Sitting out on my deck after a long day is one of those moments that let you take a break and reflect on what’s going on around you.

This was a perfect evening with a hint of coolness and freshness that comes after a well-needed rain the night before. The local fauna was on the move as they scrambled for acorns, clover grass and in some cases my buddies’ endive plots.

This year, I’m feeling pretty sassy that for the most part I foiled the deer, groundhogs and rabbits with a makeshift fence. If they wanted to really make a try at the garden they could do it with little effort. but so far, no troubles.

Sometimes sportsmen get into debates about the pros and cons of doe hunting and the effect it has on the deer population. It really becomes a political and ethical hot potato for some areas.

In other areas, the deer population does get out of hand and they can be very bold and destructive to farmers and homeowners property. Once wildlife gets into a routine in their food search and acquisition, they work it until it is done.

There is no thought process that says we should leave this alone now so there is some for everyone or for next year. Like my friends Tony and Nick say, “They got a taste for it!”

Have you ever watched the competition for a favorite food among the wildlife species? I have a favorite white oak tree where I hunt that is a local hot spot for drawing in wildlife. In one day I have seen deer, turkey and squirrel all foraging for the mast dropped under that tree.

The competition can be fierce and the animals show a greedy self survival side as they gobble up mast and chase off the competition. That tree is a focal point for food and brings up a point of how important it is to keep some mature mast bearing trees in all woodlots and forests.

Food, dens and seed for future trees can only come from such trees. Without these magnificent trees interspersed in the woodlands, the diversity of the environment suffers, as does the wildlife.

• Did you ever have one of those once-in-a-lifetime hunting and fishing days when everything lined up into a perfect day? They don’t come often and when they do, all you can think and say is wow!

Beaver Boy and Ken Bryan and I headed up to Lake Erie for one more run at the outstanding 2012 class of walleye. If you haven’t tried your hand at the fishing this summer, you have missed the boat …so to speak.

Anyway, we hit the biggest walleye we’ve caught ever … usually on every trip we’d catch a fish or two that would be impressive, but on this trip 8-10 pound walleyes were the norm and the fish box couldn’t hold them!

Ken Bryan finished off the day with a citation sized steelhead that was also impressive as it was over 30 inches, too!

With all of my success on the water, it looks like I am going to have to share the catch on Labor Day weekend with a fish fry. I’m looking over some great recipes and it looks like a beer batter recipe for deep frying and a panko bread crumb baked fish will be the front runners.

We will have our own wine and walleye festival! If you missed out on the walleye bonanza, the perch fishing is getting hot right now and they are the best fish of the year. Jumbo perch fillets will hold their own with any fish for table fare.

• All of the local antlerless deer licenses have been sold out. The WMU 2D and 1A areas made it to the third round and if you wanted one and missed out , it’s your own fault.

My one brother lives out of state and I constantly have to remind him of deadlines and getting it done when it comes to licenses. We like a late season hunt and he will apply for a non-resident tag every year and sometimes get it right … but not always.

He thought that he had an ace in the hole when his daughter Megan (sophomore at Roanoke College) was roped into being his personal assistant. Megan did all the writing and my brother just signed it and sent the $26.70 to the County Treasurer and smugly waited for his license.

Good news and bad news … he was awarded the license, but he better know someone in Pittsburgh as she wrote down WMU 2B instead of 2D! The other good news is that if he finds a place to hunt, there are still 56,000 licenses remaining!