Our total catch was 681 fish, including 443 rainbows, 236 browns and a couple whitefish. Our PIT tag recapture rate was around 19 percent, which is similar to what we normally see. The big fish of the night was a rainbow trout that stretched the measuring stick to nearly 22 inches, while the longest brown was just less than 19 inches.

Now that these ponds are being stocked weekly, it’s the perfect time to start getting out there with family and friends. Whether it’s for the family interaction, some quality time with a spouse or just to reacquaint with nature, community fisheries offer ideal outdoor settings.

I still recall the sight, sound and feeling as the beautiful white birds soared past and landed on the water before me. It’s difficult to describe the spectacle with words. Blue was barely visible as the sky filled with honking, fluttering geese, all looking for a place to land. I was awestruck.

My son, Josh, has accompanied me and our two yellow labs on several chukar partridge hunts over the past few years. I’m glad he came along on those trips as a spectator because chukar hunting is one of the most difficult hunts for youth. Now, he knows what to expect from his first chukar hunt this Saturday.

Learning to fly is a process, not a single event, and almost all peregrines come down to earth at least a few times. And the downtown area is a difficult place to learn to fly. Everywhere you look, there are hard surfaces: asphalt, concrete, brick, metal, glass and motor vehicles.

Before heading into the field, we practiced. Josh worked on using the turkey box call, and we practiced sighting in the shotgun on a silhouette of a turkey. After explaining where to shoot the bird (to avoid damaging the breast meat) and discussing many other safety tips, we were finally ready!

My adventure began about a year ago, in March 2010. I’d heard tales from previous years, and I knew the season for bear denning was upon us. For a small-town girl from Mississippi, this was a chance of a lifetime!

As a child, I spent many days and nights catching these fascinating creatures. Most summer evenings, I could be found at a nearby pond, covered in mud and holding a bucket full of tadpoles. Luckily my mom, a science teacher, didn’t mind the mess and…