Last week, while scouting for deer sign and checking my trail cameras, I heard the unmistakable honking from up above in the clouds, no surprise for mid-October because that's when the big flocks of geese normally come out of Canada and fly over my woodlot on their journey south.

This year has been different, however. Most of the migration was in late September, a good two weeks earlier. Does that indicate an early winter? I have no idea, though we did get 3 inches of snow during that October time frame I was checking deer sign.

The wooly bear caterpillars I've seen have a large orange-brown band this year, which, according to legend, means a mild winter. Others think the size of the orange band is more an indication of the habitat that caterpillars come from and the lighter middle band means they were in a wet environment.

In any case, while cruising along, I usually do more than look for deer tracks, and later in the season look for rubs and scrapes or other signs. These rubs and scrapes may come sooner than usual this fall if the rut is as early as predicted. Needless to say, I am interested in everything that goes on in that woodlot.

Another thing I record on these jaunts is the number of grouse I flush and where I see them. For some reason, grouse seem to disappear from sight in August, when I'm led to believe it's going to be a down year for them, only to reappear in October, a good thing because the hunting season is open then.

This year was an eye-opener for me when I purchased my hunting and fishing license. I usually get the standard Sportsman License and some tags, but when I bought them this year, the package cost $78, and with the Senior Lifetime License eligibility going up to 70 years of age, I plan on paying top dollar for a while yet. I don't blame those in the 65 to 69 age group for getting a lifetime license before the Oct. 1 price hike; they saved quite a bit of money.

If you are wondering where that money goes, the following is a breakdown. There is no easy trail through this monetary wilderness.

The Conservation Fund
The Conservation Fund monies are used to bankroll fish and wildlife programs, pay staff and also support educational programs like hunter safety courses. Salaries and benefits take a good chunk of these funds that come from two primary sources: license revenue and federal grants. Fees from hunting, fishing and trapping licenses and fines make up about $40 million of the $120 million Fish & Wildlife budget, or about one-third.

The second source of funding is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service block grants from federal excise taxes of 11 percent on firearms, archery equipment and ammunition as required by the Pittman-Robertson Act. The Dingle-Johnson Act, later refined by the Wallop-Breaux Act, taxes fishing equipment and motor boat fuels. The monies go back to the state based on the number of licenses sold. These revenues total about $16 million.

Most grant money is not used to pay salaries, but for equipment like hatchery food and repairs. Even so, the word is that $3.5 million will be taken from the hatcheries this year. The rest of the Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources operating budget comes from the state's general fund.

All this sounds simple, but it isn't that straightforward. The Marine Fishing License the state had to add because of federal requirements is only $7, barely enough to administer that license program, and any revenues go to the marine account of the Fish & Wildlife Department.

The surge in lifetime-license sales swelled the Fish & Wildlife Trust Fund, with some categories of lifetime license sales up several hundred percent (lifetime muzzleloader 913%, lifetime trapping 1,000%, lifetime bow 609%). Due to the large amount of lifetime licenses being sold, revenue is up $21 million over this time last year, according to Jason Kemper, Region 5 representative on the NYS Conservation Council Advisory Board, but DEC can take only the interest from this account, and right now the interest rates are near zero.

If you got lost in this maze, you are probably not alone. I'm sure there are college presidents and other state workers trying to follow the money trail as well.

E-mail Dennis Aprill at daprill2000@yahoo.com and check out our Web site at www.pressrepublican.com/0105_outdoor_perspective for more photos and past articles.