You just have to love October, in spite of the snow this one had. This past week had some absolutely gorgeous fall weather. I finally got out for some archery hunting and though I didn't see much in the way of deer yet, I can tell you the squirrel population is just fine. They keep you entertained while waiting for deer.

For many anglers, it's all about walleye right now. They have been hitting pretty well below the Adam T. Bower Memorial Dam and the power plant dam a little further downstream. Boaters venturing out of Shady Nook to fish the lowhead dam at the power plant need to stay below the buoys. It is illegal to go past the buoys. Boaters venturing into the exclusion zone between the buoys and the dam have been fined.

Walleyes will hit a variety of lures and bait. Smoke- and/or chartreuse-colored plastics on 1/8- or 1/4-ounce jigs are reliable producers. The best fishing has been during low light conditions, but as the water cools, they will hit more during the daylight.

I shot a crossbow for the first time the other day. Before you begin the condemnation process, hear me out. The person who owns the said crossbow is an archery hunter who has never used the crossbow for hunting. He got it just to see what they were about. He asked me if I wanted to shoot it and at first I didn't, then I figured what the heck, I'll try it.

I never shot one before and I put the first three bolts (crossbow arrows) into a tight, three-inch group in the bullseye. I was impressed to say the least. Am I going to rush out and buy a crossbow? No, I'll stick with my compound bow for now.

Somewhere right now there's a nose picker in the back of the room badmouthing crossbows. A crossbow inside the 30-yard mark is a potent weapon. There is no doubt that it is easier to kill a deer with a crossbow. Many archery hunters use compound bows, carbon arrows, expandable broadheads, mechanical releases, fiber optic sights and a host of other modern improvements, yet they decry crossbows. It is easier to kill a deer with a modern compound and the techno-gear improvements than it is with a long bow and wooden arrows.

As a matter of fact, the only people I haven't heard complain about crossbows are the traditional archers. They've already seen archery season invaded by compounds and in-lines, so I guess by now it doesn't matter.

Crossbows are here to stay. I would rather have someone cleanly kill a deer with a crossbow than make a poor hit with any kind of bow. It is a matter of choice. The degree of difficulty that you choose is up to you.

Archery hunting in its purest form is traditional archery using fingers, wooden bow and arrows. The compound bow, with whatever gadgetry you choose, is the current mainstream archery tool of choice. Crossbows step up the degree of hunting efficiency, it just depends how much of a challenge you want.

-- Ken Maurer, Herndon, is a licensed fishing guide and a regular contributor to the Outdoor Section. E-mail at kenrose@tds.net