As the high holy days of the sporting life grow near, sportsmen and women will take to the local waters to pack in just a few more brook trout forays before the trout season comes to an end on Oct. 15.

However, as the trout season winds down, it’s important to note there are a number of local lakes and ponds and many miles of rivers and streams that will continue to offer year-round angling opportunities. Mountain Pond, located just north of Paul Smiths, is a prime example.

Anglers will also have plenty of opportunities to tangle with salmon in the lakes, ponds and rivers.

For the first time in more than a century, the annual upstream migration of salmon to their historic spawning grounds on the Boquet River will no longer be hindered by a dam in Willsboro. The spawning salmon will now have unrestricted access upstream, providing water levels permit. If so, mature salmon may be able to access historic holding pools at Boquet Falls, Whallonsburg Falls, Little Falls and maybe even Wadhams Falls.

The salmon may also travel into the waters of the North Branch of the Boquet, which is a smaller tributary that flows through Lewis and Reber.

I’m looking forward to the run with high expectations, as the salmon population on the big lake has increased in both quality and quantity in recent years. The annual salmon run on the Saranac River in Plattsburgh is is a truly unique migration as it occurs through the center of metropolitan area.

With the removal of several old dams on the Saranac, I expect salmon will be able to return to their historic spawning grounds on the river.

Historically, in genteel angling circles, the accomplishment of landing a salmon on a dry has long been considered the pinnacle of an angler’s career. Although I fish for sporting purposes, I always like to land at least a few fish on the grill.

After the trout season comes to a conclusion on Oct. 15, the traditional transition from fishing season to hunting season will provide an extended period of overlap. The transition from fishing season to hunting season will be more notable in the Champlain Valley, where sporting enthusiasts have the opportunity to hunt upland species such as ruffed grouse, woodcock and pheasant, with the added potential of getting a crack at a whitetail deer.

I’ve always considered the autumn months to be the high holy days of the sporting life. It is a season that provides a unique mix of tradition, trends, activities and friends. It’s a timeframe that allows us to escape the busy summer season and renew our spirit in the solitude of the big woods. It allows us to get reacquainted with old friends that we may only see but once a year, and at the same time, it’s a chance for us to be a bit wild once again. Most importantly, it gives us the time recover the special sense of wildness that remains in the heart and soul all outdoor travelers.

Autumn is a season where daylight comes late, darkness comes early and cold weather can show up at anytime. For traditional woods wanderers, it is the finest season. There is simply so much to see, hear, smell and harvest. It’s almost possible to taste the pungent scent of decay that takes over the woods as the daylight hours begin to dwindle.

And as cooler weather begins to secure the scene, the fallen leaves on the forest floor will frost over with oversized cornflakes that will betray the presence of creatures from the smallest mouse to the largest buck.

While the frosted woods are the bane of still hunters, they can be a boon for those who are willing to sit and wait. In my eyes, the first heavy frost of autumn is the equivalent of ice-out in the spring. It is a signature event that signals the forthcoming transitions and traditions that will affect the woods, the waters and the wild creatures that travel there.

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Hunt hard, hunt long and hunt safe

Last year’s big game hunting season in New York proved to be one of the safest on record. According to state Department of Environmental Conservation reports, it was the first year without a hunting-related shooting fatality since the 1950s.

The DEC’s hunting safety statistics report for 2015 indicated that there were a total of only 23 hunting incidents, the third-lowest number on record. Ten of the incidents were self-inflicted injuries and 13 were two-party incidents.

Nationwide, more than 85 percent of all hunters prefer to pursue big game, such as deer or elk. Increasingly, these hunters chose to utilize tree stands during the course of their outings. As a result, treestand injuries now account for the majority of all hunting injuries. Many of these injuries were easily preventable with the use of a safety harness. Climbing without a harness currently accounts for the majority of hunting accidents nationwide.

Last year was the first year without a hunting-related shooting fatality in New York since record-keeping on hunting statistics began back in the 1950s. The 2015 hunting season also continued the trend of declining incidents with New York’s hunting-related shooting incident rate (incidents per 100,000 hunters) declining almost 80 percent since the 1960s. The past five-year average is down to four incidents per 100,000 hunters, compared to 19 per 100,000 hunters in the 1960s.

The report indicates eight of the victims involved in multi-party incidents were not wearing hunter orange. Hunters should always assume every firearm is loaded; control the firearm muzzle in a safe direction; keep their finger off the trigger until ready to fire; identify their target and what is beyond; and wear hunter orange.