A late-summer look at your deer hunting area can pay dividends come opening day. Of course for bowhunters these benefits are pretty direct. Late-summer blends easily into early fall and most deer patterns change little before the opening of early bow seasons. However, there is a slight and subtle shift of feeding patterns. Grasses and forbs are beginning to dry out and deer are seeking juicier morsels. Cornfields are good bets as the ears ripen and apple orchards are becoming very attractive. Both of these will remain good bets into the fall. Wild fruits rather than buds are now becoming available. Persimmons, wild crabapples, hawthorns and a variety of other fall fruits and berries are ripening now and deer seem to know these things won't last. They feed heavily on fall fruits while they are available. Bowhunters should take note of what deer-favored fall fruits are available in their area and are becoming available during the archery season. Before the rut, hunting a food source is a good bet. -- Brenda Valentine

Virtually all formal shooting ranges require shooters to wear eye and ear protection while shooting. These rules make excellent safety sense and should be obeyed. Further, recreational shooters on non-formal ranges should take heed and follow suit. Impact-resistant glass or plastic goggles protect the eyes from windblown dust and grit as well as particles of burned powder, wadding, clay targets and the uncommon but not impossible pierced primer. Hearing loss is permanent and irreversible. Sounds above 100 decibels damage the sound receptor cells of the inner ear. Virtually all firearms (including the .22 rimfire) produce muzzle blast at or above this threshold of potential damage. Ear-muff type protectors are the most effective, but even the cheap disposable foam ear plugs help a lot. New technology has brought us electronic muffs and plugs. These allow normal sounds, such as conversation, to be heard and even amplified, but slam an electronic "door" on loud peaking sounds like gunshots. Such devices are excellent for hunters who wish to protect their hearing.

The old "take a kid fishing" concept is rapidly being expanded to take a kid outdoors. Be it fishing, hunting, hiking or camping. As mature outdoor-loving adults, we have a responsibility to pass along both the pleasures and the skills that are part of the outdoor recreational experience. Start with your own kids and try to include their friends who may not have outdoor-oriented parents. Not so sure about your own skills? There are many programs available to help families and non-outdoor veterans enjoy the outdoors. There are even programs aimed at single parents. Realtree has supported many of these, including the National Wild Turkey Federation's JAKES program, Ducks Unlimited's Greenwings, and the American Sportfishing Association's Future Fishermen Foundation. Most state wildlife agencies have (indeed require) hunter safety education and promote other programs as well, such as the Becoming an Outdoor Woman program. Call your state wildlife agency for more information on hunter safety and other outdoor education programs for the family.

Become a line-watcher to catch more fish. Game fish often hit lures as they sink or "drop" and most fishermen miss this light touch on slack line. During the drop, with the line slack, you are literally out of touch with your lure and unless you notice a telltale twitch of the line you never know the fish was there. Spinner baits, jigs, grubs and plastic worms are often purposely fished on the drop by veteran anglers. They are retrieved a few feet and then stopped, at which point they begin to sink. Why this is so attractive to fish is unknown but it works. It also works in reverse. When a diving plug is stopped, it begins to float toward the surface. Again fish will often hit it then. Unless you are watching your line, you will never know. To set the hook, reel the slack out of your line and snap the rod tip upward sharply. Remember, you don

It seems like I write this all the time, so if I'm boring you, I'm sorry, but... You need to start shooting and sighting in your rifles in the summer for best results in the fall. First off, if any mechanical problems crop up, you still have time to get them fixed. If you've mounted a new scope, had your rifle bedded, changed ammo or made any other significant change in your shooting rig, starting your shooting sessions early gets the kinks worked out. Gun writers are particularly sensitive to this because we change our gear so often when testing new optics, new loads and new guns. All sorts of things crop up: Mounts that are incompatible with scope or gun, ammo that doesn't shoot as expected, new guns with mechanical difficulties that range from minor to major. A problem discovered two or three months before the season allows time for correction. However, two or three days before opening day, it's a different story. -- Larry Weishuhn