them that the amount of damage they cause can make a farmer’s head spin, while draining his bank account at the same time.

Still, though, I couldn’t help but think about the many conversations I’ve had with non and anti-hunters alike about the fact that I only kill what I eat.  And, while that is true for the most part, I have no problem participating in a little pest control from time to time.  Chipmunks, birds, woodchucks, raccoons, possums, and many other pests can all cause a lot of damage, and I don’t have any problem with eliminating a few of them, especially if it means protecting my household investment.

But I wonder how such activity looks to those who don’t hunt.  And, I especially wonder how it looks to those who already believe the misconception that hunters only kill to kill.

I know that killing woodchucks and such helps the local environment, helps the local farmers’ crops, and helps to prevent unwanted damage to my own home.  I just have never thought about how pest control looks to those on the other side of the fence.  Does it give them more evidence to solidify their misguided belief that we are just heartless killers?

Truthfully, I’ve always told people that I only kill what I eat, and I never had any reservations about that statement.  I considered it to be true, because I didn’t really consider pest control as part of the “only killing what I eat” equation.

But do you think pest control – killing woodchucks, raccoons, possums, and such – only helps feed the myth that hunters only kill to kill, considering we have no intention of eating these particular animals?  Or do you think most people understand the difference between killing critters/pests, and hunting turkey, deer, elk, etc. for food?

Let me know what you think in the comments.

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