I once again had a chance to head north to the Marcell area where we have our cabin. The leaves are in the midst of a color change and the colors on the aspen and birch trees were starting to come full tilt.

This is a great time of the year to be outdoors and enjoy the fall season. There is something about fall that I have always liked and have mentioned many times. I don’t look at it as the end of summer but the beginning of the best time of the year.

Spending a few days alone in the woods can make a person aware of a lot of things that you otherwise might not notice.

There are numerous eagles that soar over the treetops and seemed to have staked claim to a dead tree on almost every lake in the area that I have fished this year.

The bird is enjoying a great growth in population and with all the state and national forest land in the area it will flourish for years to come. I don’t think there is a more beautiful sight than to be able to watch an eagle soar over the colorful treetops of fall.

It may only be me but there seems to be more wildlife around than ever before and I have been lucky enough to see many things this year that I’ve never seen before. The deer sightings have been plentiful this year and luckily they’ve been seen but not introduced to the front of my vehicle.

On Sunday I took what I guess will be my last trip of the year to Spider Lake. It’s about twenty miles from our place with the last nine miles being gravel winding through some mighty pretty country, although it’s pretty much all that way up there.

I spent most of the day on Spider catching a few fish and enjoying the fall sunlight when it made a brief appearance from behind the constantly moving clouds. The fishing wasn’t as good as I’d have liked but I did catch a few different species including largemouth bass and a large northern that I never hooked but seemed determined to not let go of the perch I had on the end of my line until I had the landing net in hand. With the sun appearing less frequently from behind the clouds and the temperature not venturing much over 60 the moderate but cool north wind finally let me know it was time to head back to the cabin.

As I drove the windy road through the Chippewa National Forest I saw a large animal run across the road at the crest of the hill ahead. At first I thought it was a bear but as I approached the top and looked down a forestry road I could see a large wolf trotting along as only they can and it slowed and glanced back for fleeting moment and then turned and continued on its way. What a sight!

This was a day to remember. Eagles, wolves and an occasional deer sighting. For someone that enjoys the outdoors it just doesn’t get much better than that. I know that when we decided to look for a place up north, this area was the one area that I always felt was the real &uot;up north.&uot;

I don’t know too many areas that can let a person see an eagle feeding on a deer carcass on the side of the road or spot a wolf, see a bear swim from a point to an island and see moose climbing from a lake before disappearing into the woods.

The area also has its share of grouse and there were hunters walking the numerous trails in search of the wily bird.

I’ve never hunted them but I do know that you have to have a keen eye and good reflexes to be successful. Just the thrill of the hunt and walking in the woods in the fall would be more than

worth the price of a license and a few shells.

I just can’t help but marvel at all the resources we have available to us in this great state. You don’t have to travel hundreds of miles to enjoy our great fall colors and if you hunt deer the numbers around the state are up again this year. Our area also has pheasants and waterfowl for those that seek to hunt them.

In a couple of weeks the colors should be great around here and if you’ve never done it &045; a trip to the Mississippi River in the fall is a sight to behold.

Do remember one thing &045; the fishing season is far from over and there is plenty of fishing action yet to come. Fall seems to be the best time for those tasty jumbo perch and if you are looking for that elusive lunker this is the time of year when your odds of catching the &uot;Big One&uot; are the greatest.

Bass fishermen don’t forget next Saturday, October 9th.

The 6th Annual Diehard Bass Tournament will be held on Fountain Lake. Be at the landing at 7 a.m. for sign up.

Blast off is at 8 a.m. Twenty-five dollars gets you, your boat and one other person entered. There is a good payback and there are some nice bass in the lake just waiting to be caught.

Until next time play safe; take time to enjoy the outdoors and &uot;Let’s go fishin’.&uot;

Remember to show your support for the troops that are serving our country so that we may enjoy these many freedoms that we have.