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This weekend we were sharing first hunt stories. My first year of hunting, my dad was so excited that he bought me an Elmer Fudd-looking orange hat complete with the fuzzy ear flaps. I wore that thing every day we went out because he was so proud of it.

When I shot my first deer, it was the same. My dad and our friend Dave Helterline were with me when I shot a buck that first year. I was excited, but my dad was beaming with pride and Dave was elated to be along for the first one. It was a little guy, but I was proud of myself too.

That was a few decades ago, but the stories never get old. Everyone who hunts has a long hike story or a great kill on opening day story. But there are also stories of defeat. There are unfortunate stories of people wounding animals and not finding them, or the hunters who draw special tags and hunt all year long just to come up empty handed.

Rifle season starts this weekend, and the energy is changing around the county. People are ready for fall. They are ready for the change in seasons, the cooler temperatures and to shift focus. The hustle and bustle of summer is transitioning into the slower winter months. I seem to be a little too distracted by the shortening daylight hours (only two more months until the days get longer). People are busy gathering firewood, cleaning up gardens and getting the last of the yard work done.

My favorite season is fall. I love the colors, the crisp mornings and warm days, and all the transitions of a new season. And though I don't hunt that much anymore, I still feel that anticipation and am excited and hopeful for our local hunters. Mostly, I love hearing those first hunt stories that kids will have as memories decades later.

Good luck to all our hunters this season. Share your memorable first hunt stories with us at [email protected].

­— Annie Wooden