September is a welcome page on the calendar for Mississippi sportsmen

Put aside the wacky world that has been 2020. Thank heavens it’s September.

It’s the month that will bring us an official end to summer, if not its oppressive heat, which is always a good thing, no matter how screwed up the first eight months have been — thanks COVID-19.

And for about 200,000 Mississippians, it brings the hunting season. Yea! Two bits, four bits, six bits a dollar, if you’re ready to shoot something, stand up and holler!

We may not have football to cheer, and we may not even be able to send our young ’uns off to school, but by golly, there’s no better way to socially isolate than hitting the woods, waters and fields to chase:

• Alligators. If you applied and were lucky enough to get drawn, the season that started Aug. 28 ends on Sept. 7.
• Canada goose. The early season that gives hunters a shot at the growing numbers of these nuisance waterfowl opens Sept. 1 and ends Sept. 30.
• Dove. One of the most-popular seasons, this one starts Sept. 5 in both zones and ends Sept. 15 in the South Zone and runs through Oct. 6 in the North Zone.
• Gallinules and rails. Two of the least-popular hunting seasons in Mississippi, hunting is allowed for these migratory shorebirds Sept. 1 through Sept. 30.
• Teal. Duck hunters love this 16-day shot at the early-migrating blue-winged teal. It opens Sept. 14 and ends Sept. 29.

Fishing

Of course, if none of those opportunities cater to your liking, September is also a great month for fishing, both in the Gulf of Mexico and in our inland waters. Who doesn’t like catching redfish, speckled trout or tripletail in the marshes of the Gulf, or chasing schools of bass and crappie that are following the shad toward the shallows on major lakes and rivers?

The September issue of Mississippi Sportsman helps set the tone for your outdoor adventures with several regular features and stories that include expert tips that can help produce maximum results.

• Writer Phillip Gentry looks at the single-pole, vertical-jigging method of targeting big crappie in the fall transition period.
• Bryan Hendricks takes us to the Gulf for a look at the exciting sport of searching for and catching tripletail — aka black fish — all while cranked up and running nearly wide open.
• Mike Giles provides his annual assessment of the hunting opportunities on the state’s Wildlife Management Areas.
• Andy Douglas takes a look at fall turkey hunting, which just a decade or so ago was limited to a few Delta counties. Now, some other areas give hunters a chance to bag a bird for Thanksgiving. It’s a sport where wearing a mask is universally accepted.

Stay safe. Stay healthy. Be happy.