By Joshua Smith
Halloween is over, Thanksgiving is still a few weeks away, and here in Vermont and northern New Hampshire we have entered a season that does not always get much attention: stick season.
The bright foliage has mostly dropped, the woods have opened up, the days are getting shorter, and the landscape takes on a quieter, grayer look before winter settles in. This week, we are looking at specific podcast episodes that fit that in-between time — stories about bare forests, late fall, quiet roads, changing wildlife, wood heat, and the strange beauty of November in New England.
1. “Making the most of ‘stick season’” — Outside/In
This New Hampshire Public Radio episode is a perfect place to start. It looks directly at stick season and how to appreciate that quiet stretch after the leaves are gone but before winter really arrives.
2. “Noah Kahan – Stick Season” — Song Exploder
Vermont’s Noah Kahan breaks down how he wrote “Stick Season,” the song that helped bring this very New England phrase to a much wider audience.
3. “Noah Kahan on ‘existing in a place that you’ve just written about’” — The Deeper Dig
VTDigger talks with Kahan about Vermont, returning home, and what it means to write about a place while still living in it.
4. “Stick Season, Mud Season, and Other Reasons We Should Hibernate” — A Way with Words
A fun language-focused episode about the extra seasons people name, including stick season and mud season.
5. “‘Stick Season’ is a viral hit. What else has put Vt. on the cultural map?” — Brave Little State
Vermont Public uses the popularity of Kahan’s song as a jumping-off point to talk about Vermont culture, identity, and the things that put the state on the wider cultural map.
6. “It’s fall. Let’s get cozy!” — Life Kit
This episode is about shorter days, colder weather, getting outside, creating cozy routines, and finding ways to enjoy a quieter season instead of fighting it.
7. “A day in the woods with a working horse” — The Frequency
A Vermont Public episode that follows the old tradition of horse logging and gives listeners a feel for working forests during the colder, quieter part of the year.
8. “Northeast Migration Update: Black Ducks, Geese & Late-Fall Outlook” — Ducks Unlimited Podcast
This episode looks at what birds are doing across the Northeast as late fall settles in, including how weather and habitat changes affect migration.
9. “What Are The Pros And Cons Of Heating With Wood?” — Brave Little State
Stick season is also the time when woodpiles and woodstoves start getting serious attention. This Vermont Public episode looks at wood heat, forestry, air quality, and the realities of heating a Vermont home with firewood.
10. “Noah Kahan: Stick Season, authenticity, TikTok, and lying to therapists” — Q with Tom Power
Kahan talks about writing Stick Season, living on a Vermont farm, and how returning home shaped the record and the stories behind it.
Stick season is not flashy. There are no peak-foliage crowds, no deep snowbanks, and no holiday lights yet. But there is something special about this time of year. The woods are quieter, old stone walls show up again, the roads feel less crowded, and the landscape seems to settle in before winter.
Sometimes the in-between seasons are the ones that make a place feel most like home.
New to podcasts? Open Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, Amazon Music, or another podcast app on your phone. Search for the episode or podcast name and press play. If you find a show you enjoy, tap “follow” or “subscribe” so new episodes are easy to find.
Don’t forget: The St. Johnsbury Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Outdoor Edge, hosted by Gary Moore, is available wherever you get podcasts and on the WYKR app. The show covers hunting, fishing, wildlife, conservation, rural life, local outdoor history, and the stories tucked into the woods and back roads of northern Vermont and New Hampshire.