September a tough month for those who hunt and fish

This is a difficult time of year for hunters and fishermen. We have some of the best fishing of the year in the fall right when hunting seasons are getting underway.

During September, the decision for me is pretty easy. The current hunting seasons don’t hold much interest for me because I can’t hit a dove or a teal and I never did learn how to use a bow and arrow. However, with the mullet run underway, I can usually catch a bluefish.

In addition to bluefish in the surf, last September we had great flounder fishing in the ocean. I have no idea how the never-ending tropical storm will affect the fishing this year, but I am pretty sure the bottom of the inshore ocean is pretty well stirred up. My hope is that by next week or even this weekend we will find out if the flounder have hightailed it out of town or decided to stick around and give us another shot.

Black sea bass have been a welcome addition to the catch of flounder at the Old Grounds and other inshore locations. We only have another week or so to keep these fish before the season closes Wednesday, Sept. 21. It will reopen Saturday, Oct. 22, and run until Dec. 31. Unfortunately, most of us who fish on small boats will be reluctant to venture out that far in October due to the uncertainty of the weather. Fortunately, there are charter and head boats that still sail during the late fall, and they can put us on the best of the sea bass action.

Farther offshore, I think, the white marlin bite will be red hot once the weather allows the fleet to make the long run. There should be some blue marlin, dolphin and yellowfin tuna in the mix as well. The first boats out will have to do a bit of exploring to find the fish, but once they zero in on the most productive location, the action could be epic.

I have no idea what to expect out of the Delaware Bay. One would think the flounder should be moving out to the ocean, but this has been an unusual year for flounder movement, so they could remain in the bay a bit longer. It is much too soon for the fall run of rockfish, but the blues should still be active. Bottomfish, such as spot and croaker, may be around for a while before they too head to the ocean in order to spawn.

Squirrel season

I seldom hear anyone talking about hunting squirrels, but during my misspent youth I hunted them at every opportunity. I would have my Winchester Model 12 with a 30-inch barrel and full choke in the trunk of my 1951 Plymouth, and after school I would drive to a piece of woods off Darley Road in Claymont.  

Can you imagine what would happen to a 16-year-old kid who took a 12-gauge shotgun and a box of high brass No. 5 shells to school today? I am pretty sure it would involve SWAT teams, Homeland Security and a total lockdown of every school in the state. God help us all if the kid turned out to be Muslim.

I killed my share of squirrels in that woodlot that is now a housing development. I think squirrel hunting taught me how to be quiet in the woods and have the patience that is required to hunt deer.

Once the squirrel is dead, the work begins. Skinning a squirrel is not easy, but once they were prepared by my grandmother, the result was well worth the effort.

Eat what you kill

I recently had a discussion with a technician at a healthcare facility about killing wildlife and then either tossing it away or just using it as a trophy. She too was raised to believe that if you kill a game animal, either fish or fowl or mammal, you had the obligation to use it.

I was raised by my grandparents who were born in the 1800s in Laurel and survived the Depression and two world wars. They still raised chickens and grew plenty of vegetables at our home in Claymont. Nothing was wasted, and I have watched my grandmother canning vegetables in mid-August when it was hotter than the hinges of hell as she worked in a kitchen that did not have air conditioning.

My grandfather was a hunter and fisherman who brought home a fair amount of game. He would soak squirrels and rabbits in salt water for 12 hours before my grandmother fried them up in bacon grease. Fish were cleaned at the stationary tubs in the basement and given the same treatment as the squirrels and rabbits.

As someone once said, waste not, want not.