September 1

With the start of September many seasonal events take place. School is back in session, football season starts, the summer heat begins to fade, and camo comes back in style.

When Sept 1 rolls around every 364 days, it’s like New Year’s a few months early. This is hunting season, September 1 is the day you need to replace your yearly hunting/fishing license in the state of Texas. You can do so a few days early, but September 1 your license expires and it NEEDS to be renewed. It is like an unofficial secret menu holiday.

The process to get your new license is easy and forthcoming, with little surprises. Pretty much each year you will get the same, for me, super combo, HIP certified, and double check salt water stamp. One year, for some reason, my salt stamp was not added. But this event is like a badge of honor, you walk up, say what you want, they print and go. It’s a great feeling when your passion’s opening day rolls around. Nothing beats the hot dogs on opening day in baseball, the roar of the crowd for the opening kick in football, or the sound of sneakers hitting the hard wood for basketball. Better yet, what about the smell of gas and screeching tire sounds of NASCAR at Daytona?

For the outdoorsman the sights and sounds of opening day are much different. We smell the woods and water; we hear the birds and squirrels, the sound of mullet jumping in the bay, our opening day starts well before day light and ends well past dusk.

So here is to all the outdoorsman who secretly mark September 1 on their calendars, to those that value the privilege to enjoy nature from field to freezer, to those that believe camo is a fall pattern much like Heather Gray. Here is to our unofficial secret menu holiday and us.