Brownwood residents enduring another stretch of triple-digit heat may have to wait a little longer for cooler mornings, but the outdoors is already showing signs that fall is approaching. Shorter days, changing wildlife patterns and ripening native plants are offering early clues that deer season, dove hunting, waterfowl migration and stronger fall fishing are on the way.
Luke Clayton, writing for Brownwood News on Aug. 30, described the region’s heat as a current heat wave but said cooler weather, falling leaves and frosty mornings are just around the corner. He noted that September can remain hot, although disturbances in the Gulf can bring rain, while a strong northern system from Canada can sometimes send cooler air south by mid-September.
Heat has quieted daytime wildlife activity
The prolonged heat has changed what Clayton is seeing on trail cameras near his home. He monitors cameras positioned at corn feeders on ranch land owned by neighbors who allow him access for hunting and fishing. Earlier in the summer, the cameras recorded deer during the first hour of daylight and again just before dark.
During the recent heat wave, however, daytime activity nearly disappeared. Clayton said the cameras had captured no animals during daylight other than an occasional crow or squirrel. Wild hogs, which commonly visit the feeders, have largely become nocturnal in his area and across much of Texas.
The pattern reflects the daily temperature cycle. Sunset was occurring a few minutes after 8 p.m., with darkness arriving around 8:30 p.m. Although temperatures could still be in the 90s at sunset, the air gradually cooled into the upper 70s overnight. The first hour or two after daybreak could remain near 80 degrees before temperatures rapidly climbed back toward 100.
Plants and deer are marking the seasonal change
Several natural signs are beginning to appear despite the heat. Squirrels are opening hickory nuts, oak branches are carrying mature acorns and the first acorns are expected to begin falling within a couple of weeks. Those early acorns will become important to bow hunters trying to determine where deer are feeding.
Persimmons have matured but are not yet ripe. Once they ripen, they are expected to draw wildlife ranging from opossums to deer. Muscadines are already falling, providing an early fruit source and recalling the late-summer harvest familiar to Clayton from childhood.
Sumac groves are also displaying their seasonal color. Their berries were described as a brilliant burgundy shade and are expected to turn dark red in October. Whitetail bucks are beginning to shed velvet from their antlers and remain in bachelor groups, although competition within those groups is starting to increase.
As testosterone rises, bucks will begin mock battles and establish a social order before the rut begins in early November. More serious fights among mature bucks can cause severe injuries and sometimes death, according to Clayton’s account of the natural cycle.
Fall hunting, birds and fishing are ahead
The first signs of migration are also developing. Teal are already moving south, while white-fronted geese are expected to begin arriving in roughly a month as colder conditions reach the Arctic and northern Canada. Waterfowl hunters will soon have an opportunity to work with retrievers and pursue teal.
Dove season is only days away in Clayton’s seasonal outlook, making it the first major hunting opportunity of the fall. He emphasized that cooler weather is not guaranteed immediately, but said the experience of hunting dove with friends and sharing a meal afterward remains a major part of the season.
Fishing should improve as fish respond to changing conditions. Sea gulls will eventually gather at inland lakes, while schooling striped bass are expected to provide strong action at lakes including Texoma and Tawakoni. Bass anglers will also have opportunities when largemouth bass drive baitfish to the surface. Clayton said this period generally favors catching numbers of bass rather than trophy-sized fish and can be useful for introducing children to topwater fishing.
For Brownwood-area outdoor enthusiasts, the message is to endure the final weeks of summer. The heat may continue for a while, but the shortening days, changing vegetation, shifting deer behavior and approaching migrations all point toward the fall hunting and fishing season.
Clayton’s weekly podcast, Catfish Radio with Luke Clayton and Friends, is available wherever podcasts are hosted. He can also be contacted through his website, www.catfishradio.org.