A blissful hereafter for me would be an endless October with its rust-colored foliage, crisp mornings and balmy, sun-drenched afternoons. There would be outdoor companions, hunting dogs, good bird guns and alder runs. The flaming sunsets would linger longer, and the rafting loons would not have to find refuge in coastal estuaries and points south.

But, alas, it isn’t so. October’s powerful splendor is short-lived and outdoor folks must make plans and carry them out to the fullest — if full benefit is to be gained. Outdoorsman sense a compression this time of year, not unlike the spring debut of Maine’s abbreviated trout season. There is a mixed feeling, a sense of fleeting time along with great anticipation mingled with frustration. Fall fishing, bow hunting, bear hunt, moose hunt, upland birds, waterfowl, deer season, the list on. So much to do and so little time to do it!

I’ll bet that last year October’s plans never fully materialized for you. I know that they didn’t for me. Maybe we need to pick and choose, as the saying goes, and plan realistically those outdoor activities than can be done within nature’s allotted timetable.

Here, to assist you in sorting out the options and assembling your outdoor autumn dance card, is a calendar of important dates:

Bow Season:

Expanded archery season for deer: Sept. 10-Dec. 10 (In designated zones only). Special license required

Regular archery season for deer: Sept. 29-Oct. 28 ( bow license required).

Firearms for deer:

Oct. 31-Nov. 26

Maine residents only day: Oct. 29

Statewide muzzleloader season: Nov. 28-Dec 3.

Extended muzzleloader season: Dec. 5- Dec. 10 in WMDs 12,13,15,16,17,18,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,30

Moose season:

WMDs (Wildlife Management Districts) 1-6,11,19: Sept. 26- Oct. 1.

WMDs 1-14, 17-19 27,28, Oct. 10 -Oct. 15

WMDs 15,16,22,23,25,26 Oct.31- Nov. 26.

(4) Maine Residents Only Day WMDS 15,16,22,23,25,26 Oct. 29

(5) WMDs 2,3,6,11 Nov. 7 – Nov. 12.

Bear: General season: Aug. 29 -Nov. 26.

Grouse: Oct. 1-Dec. 31.

Woodcock: Oct. 1-Oct. 30 (Daily limit 3; possession limit 6).

Ducks: North: Sept. 27- Dec.4; South Nov. 10- Dec.25. (Complete breakdowns of the goose and sea duck seasons is available at www.mefishwildlife. com).

Fall wild turkey:

Zone 1 (archery only) WMDs 12,15,16,17,20,24,25,26 Oct. 8 – Oct.22

Zone 2 (archery only) WMDs 21,22,23 Sept. 29 – Oct.28

Zone 3 (archery & shotgun) WMDs 15,16,17, 20-25 Oct. 15 – Oct. 21

As October nears, upland bird hunters start asking each other, “How does it look for birds this fall?” I put the question to Maine’s upland bird biologist Brad Allen, himself an avid gundog man in his free time. Here’s how Brad sees the bird season shaping up:

“Nesting woodcock experienced cool and wet conditions in May. Despite decent (average) breeding numbers on the male survey, production in Maine will be poor. The jury is out on grouse. I’d say spotty. I have had reports of grouse broods here and there. The north was looking good, but they got a lot of rain in June, particularly in two big events with several inches. Probably fair grouse hunting this fall up north. Turkeys are showing up in two waves. A fair to poor initial hatch because of greater than average May rain, but considerable opportunities for renesting. I’m seeing a few broods now in late July with just few day-old poults. People will report two sizes of young next month, a few big poults and several very small poults. IF&W has an August brood survey. We’ll see what that reveals. Waterfowl early nesters did not do too well. Late nesters like ring-necked ducks probably fared better.We’re just getting brood reports from our regional biologists now. I’d say average (or a little below average) for ducks and geese. Eider production in Maine was almost non-existent this year with a small percentage of hens even bothering to nest. Hens of this long-lived species routinely “take a year off and this was one of those years.”

The author is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide, co-host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network (WVOM-FM 103.9, WQVM-FM 101.3) and former information officer for the Maine Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. His e-mail address is [email protected] and his new book is “A Maine Deer Hunter’s Logbook.”