Can it really be November already? It seems like only a couple of weeks ago we were gripped in that summer heat wave that gave us day after day of temperatures well above 90 degrees. But fall has been here for weeks now even though the weather has been warm and pleasant for the most part. Archery deer season is concluding its fourth week with three more to follow, and the small-game seasons are well underway too.

Although I haven’t been out as much as I would have liked, the fall trout fishing has been generally good so far. Water levels tend to be mostly low and clear but not terribly so. Water temperatures have averaged a bit warmer than normal for this time of year, which seemed to keep the fish in the mood to take dry flies well some days.

If you want to keep a few trout for dinner this fall, remember the daily limit for trout is reduced to three fish a day now and that applies only to stocked trout waters. Fishing for trout in wild trout waters or any other waterway not designated as stocked trout water from the day after Labor Day until the opening day of trout season is permitted on a catch-and-release basis only. Several waters in our area received a fall trout stocking last month: Canoe Creek Lake in Blair County; the Delayed Harvest section of Chest Creek near Patton, Duman, Lake and Lake Rowena in Cambria County; and Greenwood Lake in Huntingdon County.

Fishing for bass and other lake-dwelling species can be good during the fall as cooling water temperatures bring them into shallow water again looking for food as they bulk up for the winter. Another timely reminder is worthwhile for anyone who will be hunting or fishing from a small watercraft this time of year. Life jackets are required to be worn by each person onboard canoes, kayaks, paddleboards and all boats less than 16 feet in length from November 1 through April 30.

This weekend begins the opening of the fall turkey season in most of Pennsylvania. Spring turkey hunting seems to have eclipsed the fall session in recent years. Of interest to turkey hunters in our region, Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) 4A, 4b and 4D will again have a two-week fall turkey season this year from November 2-16 after several years of just a one-week fall season. WMUs 4A, 4b and 4D will not be included in three-day the extended turkey season on November 27-29.

The general elk season in Pennsylvania begins on Monday, November 4. This special opportunity is for a select group of hunters who applied for and were awarded a limited number of elk tags via a drawing earlier this year. Yhis year, 68 tags were available fot the general elk season – 30 for antlered bull elk and 38 for antlerless cow elk. All elk harvested during the elk season are required to be taken to the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s check station where each animal is weighed, and tissue samples are obtained for disease testing. The elk check station is located at the Elk Country Visitor Center in Benezette, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day of the season and is open to the public. Special vendors, educational displays and programs will also be available at the center.

One final seasonal reminder is November is the top month in Pennsylvania for deer/vehicle collisions. There are for several reasons for this situation. Overall deer numbers are the highest of the year now as this spring’s fawn crop are approaching six months old and a significant part of the statewide deer herd. Yearling bucks have left their family group and often travel many miles in the fall from where they were born to establish a new home range. With the end of daylight-saving time, many folks tend to be driving home at dusk or dark now when deer are often on the move. The cooler autumn weather in general also creates increased deer activity.

An enormous factor for the spike in deer-vehicle collisions is the peak of the rut, the breeding season for deer, typically occurs for about two weeks from early to mid-November in Pennsylvania. During the rut, even the wariest old bucks abandon their natural caution and succumb to the urge to mate, and they prowl about relentlessly for receptive does. And both bucks and does will do some crazy things when distracted by their breeding rituals, like bolting across a busy highway at any time of the day or night. So beware of deer while driving this month.