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(This column was written by Jerry Smyly for the Demopolis Times)

It’s late October, wow where has the month gone? It seems like just last week we were sweltering in the late summer heat. Oh yeah, that’s because we were sweating through the early fall heat. Luckily a weather change has arrived and we’re getting cooler and more seasonal weather.

Many bow hunters have enjoyed some success during these cooler days. Both bucks and does are being seen with regularity. A few lucky hunters have even tagged a buck already.  A very lucky few have even taken bucks still in velvet! Several archers are reporting a good acorn crop and seeing good numbers of deer feeding on them in the mornings as well as evenings. Lush food plots have been good in the evenings, for those who planted early enough to have them available.

Continuing to scout for sign and using trail cameras to pattern deer can keep you in the activity. Food sources change, sometimes without warning, it’s important to stay in the loop on what the deer are doing in your area. In my opinion it is more of a waste of time to be hunting a cold stand than to spend a few hours creeping through the woods gathering important information.

From what I’ve seen and heard the fishing is picking up too, for those willing to tolerate the cool breezes while on the water. My trip a couple weeks ago was a lot of fun, and a recent derby over on the Alabama went fairly well, taking 17lbs to win. That’s not the big 20+lb bags of the spring months, but still not too shabby.

The crappie bite seems to be picking up as well. I’ve heard reports from the Mobile Delta north to our area that the fishing is heating up. I’m not much of a crappie angler, but if you catch a mess and need someone to help you eat them then by all means give me a call. Crappie are without a doubt among the best eating fish that swims!

If you’re not sitting at home watching football then you need to get outside and enjoy our great outdoors. The weather doesn’t get much better than this in Alabama. Seventies by day, 40s and 50s at night and low humidity to boot; get out and enjoy it! It likely won’t last long!

(This column originally appeared in the Wednesday, October 24 issue of the Demopolis Times.)