In case you blinked, that was summer whizzing by before our very eyes.

Fall has arrived to provide abundant options for outdoor enthusiasts. Believe it or not, hunting season is already underway. Archery season started on Sept. 15 and runs through Dec.15.

It looks to be a good year for hunters — Proctor’s General Store store in Enfield Center has already begun to register deer.

Early season hunting is important because archers may harvest female deer. With approximately 100,000 whitetails in the Granite State, hunting is the best way to thin out the herd and control the population. Taking does helps to keep the numbers at a healthy level.

September is a mixed blessing for archers. The warmer weather makes sitting in a tree stand more comfortable, but getting a clear shot can be difficult with leaves still on the trees.

Rifle and shotgun hunters use these early fall days for scouting and setting wildlife cameras so they’ll know where to set up in November.

An exotic species that may be hunted this time of year is feral swine, wild pigs that wreak havoc in southern states and have been expanding into the northeast. Though the numbers are small in New Hampshire (Fish & Game estimates are around 500), taking them can prevent damage to wooded areas, farmland and wildlife. They are also known to spread disease.

Technically there is no New Hmapshire hunting season for hogs. By law, feral rooters are considered property of landowners so they may only be hunted on private land with the permission of the owner. (Wildlife Services requests that feral swine sightings be reported immediately to the office in Concord.)

Eastern coyotes are another nuisance species that may be hunted year round. The population of coyotes is estimated at 5,000 and growing. Coyotes are the only species that can be hunted at night with jacklighting techniques. They can also be baited.

Speaking of baiting, New Hampshire Fish & Game has imposed new rules this year for baiting bears and other wildlife. The rules, which apply to public and private land, are too complicated to delineate here, but they should be studied. Breaking any Fish and Game regulation can lead to loss of license, fines or imprisonment.

Migratory waterfowl season has also started in the Connecticut River Valley. Though the river watershed is the primary hunting area, just about any remote body of water will attract ducks and geese.

As always, be aware of regulations when hunting in close proximity to private dwellings.

Pheasant season kicks off in October. New Hampshire Fish & Game collaborates with private land owners to provide a fall hunt. The list of pheasant stocking areas is available at the Fish & Game website, www.wildlife.state.nh.us.

In our wildlife management area, pheasant are released on the west side of U.S. Route 4 in Enfield. A good field dog almost guarantees results in harvesting these tasty game fowl.

Wild turkey season for bow hunters opened on Sept. 15. Because of a tough winter in 2017, the turkey population is actually down about 52 percent, but there are still close to 20,000 birds out there.

Archers may only take one turkey of either sex.

Before setting out on a fall excursion, hunters should realize that New Hampshire has hunting zones known as Wildlife Management Areas. Most of the Upper Valley lies in WMA G1. Regulations vary from each area, so make sure you heed the local rules.

Fall fishing is touted to be some of the best of the year, though spring and summer techniques don’t always produce results.

Smallmouth and largemouth bass go deeper in the fall, seeking the warmer water as the lakes and ponds turn over.

There are deep diving crank baits, spinners and jigs that can be used to plumb the depths, but I

have found that live bait always works best. Shiner minnows can’t be beat for catching big bass in the fall.

For best results, find a drop off at last 22 feet deep and adjacent to weed beds or rock formations. Using a non-lead jig head, hook the minnow through the mouth. Cast the baited jig so that it falls along the incline. Hungry bass may hit the minnow on the way down or near the bottom.

Pickerel come to life as the weather gets colder, especially in ponds. Use a spinner tipped nightcrawler harness around lily pads and weed beds. The deeper weed beds, like the ones on the east end of Enfield’s Crystal Lake, produce the biggest the pickerel.

Of course, the real blessing in autumn is trout fishing. Rainbows, browns and brookies heat up in the cooler water. The window closes quickly because trout season ends on Oct. 15, but bigger fish are around and they fight better in the cold.

Lakes, ponds and streams aren’t as crowded in the fall, so you’re more likely to have hot spots all to yourself. So get casting!

Coleman Stokes can be reached at stokecoles@gmail.com.