The leaves are turning and the pumpkins are now a beautiful bright orange.
October is here and for most area hunters this is the time of year things are really starting to happen.
During October just about all the main hunting seasons get started in Washington state, with some already underway and others kicking off this upcoming weekend.
Muzzleloader deer hunters are in the midst of their early season, which opened this past Saturday. The warmer daytime temperatures and some road closures due to the fires and fire danger has made it a bit more challenging, but with a few days left in the season and the near freezing temps in the mountains in the next few days, the muzzleloader hunters still have a chance.
The early muzzleloader season ends on Sunday, Oct. 6.
And, if the muzzleloaders don't notch their tag, some later muzzleloader seasons around the state give them a chance to get back out after deer during November.
Muzzleloader elk season opens this Saturday, Oct. 5 and runs through the 11th. So, hunters who have both muzzleloader deer and elk tags get two days of overlap where they can hunt both animals.
The majority of muzzleloader elk hunters will be hunting for spike elk, while the muzzleloader deer hunters have several options depending on what part of the state and what species of deer they are hunting.
Most hunters in our region are hunting for three-point or better mule deer.
The more popular, main modern weapon deer hunting season, known as general season, opens on Saturday, Oct. 12 and runs through Oct. 22 in our area.
General rifle season for elk opens on Oct. 26 and runs through Nov. 3.
Upland game and waterfowl hunters also have their seasons getting underway in the next few days and weeks.
Throughout most of Eastern Washington the general quail and partridge hunting seasons get underway this Saturday. But on Yakama Nation lands, partridge and quail season doesn't open until Saturday, Oct. 12. That is also the day waterfowl and pheasant hunting opens on Yakama Nation lands.
Throughout the rest of the eastern half of the state, the general pheasant hunting season opens on Oct. 19.
Waterfowl hunters around the state hit the wetlands for their opener on Saturday, Oct. 12. The season is open for only a few days, closing on Oct. 19, and then re-opens for the remainder of the season on Oct. 23. This includes ducks, coots and snipe.
The general goose hunting seasons also open on Oct. 12, but have different closures, or partial closures, depending on what part of the state you are hunting.
As is the case with all the hunting seasons, it is always a good idea to get copies of the big game hunting regulations booklet and the waterfowl and upland game regulation pamphlet to know exactly what the seasons are for the species you are hunting.
For the latest information on any special closures or openings, land or road closures or other changes in the regulations, keep an eye on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife website.
Again this year, the WDFW website has a fairly in-depth look at the hunting prospects for the upcoming seasons. The site breaks up the state into 17 districts and gives a forecast for each district based on biologist surveys and field work.
The site also gives information on last year's harvest records by species in each of the districts, which helps when planning for upcoming hunts.
The Yakama Nation Wildlife website details all the hunting seasons on Yakama Nation lands and provides a colorful map on feel-free-to-hunt locations throughout the reservation.
Morning temperature in the 30s tells us fall is here. And just in time, because many of the hunting season openers start this weekend, with others to follow shortly thereafter.
For most hunters in the area, we are heading into the best time of the year.