Doe Day 11/24/2012

While South Carolina has one of the most lengthy and liberal deer seasons within the United States, you must clearly understand the Rules & Regulations to maximize your legal opportunities within the State.  The State is segregated into private versus public lands within six geographical game zones for residents and non-residents using archery equipment, black powder firearms and modern firearms.  I am a resident who hunts on both private and public lands within Game Zone 2 and Game Zone 6.  Beyond the Rules & Regulations you need to be at the "right place" at the "right time" based on diligent and sometimes persistent scouting.  Scouting from my perspective is spending time in the woods to pattern travel routes and food sources.  It does not rely on gimmicks, although I routinely test various hunting products to determine their effectiveness in the field.  Listen carefully...nothing and I mean nothing is more important than scouting to increase your odds for success with the possible exception of well managed food plots.

As a proponent of "quality deer management" I have been selective in my harvest.  I have had 19 deer (4 bucks/15 does) in my scope this season.  I elected to harvest only one...a mature, healthy doe pictured above.  This doe accomplished two objectives...(1) it helped to balance the overall deer herd and (2) it provided a source of venison which my family does in fact eat.  Technically, I can harvest 10 deer over the course of the season, but being from the "Old School" I do not harvest anything that I do not personally eat.  Deer hunting is not a numbers game to me.  It is a management tool and one to be treated with respect and dignity.  Further, it is a time to be spent with family and friends of like mind.  This morning my son, Brian, hunted with me which made the hunt (not the kill) all the more memorable.  I look forward to many more hunts with him including his favorite game animal (wild hogs).

 

Don't Tread On Me

The early American colonists were familiar with a white flag depicting a rattlesnake with the caption "Don't Tread On Me!"  If you hunt the Low Country of South Carolina, you will eventually encounter the real deal.  We call them Mr. No Shoulders for obvious reasons.  When you meet Mr. No Shoulders face-to-face, your 17" snake boots seem like ankle top tennis shoes.  You become acutely aware that your heart is functioning perfectly because you can hear it pounding in your chest.  You gain the added benefit of cool breeze as the wind evaporates the perspiration (or sweat, if you prefer) on your back or other body fluids in a slightly lower region.  I can assure you that nothing and I mean nothing makes you feel more alive than the adrenalin rush from meeting Mr. No Shoulders up close and personal.

Tippy Toes

The South Carolina season for the upstate is quickly coming to a close, but not before the I scored on a reasonably nice Tom.  This Tom was taken at 9:00AM and never gobbled.  He silently made his entrance with another Tom into one of the most beautiful oak flats in the upstate where the I was sitting.  The entire hunt took less than 30 minutes and unfolded as follows.

The night before the hunt found rain coupled with lightning and thunder (not a good scenario for an impending turkey hunt).  Waking at 5:00AM, the I was confronted with a light rain, but no lightning.  I decided to wait it out and at 8:00AM decided to make the drive to the hunt area.  He arrived at 8:30AM to find the rain had completely bypassed the specific area where the hunt was to take place.  Well...Why not go ahead with the hunt given the effort taken to get to the hunt area?  Shortly, after putting on his snake boots, loading the shotgun and pinging the car with a Bushnell Backtrack GPS the I was free to roam the woods at will.  I decided to hunt a long gently sloping ridge loaded with mature oaks and peppered with pines.  Walking deliberately at a turtles' pace, he gradually made his way to a huge pine slightly tilting to provide the perfect backrest for a turkey hunt and maybe a short nap.  Kicking out a depression in the soil and placing a cushion over the depression created a contour seat with the huge pine serving as the back support and rear safety.  After settling down, the I floated a soft, pleating yelp to any Toms that might be in the hunt area.  After 10 minutes with no response, he raised the volume of the next yelp followed by a few clucks.  In turkey talk the message was clear...if you are out there Mr. Tom I would like to meet you for a possible short-term relationship.  After another 10 minutes of silence, movement in the shadows approximately 100 yards down the open oak ridge showed two turkeys moving silently in the direction of the Big Man's position.  However, the shadows and distance could not confirm the sex.  At 80 yards they entered into a patch of sunlight filtering through the leaf canopy and the white head and black breast feathers confirm not one, but two Toms showing a interest in meeting the Hen making the calls.  At 60 yards the forward march of the Toms slowed as they scanned the woods for the mysterious Hen who had called to them.  The scenario was take a step and scan the woods.  This process repeated itself for approximately another 20 yards.  Waiting for the right moment the I watched the procession in absolute silence and stillness.  And then it happened...the Toms stepped behind a large oak and 'magic time' as the gun was up in an instant.  When the Toms emerged, the lead Tom was in the gun sight and BANG the hunt was over.  The end was swift and definitive with the 12 gauge 3" shells in a #5 shot at 35 yards.  As required by law the I tagged the Tom and made a prayer of thanks for a safe and successful hunt.

Cornwall Carl

Weather plays an important part in the success of any hunt. One of the most famous weather indicators is Pauxatauny Phil of Gobblers Knob, Pennsylvania.  Every February 2nd Phil tells us whether or not to expect a continuance of winter for the next 6 weeks.  We have a weather indicator closer to home called Cornwall Carl.  Carl does not seek the fame and fortune afforded to Phil.  He is more pragmatic. He seeks loaf bread as compensation for his predictions.  If Carl eats 1/2 loaf of bread, spring is here.  If he eats an entire loaf, winter will continue for another 6 weeks.  Carl resides at my Dad's backyard in Cornwall.