Wherever you find yourself in the outdoors this fall, go for the gold. As the season shifts, the leaves change and fall, and the grasses dry up and transition to their autumn hues — from the those brassy shades of tall field grasses in a wildlife management area to the bright yellows of the aspen trees in a state or national forest – the varied shades of gold are a hallmark of great hunting, because they not only help color the experience in the wild world, they also suggest strong habitat to support the game species we pursue.

While wandering down a windward draw, my dog and I bounced from willow clump to willow clump, exploring a break in the transition from uplands to swamp in a waterfowl production area. While the pheasants in this spot on the edge of their tertiary range were limited, I fully expected to find deer sign and make note of it for the future.

Before I had a chance to inspect the seasonal rubs on the stems of the brush or look for scrapes in the dirt along the evident trail I was walking, a large four-by-four whitetail burst from the cover not 20 feet in front of me. While it wasn’t the flush I had hoped for, the shattering of the yellow-leaved crown of small trees on the edge of the slough drain and the bounding of the big buck got my adrenaline flowing and stressed the importance of the preserved space amidst the harvested corn fields around us.

Similarly, it was the beckoning of a bright yellow bush at the beginning of our next walk that caught my dog’s attention as the unseen scent line drifted down the small rill that drained into a large slough at the center of another piece of federal set-aside land. Switchbacking with nose glued to the ground through the beige brome and copper bluestem he sent a pair of pheasant hens skyward as he cornered them on the edge of the grasses beneath the branches of the shrub.

Exploring new places in the outdoors and hunting those areas I’d not been before gave this weekend an edge of excitement, despite the cues and clues that autumn experiences in the past had provided in these new-to-me locations. Habitat will always hold the opportunity to find the game I’m looking for, and perhaps my quarry on a future hunt in those areas as well. Following the golden trails of grasses, brush lines, and leaves on the trees up high before they are gone with the shifting season has always been an excellent course on any adventure this time of year. While they may not glitter or shine like the valuable mineral, these places are certainly worth their weight in gold to me and anyone looking for an opportunity to find success each autumn … in our outdoors.