While rules around Sturgeon fishing keep getting tighter and the deadline just passed for the 2009 season, for those of you who purchased a license, or are wishing you had. There are a few new stories that are must reads for avid fishermen getting prepared for life on the ice in 2008/09.

Wisconsin's regular nine-day gun deer season opens this Saturday and runs through Sunday, Nov. 30. State wildlife officials say hunters should be able to look forward to a good season. Even after a pretty tough winter in parts of the state, and a harvest of more than 520,000 deer last year, the deer herd is still a good deal larger than established population goals in much of Wisconsin.

Just before dawn Saturday, 631,223 hunters hit the woods with a license intent on bagging a deer as Wisconsin's annual nine-day gun deer hunt opened. Department of Natural Resources Secretary Matt Frank was out in south central Wisconsin visiting deer hunters and DNR staff at registration stations on opening morning of Wisconsin's annual nine-day gun deer season.

Some parts of far northern Wisconsin received up to several inches of snow last weekend, with the Hurley area in Iron County reporting 5 inches, but the snow cover had all melted by mid week. The leaf drop is now nearly complete in southern Wisconsin, with mostly oaks still holding leaves. Smaller lakes, bays and ponds in the north have continued their trend toward ice up. Water temperatures have fallen into the low 40s and, with single-digit temperatures in the last few nights, some ponds and small lakes have developed a thin layer of skim ice.

Seems like more and more Milwaukee area school districts are using the Halloween holiday as a reason to schedule "in-service" days. That means that many of you are looking at a four-day weekend the last week of October and probably wondering what you can do since most cities and towns around Milwaukee will be finished with Halloween this weekend. Why not take a break before the really cold weather gets here and head to Disney World with the kids?

While Door County is best known for Spring, Summer, and Fall vacations, there's more to see and do in the off-season than you might imagine. Before the bitter cold shows up and the snow blankets I-43, make sure you make it "up nort."

If you like fishing tournaments, but don't like having to drive up north every single weekend, you now have an option in your own backyard. Not only that, but you have a chance to win $100 cash for each winning fish in any of six categories.

With gas prices going up and down like a yo-yo it's hard to imagine that a trip anywhere could be cheaper by driving. Get ready, because in some cases it's true. I'll be exploring driving vs. train, driving vs. plane, and any other transportation in the next few columns. Take our near neighbor to the south, Chicago. Whether you decide to brave the roads, which are often torn up with construction, or to take Amtrak, you can find lots of bargain ways to travel to and in this great city.

Looking to save money on travel? If you're up for some adventure and surprises, why not bike to Chicago and back again? 90 miles is the distance from downtown to downtown, but there's plenty to see in-between. This is a great ride any time of year, but especially in the fall. Below is a story written by John Greenfield of the New City Chicago publication that I'm sure you'll enjoy.

With the number of daily commuters between Milwaukee and Chicago increasing along with the price of gas, more and more people are choosing to ride Amtrak to beat the traffic this summer. The "Kids Ride Free" promotion allows for up to two children to ride free with each full fare paying adult until August 31st. Amtrak promises other future promotions that will have a similar ability for families to ride together at a discounted rate.