The hunting season has slowed down and unless you are ice fishing, trapping or coyote hunting, things have come to an abrupt end.

Gear is piled up and equipment needs to be cleaned, oiled and packed away. Instead of being the slowest time of the year, this could be the busiest for me as I assess my hunts and my necessary gear.

One of the first areas that I review and carefully inspect is my sporting arms collection. Rifle actions, barrels and mounts require frequent attention and cleaning.

Light is right when it comes to gun oils. A rag loaded with high-quality gun oil can do wonders for the finish of firearms.

Don’t make the mistake of putting your favorite hunting piece in a closet or safe without wiping it down carefully. Moisture and salts are the enemy and will invite rust and pitting.

I recall a fingerprint burned into the receiver on a shotgun because of a faint blood stain that was not wiped away properly.

Scopes need annual attention as well and their mounts should be tightened securely to prevent wildly inaccurate shots.

I clean my scope lens with a soft cloth and a lens pen to get dust, filmy surface coverings and spots off the glass. Mild cleaners and wipes will do the job on the outer areas, but don’t use gun oil to clean your scopes.

Take the time to visit a sportsmen’s club range each season and make sure your scope is zeroed in properly.

Clothing and footgear need attention as well. Boots take a beating as they trudge through ice, snow, swamps, rocks, climb trees and drag through briars. If your feet are cold, wet or hurt, you can count your hunting day as a miserable experience.

Auctioneer John Huey has a saying that applies to this thought: “The more you spend, the more you’ll like it!”

What I’m getting at is that next to your rifle, your boots should be your most trusted hunting equipment — and don’t go cheap. Many boot sales are held this time of year, so be on the alert.

Check your ammunition, reloading equipment and hunting knives. I almost made a grievous error when I helped a hunter to field dress a deer and put my favorite folding knife in a sheath without a proper cleaning.

My internal alarm went off in the middle of the night as I remembered the gaff, causing me to jump out of bed, retrieve the knife and immediately clean and sharpen the blade.

Call me OCD but it had to be done and I was at fault with an old reliable friend.

This also is the time to start searching for upcoming hunting opportunities and adventures. I’m more inclined to see these new hunts as adventures, during which I see new territories and meet interesting people.

I’ve been invited on several trips already, from Maine to Montana and everywhere in between.

This is the time of year to consider finances, vacation time and what you might need to do to be physically prepared.

In this line of thinking, my buddy Beaver Boy and I are heading east to see my cousin Johnny Two Bucks at the Eastern Sports Show in Harrisburg. All kinds of products, guided hunts, fishing lodges and other adventures will be offered there.

Jay E. Hewitt is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.