Most people think of spring as the time of fresh beginnings and new life. As daylight grows longer, breezes warm, grass and leaves turn green, and young animals are born, most people see spring as the time of renewal.

Bowhunters have a different view. In the fall, as daylight grows shorter, breezes chill, grass and leaves wither, and baby animals grow into rutting adults, bowhunters feel a stirring. Come fall, they experience renewal, refreshing, and new life.

This October issue presents a cross section of that reality. In "No Place Like Home" (page 74), Bowhunter Founder M.R. James returns home to the pages of Bowhunter to tell the story of his return to the deer woods of Indiana after a 45-year absence. Can you sense the excitement? We all love to travel to hunt new animals in new settings. We call it adventure, and it's good. But is it as good as going home and hunting old, familiar haunts? Probably not. We all have our roots, and, come fall, we love to explore those roots. Home ground is a very comfortable place to be.

Fall can be a time of redemption, too. If you've bowhunted for any length of time, you've blown chances. You've failed and then anguished over your failure. From closing day of one season to opening day of the next, you plan, scheme, and dream of redeeming yourself -- of getting it right. In "To Bust a Jinx" (page 78), Curt Wells describes his whitetail plight. For two years, a jinx had plagued him, and he craved the opportunity to bust that jinx. He sought redemption and, come fall, he claimed it.

Come fall, some bowhunters sense the potential for winning. Maybe this is a weak analogy, but when I enter local runs, I tingle at the thought of some small victory: Maybe today I'll win my age class. Maybe I'll run my fastest time ever. Maybe I'll beat that one guy who always beats me. I love the prospects. And the prospects of winning in the deer woods are far more compelling. For 10 years in his native Illinois, John Melchi ("Noble Rewards," page 52) passed up buck after buck to wait for the big one -- the winner's trophy. Think of the anticipation he must have felt while waiting -- and the thrill when he reached his goal! Fall brings with it a thrilling potential.