This week has the thermometer spinning like “Wheel of Fortune” as the low of minus 14 and the high of 54 degrees have me dizzy.

My wife reported to me that Butler County was colder on Tuesday than Fairbanks, Alaska, and the South Pole. If I start to see penguins and polar bears walking around Lake Arthur, I will know I have finally lost it in a polar vortex!

The deer season in most regions of the state comes to an end this weekend and I must admit that it was less than a stellar season for me. Quite a few misses in the late season and no one to blame than me. I saw some dandy late-season deer that were very healthy and well nourished. This should parlay into some strong fawn activity in the coming months. I was able to watch several yearlings strut and play while I watched. They would give a burst of speed and run a short distance, turn on a pivot and fly past me going the opposite direction.

They were not being pursued or bothered; they were just doing it because they could and liked it! You have to love their joy for life even in the dead of winter.

A sure sign of spring is that the PFBC has their 2014 Pennsylvania Fishing Summary Booklet out. The two trout openers were listed as March 29 in 18 Southeastern Counties and April 12 as the regular Opening Day for trout statewide.

The Saturday Opener is a big event day for many sportsmen as they make it an official Sportsmen’s Holiday as they plan a weekend outdoors. We will be cutting firewood and making sausage in the next few weeks so that we can have lunch prepared on an open flame of hardwood.

Years ago, two old codgers, Vic and Quincy, showed us young fellows how good a sausage sandwich could be cooked on forks over an open fire.

Yikes … it seems that we are now becoming the old codgers! I did order a new griddle top that fits exactly over both burners on our Explorer Stove. What a great tool for cooking outdoors and having multi uses for campers and outdoor activities!

I saw one at a Gander Mt. Outdoor Store and regretted that I never purchased it. I looked everywhere around these parts and no one carried the accessories for the Explorer Stove. Many people carried the propane stove, but requests for griddles and such fell on deaf ears.

Do you think the buyers for these stores ever really cooked a meal out on the trail’s end? Ended up getting it on the good old internet … wow.

I did make some New Year’s Resolutions for 2014 that I think will make me a better outdoors person. One resolution was to hit the club range much more often this year. Not just to sight in a rifle, but to really become more proficient with the tool.

Even though ammunition is at a premium, I can spend some time fine tuning my shooting skills. If you get away from basic practices, you can really mess up your chances in the field.

I’m making a second resolution to have my boat, the Fish Hawk, really ready for spring fishing. I’m checking trailer tires and may replace the old ones with new ones and reserve an old tire as a backup spare.

I want to fish the Presque Isle Bay in Erie for all sorts of fish once it gets a little nicer. I know that I will need to have the boat in tip top shape on the water and on the road.

The worst case scenario for me is breaking down with a trailer problem or flat on I-79. I need a flare gun and my bilge pump that works, too!

Thirdly I am going to make a black powder trip to the George Washington National Forest for a combo hunt next fall. I have the connections in Virginia all that I have to do is the planning and then follow through! If I can get started on those three resolutions, I will have a great start on 2014 and a lot of good memories to put in the adventure book. I have some nice fishing trips planned for Ashtabula on Lake Erie as it has become one of my favorite ports to fish out of.

When the spring sport shows get rolling in the next month or so, make it a point to hook up with some of the charters out of that port for a great fishing experience. A one-day charter fishing license is only $11 per trip. The cost is well worth it as many of us came home with coolers full of tasty walleyes and perch. I pan fried walleye fillets on Friday and they were some of the best fish that you will ever taste.

Until we meet again, get out and do something wild in the January thaw!

Jay Hewitt is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.