WeHuntSC.com Blog

Blog Entries from the WeHuntSC.com blogging crew

2010 Turkey Season is Here!

On April 1, 2010 in Hunting, Turkey Hunting by Clint Patterson


	This gobbler got within 2 feet of a WeHuntSC.com game cam...pretty soon, we'll have him on video!

Well the day has finally arrived. Turkey season is in full force in South Carolina. God bless all the wives, girlfriends, and friends of the die-hard turkey hunters around the state as they embark on a month long turkey hunting frenzy!

I?ll admit that I?m no turkey hunting guru, but I am excited about getting out in the woods and seeing what happens. With all the excitement and buzz building toward turkey season, I hope it?s going to be a good one. The weather seems like its just right and we?ve been getting some really good pics on the game camera.

Just a few weeks back Adam and I were in some sporting goods stores in Rock Hill, SC and the turkey hunters were out in full force stocking up for this turkey season. You could feel the enthusiasm from the turkey hunters that we encountered. It was neat to see everyone out and about and to feel the sense of excitement in the air.

Somewhere in the Florence area, J-Duck and Lee are game planning on some gobblers as well. Hopefully they?ll be able to bring back something to the blog that will be fun to read and see. I?m sure you frequently get tired of what I have to say.

We?ve got a lot of gobblers all over one of the WeHuntSC.com properties. We put the game camera out one week and came back with over 900 pics of various wildlife, but the majority were turkeys. We?re working on a neat project that we?ll post about soon that just might involve one of these gobblers?at least I hope it does. More on that later.

Regards,

Clint

Tagged With: hunting, turkey

Ramping Up For Turkey Season

On March 25, 2010 in Hunting, Turkey Hunting by Clint Patterson

While Hoot is somewhere drying the tears from his eyes after the ending of rabbit season, a lot of turkey hunters around the state are getting prepared for a hopeful turkey season. The WeHuntSC.com crew is in that same boat. In between food plot work, getting the Hunter?s Night Out lined up, and the joys of wedding planning ?we?re trying to get everything lined up to go turkey hunting as much as possible. Our main man Lee Harrelson is getting ready and the WeHuntSC.com duck hunter, J-Duck, may even make some guest cameos on a blog or two (or at least hold a camera somewhere).

At this point in my life, I?ve never actually been turkey hunting, but I believe I?m going to give it a shot this season and see how it goes. Adam and I recently had a conversation at the Sportsman?s Incorporated in Rock Hill, SC with a gentleman about turkey hunting and the guy told me that turkey hunting is addictive and even worse than ?Buck Fever?. I?m going to try to test his theory at some point during the next month. It would be neat to see one strut his stuff across a field or in some pines.

We?ve got some things lined up for this turkey season and we hope to post blogs about everything soon. Remember, If you?re entering a bird in the turkey contest be sure to have the date written on a piece of paper in the picture or you won?t qualify! Don?t forget your cameras?

Regards,

Clint

Tagged With: hunting, turkey

Wabbit Hunting with Hoot!

On February 26, 2010 in Hunting, Rabbit by Clint Patterson

Well after many a weekends trying, we were finally able to line up a hunt with message board and rabbit hunting phenom, Hoot. If it wasn?t snowing, it was raining, and if it wasn?t raining we weren?t in town, but finally we got our ducks in a row and set out on my first rabbit hunt. I?ve hunted a lot in my life, but I?ve never really hunted any rabbits. Seeing many of Hoot?s videos and images on the site, I was interested to see how it all went down.

We met Hoot and followed him out to some of his secret hunting grounds. Keeping up with the Hoot is something that only NASCAR drivers in training can do. Hoot was letting it roll, but this may be because he was anxious to get there and start hunting. So for all your northerners who read this blog (cause I know you are, I see you on the metrics) don?t let Hoot?s slow talking gabb fool you, he drives way faster than he talks!

Once we got there and got parked we all got out around the trucks and you could hear the dogs moving around in anticipation in the dog box which was on the back of the truck. I asked Hoot if they knew what was about to happen and he said that when they go in the box they know what?s a coming! After Hoot slipped into his briar-resistant overhauls, Kyle was ready to get the dogs out. As you?ll see in the video, I was right there on scene and got up close and personal with some of the dogs as they jumped off the tail-gate. Now something that happened within 2 minutes of every dog jumping the off tail-gate caught me off guard. They all immediately made use of the nearby grass and it was like a chain reaction. Immediately we started smelling smells that aren?t normal! I said ?Hoot, what?s going on here?why are they doing this and what are you feeding them?? and Hoot replied ?Oh man that?s the best part of rabbit hunting? ?lol! I guess they all get excited or either want to mark their territory. Whatever it is, anything with a semi-decent nose within 2 miles knew we had arrived.

After the ?welcome to rabbit hunting? initiation, we set out down the road and Hoot starting getting the dogs headed in his direction. Now one of the main reasons that we set out on this hunt was to see if Bowmaster List could hit a rabbit in the same way he hit the can of Wildlife Energy Drink back when Finland came over to shoot with us. Will swears he can hit a rabbit if the rabbit would only stop for a few seconds. So we strategically set out to put Will up front and Adam was carrying a gun just in case Will was unable to deliver. Hoot told us to stay on the road and that with his dog whispering abilities he would tell his dogs to run a rabbit within 40 yards of Will so that he could get a shot. Now to be fair here, we didn?t start hunting until late in the afternoon and that was my fault. I had to handle some pre-marital duties with the wife-to-be and that put us behind some. Consequently, our time was minimized.

In time Hoot has the dogs yelping and they were obviously getting on some rabbit scent as you could hear them randomly barking. As we walked down the road, we noticed that the tower deer stand was on its side. Hoot said that the deer stand on its side was due to the wind during recent storms. Must have been some strong winds during those storms with as big as that tower stand was.

As Hoot walked through briars as if he were water off a duck?s back, we walked up and down the road looking for a rabbit. We based our position off the yelps from the dogs. Since I didn?t even take a gun and only had the camera, I stayed behind the guys for the most part. The dogs got on a couple different rabbits, but at one point a rabbit came out right on the edge of the field. We had told Will to come up there with us, but he had remained back down the trail. If I would have had either a gun or a football, I could have killed the rabbit. He was about 10 yards from me and was fairly big by my calculations. He was darker colored and he paused, then hopped, then paused again, then hopped off back into the brush. After that I never saw him again.

The answer is no?we didn?t bring home any rabbits, but the trip was very enjoyable. I was impressed with how Hoot was able to guide the dogs via different calls, sounds, talking to them, and their awareness of his presence. You could tell that they knew who to listen to. Hoot gave them pep talks and told them where to go and they seemed to listen. I had never been hunting for rabbits or hunting with dogs so I had two new experiences in the same day. I hope to go back at some point and be able to hunt longer. It was fun. I also got a close-up shot of a SC fire ant hill just in case you?ve never seen one. I kicked a hole in it and zoomed in to see if any ants were in the house and they definitely were. If you?re reading this blog and have never been bitten by a fire ant, then you ain?t from SC!

Hoot ended the day with the quote ?Some people have hobbies, some love deer, some love turkeys? I do rabbits. That?s what I do.?

See a montage video I made with the Flip of our brief rabbit hunt below:

Thanks for taking us Hoot!

Regards,

Clint

Tagged With: Hoot, Rabbit Hunting

Shed Hunting

On February 8, 2010 in Hunting by Clint Patterson


	Shed Hunting

I?ve come across the growing off-season sport of ?shed hunting? more and more often as I surf the web and research. What exactly is shed hunting? How do you go about it? Why would anyone be interested in ?shed hunting? and does it offer any benefits?

To find out more about shed hunting, I researched the internet for information and insight. Thus, much of the below information is not my creation and I can?t claim any ownership to it. I have tried to ?trim the fat? of some articles, blog entries, forum posts, and other random pages of web sites that discuss shed hunting in order to present a clear description of shed hunting. Though, maybe you already know a good deal about it! If so, share your knowledge to this entry.

Shed Hunting ? The Definition

I first traveled to Wikipedia to see their definition of shed hunting. I came across two words in Wikipedia?s definition that I was unfamiliar with? ?ungulate? and ?clinting?. Ungulate meaning several groups of mammals, most of which use the tips of their toes, usually hoofed, to sustain their whole body weight while moving? and ?clinting? being a synonym for shed hunting.

Wikipedia?s Definition:

Shed Hunting - also known as ?bone picking?, is the act of pursuing and gathering antlers that have been shed from an antler carrying ungulate. The middle of December to the middle of February is considered shed hunting season; when deer, elk, and other antlered animals begin to shed. Heavy snow fall during this time can make clinting (shed hunting) very difficult. In Canada shed hunting usually occurs after the snow melts. Sheds often accumulate in one area, and these areas are often kept secret by those who hunt there.

We all know that every year male adult deer shed their antlers. The antlers are shed after the breeding season at the time when testosterone levels drop very low. These antlers grow back in the spring time and are often referred to as being ?in the velvet? when they are in the initial process of growing again. Most often, antlers come back larger every year. Simply put, shed hunting is the sport of going out and finding these recently shed antlers. Guided shed hunts are also growing in popularity in some parts.

The Time Frame

Though Wikipedia?s definition indicates that shed hunting takes place in the middle of December to the middle of February, I also found other articles stating that shed hunting is done from March to April. I?m not exactly sure of a precise time frame for shed hunting in South Carolina, but I feel like it would be some time around February to March. In many areas of the country, large amounts of snowfall can make shed hunting very difficult. South Carolina doesn?t get that much snow so it doesn?t pose too big of a roadblock for shed hunting. Respond to this blog entry if you have any information on an accurate time period for shed hunting in South Carolina.

Benefits

With hunters taking a more active role in managing their game, naturally shed hunting lends itself to being one of the many off season activities of deer hunters. Shed hunting can offer insight into the type of bucks working your area and is a productive way to determine the best areas to hunt the next fall. By ?getting in the woods? in the off season, hunters may gain valuable knowledge about the areas they hunt as visibility is increased and as farmers, loggers, and Mother Nature often change the lay of the land. For many, shed hunting is an enjoyable off-season, outdoor sport that doesn?t require a license or a gun.

Tips:

Small critters of all types love to gnaw on the sheds for the mineral content. If you live in a harsh winter climate, your search will probably begin after the last snow melts, but don't wait too long after that or there will be nothing left.
Look for sheds along heavy trails, and especially at places where a buck might have to make a jump or be crammed into a tight place -- fence crossings and pine thickets are good choices.
While you're looking for sheds, also take careful note of the deer trails, bedding areas and possible ambush points. You should be able to access places that were just too thick during the hunting season. Finding where the deer are bedding in the off-season can help you plan your hunting strategy for next year.
You don?t need help to find antlers that are lying right out in the open. However, when the antlers are hidden in brush or buried in grass, a dog?s sense of smell may be the only hope of finding them.

Dogs & Shed Hunting

Hoot may be glad to know that dogs can be trained to find shed antlers as this may give him another chance to get in the woods with some of his dogs! I read many articles where individuals wrote about training their dogs to hunt sheds and it?s clear that dogs can be trained to find sheds and that the people who shed hunt with dogs are passionate about it. For some, shed hunting with dogs has become a family tradition. Most commonly sheds found by dogs are in areas that are difficult for humans to find them.

If you are interested in shed hunting with dogs, I found a web site called ?Antler Dogs? that has a lot of information about shed hunting with dogs on it. Antler Dogs is based out of Missouri. I also read an article by a guy named Roger Sigler from Antler Dogs who is very passionate about this sport. Roger has a motto ?If your shed hunting without a dog, you?re just going for a walk in the woods?. In the article Roger also quoted ?I am always happy to talk with anyone interested in purchasing a dog or anyone that has questions about training their own dog. You may call me, Roger Sigler at 1-816-289-1154, or visit my web site at www.antlerdogs.com.?

In the off-season, deer hunters face a few long and seemingly boring months until the end of winter (unless you?re planning a wedding). Instead of sitting around the house, consider going shed hunting.

Links where I found information on shed hunting:

http://www.goshedhunting.com

http://www.antlerdogs.com/sitesections/community/articles/ShowArticle.aspx?ID=23

http://www.shedantlers.com/shed-antlers.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shed_hunting

http://www.antlerdogs.com

Regards,

Clint

Tagged With: Hunting, Shed

1st trip Coyote Hunting

On January 24, 2010 in Hunting, Predator by Clint Patterson

This past weekend some of the WeHuntSC.com team members went coyote hunting with Terry Williams. Last deer hunting season we got a lot of coyotes on our game cameras and frequently see dead coyotes in the road on the way to and from a certain track of land. So, this year we decided to try to hunt some of these ?Wylie Coyotes?.

We met up with Terry Williams early Sunday morning to try our luck. Terry and his friend Chip frequently post images of coyotes on the web site so, after talking with both Chip and Terry, we finally lined a weekend up when Terry was able to come and educate us on coyote hunting. Terry and Chip both are active coyote hunters and have a knack for the sport.

None of the WeHuntSC.com crew had ever been coyote hunting before. We?ve seen coyotes trotting through the woods when deer hunting, got them on the game-cams, and I even had one walk up in my back yard once, but we?ve never specifically gone hunting for coyotes. Along with having a new experience, we looked to learn and see the proper way to hunt coyotes.

Needless to say, we learned a lot from Terry and we were appreciative that he came and guided/hunted with us. Terry filled us in on some details of coyote hunting. He said that coyotes? senses are keener than a deer?s senses. I?ve never really thought about it because I?ve never taken an interest in coyotes, but?coyotes are at the top of the food chain. They are predators and eat what we are hunting. In order to stay at the top of the food chain, they must rely on their senses and instincts. Thus, they can hear, see, and smell very well.

Because coyotes have sharp senses and instincts, it is important to know the track of land that you are on so that you don?t spread your scent everywhere on your way in. Of course Terry wasn?t familiar with the land and we weren?t exactly sure on what the best set up would be, so we were not the most efficient hunters on this given morning.

We arrived at the land early and got a semi-game plan together. We split up into two groups of two. Adam and I went and sat in some planted pines that is right beside of a grown up cutover. Will and Terry went and set up by the gas line and pond which overlooked the gas line, a small pond, and a different set of pine trees. Essentially, we were both hunting the same game call, but from different areas of the land. We made sure we weren?t going to be in danger of shooting in the direction of each other and we all sat at the base of some pine trees. In our group, Adam carried his gun and I had the video camera in hopes of getting a coyote shot on video. Terry did the calling and Will had the rifle in the other group.

Terry's coyote decoy

Since we had never coyote hunted before we were unsure of how it would all go down, so I will try to fill you in on the details (of how we went about it) in case you?ve never done much coyote hunting either. We got there before daylight and got into position and waited for the sun to rise. As you would imagine, Terry said it?s important to enter quietly so as to not spook any coyotes in the area. After we got in position and the sun came up to where visibility was good? Terry started his call. He had two pieces of equipment to call in coyotes. He had a decoy which simulated movement of any kind of dying animal. It basically looks like a tail that flaps around. He also had an electronic, remote control game call. This game call makes all kind of different sounds and is very loud. When he turned that thing on you could hear it for a good distance. The sounds it makes are loud, screeching, piercing sounds. Terry let the game call run for around 15 minutes and then we sat a little bit more. At one point he turned on the crow call and I mean within minutes there were at least 30 crows flying around making all kind of noise. So it definitely calls attention to the area! Off in the distance we also heard some gobblers cackling around.

Terry said that if a mature coyote hears the sounds from the game call, he will get downwind of the sound and try to get a sniff of whatever he hears in distress (i.e. the game call). Then he will work his way up to the sound. Terry and Will set the game call up at a good distance away from them so they wouldn?t draw attention to their area and spook any coyotes.

WeHuntSC.com - Custom Coyote Call Made From Cow Horns

Terry's custom coyote "Howl Call"

We hunted that section of land for 30 ? 45 minutes and then when nothing came around we moved to a different section of the land. This specific track of land is very hilly and Terry said that the sound wouldn?t carry of the bottom that we were initially in. Coyote hunting is different than deer hunting where when deer hunting you wouldn?t move around too much, but with coyotes Terry says you can move around to different areas to try to pull the coyotes out from different cutovers, thickets, or bedding areas. We moved up to the top of the hill and set up shop. This time Adam and I climbed up in a box stand overlooking a long cut food plot and Will and Terry were around the corner facing the cutover. We did the same drill of letting the game do its work and then waited, but here again nothing came up.

After the hunt was over, I had Terry set up the game call so I could get video of the sound. Terry also has a neat coyote call that a guy made from cow horns. The below video is a video montage of the different sounds + Terry blowing this coyote howl call. (At the end of the video be ready cause the last call is very loud?so turn your volume down so you won?t get blown away)

On the way out we talked about the lay of the land we realized that if we were to go coyote hunting again, we would have hunted the land differently than we did this day. Though, we knew going in that this would be a learning experience for everyone. Terry gave us some insight and now we are a little better prepared with regards to coyote hunting when and if we get to make it back out there. Also on the way out we saw some nice sized turkey tracks! And speaking of turkeys? turkey hunting season is just right around the corner!

Hopefully we?ll get back after these coyotes again at some point and be able to get some good photo/video footage for you!

Also, if you would like to in touch with Chip or Terry to come get coyotes off of your land, just Contact Us and we can put you in contact with them!

Regards,

Clint

Tagged With: coyote, hunting

2009 Competition Winners Weekend

On January 11, 2010 in Hunting, Other by Clint Patterson

This past weekend some of the WeHuntSC.com team members + a friend of mine from Finland got together and went to see our 2009 Deer hunting competition winners. This proved to be a long day as our winners were from Patrick, Columbia, & Aiken. It was good to get out and meet some new people and see some of South Carolina. A lot of times we are stuck behind computers so it was a good change of pace to get out and hear the winners? stories and get a different perspective.

The competition winners received a $50 gift certificate to Bass Pro Shops, a Thermacell & carrying case, a case of Wildlife Energy Drink, and some WeHuntSC.com vinyl decals/stickers.

To see the deer that these winners harvested, visit the competition winners? page.

I?ve posted some of the images from the day and the winners below.

WeHuntSC.com - Kid's Buck of the Year Winner - Trent Burr

WeHuntSC.com - Women's Buck of the Year Winner - Shannon Smith

WeHuntSC.com - Buck of the Year Winner - Chad Rainwater

And Chad took a moment to tell us a little bit about how he shot his deer. This was his first deer of his life and he got it on the 4th time he'd been in a stand

Tagged With: Competition, Winners

Christmas weekend, Hunting, & a Stomach Virus

On December 28, 2009 in Hunting by Clint Patterson

First and foremost I would like to say that I hope you and yours had a very Merry Christmas! We had a good one and it?s always good to get to see family and be able to give gifts to the special people in our lives.

The Recap

I took Wednesday off and my friend Lee Mills came in to town on Tuesday evening. We hung out and went deer hunting on Wednesday morning. Lee is a nurse and works odd hours and, because of this, he has developed odd sleeping hours/habits and can sleep or wake at any time. Needless to say, at 5:30 he came in my room with a bright light on my face and a video camera conducting an interview. I knew he was up to something as he was giggling as he was talking. I regained my vision and started getting up once I realized that I wasn?t seeing a bright light because I had just died and was on my way out. I guess everybody?s got a friend like that... do you?

We were up early and getting dressed to go and I had everything we needed for a successful hunt. We were heading to a buddy stand that would hold both of us. We were trying to get some video for the site again. I got in the truck first and as Lee came and sat down in the truck I smelled a strong whisk of cologne as the air moved in the truck with him. I looked at him and said ?Lee, what do you have on under the camouflage? We?re not going to a night club, we?re going deer hunting. The deer are going to smell your freaking cologne a mile away. Couldn?t you have worn any other shirts?? So I made him get out of the truck and at 32 degrees I sprayed him down with Scent-Away and soaked his upper body. He laughed, but he was also not happy to be getting wet when it was so cold. At this point, I knew that it would probably not be the best scenario for a good chance at a deer, but you never know. So we went hunting and sat in a buddy stand for about 2.5 hours and then we had to go. I couldn?t feel my fingers and I imagined all the deer (if there were any nearby) smelled Lee?s cologne and were probably laughing at us.

After the hunt we, of course, went to Bojangles and then went and got 200 pounds of corn. We returned back to the woods and put out corn on 4 different stands including the one we had just sat in. The deer had absolutely pawed the ground to bare dirt eating the corn we had out. Since the deer were eating corn again I wanted to give them all they wanted right here before the end of the season. There was also a tree that had fallen in the road and we took an axe in there and chopped it up to make easier access for the old me I hunt with! Lol! I tell you chopping a dried up, hard tree is much more difficult than chopping a tree that has recently fallen or should I say still has some water/moisture in it. My hands were hurting by the time we got through with this task.

After we got back to the house we got in Lee?s Hummer and rode in it for a bit. He wanted to see how the Hummer would handle in some outdoor terrain. So we put it to the test and drove it up and down some steep inclines, through a mud hole or two, and tested it out. I will say that it didn?t have any problems trekking down or up any slopes and the wheels only slid one time. Now, he did get some mud thrown up on it during the process, but I think Lee got that sprayed off pretty quickly after that though. So the Hummer did well in all situations on all terrains. Since Lee rode the Hummer through the woods, I told him that he needed a WeHuntSC.com decal on his truck. So we put a Johnson Graphix, vinyl WeHuntSC.com decal on the back of his Hummer. If you see a yellow Hummer around Charleston (and smell a strong wind of cologne coming from it) then you?ve located our boy! Feel free to stop him and spray him down with some scent killer.

Also, we?ve had numerous inquiries about logos & decals. We get our vinyl decals from Josh Johnson of Johnson?s Graphix in Pageland, SC. We give out WeHuntSC.com stickers that are printed out in bulk, but if you would like a transparent vinyl decal, then you need to get up with Josh at Johnson_dzines[at]hotmail.com or by phone at 843.622.5701. Josh has our art files and can get you a nice logo together without having to contact us. The vinyl decals aren?t really that expensive, but we just can?t afford to do them in bulk quantities. If you want one for your vehicle I?m sure Josh can get you a nice logo for a very reasonable price. Just be sure you talk to him about how to install it! If you are not familiar with putting vinyl stickers on a vehicle and/or double sided tape, then it can present quite the challenge (as it did for me and Lee), but in the end we were able to figure it out.

Duck Hunting on Christmas Eve

I returned back to the swamp on Christmas Eve morning in hopes of seeing/shooting more ducks. Josh set the bar pretty low when he told me that they only saw 4 ducks the day before! Turns out, we only saw 8 on this particular day and none of them were close enough to get a shot on. We just must be holding our mouths wrong or something. I did get another short video in the swamp together though in case you want to see the same scenery that we were seeing. We were back in the same spot, but just with a little extra camo cloth in the boat with us.

From now on, I think I?m going to defer all my duck hunting efforts to J-Duck! Speaking of J-Duck? he is currently on a duck hunting excursion in Arkansas and says he?s got some good blog-content for when he comes back. I?m interested to see what he?s got going on. Anyway, my toes were numb and we stayed in the swamp for a long time hoping to see some geese, but in the end? nothing. It was so cold that Marty?s duck calls were freezing or something because he was having trouble with it too! I headed back to the house again to continue the Christmas day festivities.

The Stomach Bug

I had hoped to get to go out and hunt over all the corn that we previously put out, but on Friday night something got a hold of me and sidelined me for the next 2 days. I woke up freezing, then burning up, chills ? you know the drill. It wasn?t good and I couldn?t even get out of bed. All day Saturday I laid in bed and slept. My family knew it was bad as I went all day and didn?t even turn the computer on. I couldn?t eat much and I just rested all day. Sunday was similar except I got a little bit of strength back and was able to drive back up the road, but I was not able to go hunting. So I missed my 4 last chances to go hunting of the season?unless I take a day off this week, but that is unlikely.

Regards,

Clint

Tagged With: a Stomach Virus, Christmas weekend, Hunting

2009 Deer Hunting Competitions Winding Down

On December 22, 2009 in Deer Hunting, Hunting, News by Clint Patterson

We?ve got some pretty good deer in our online competitions for this hunting season. Those guys (and gals) from South Carolina are coming across some nice deer! If you think you?ve got a good buck and a good picture, then be sure to post it into one of our competitions before January 1st! Winners of the competitions will receive:

A $50 gift certificate to Bass Pro Shops
A case of Wildlife Energy Drinks
A Thermacell with a carrying case
A Vinyl WeHuntSC.com sticker for your car/truck

I know some of you have been holding back because you think your deer isn?t the biggest on the page, but keep in mind that the biggest on the page doesn?t mean they will necessarily win! We?re judging according to many factors, one of which is the quality of the picture! So submit your photos regardless of if your deer is the ?biggest? on the page or not!

Regards,

CBP

Tagged With: Competitions, Deer, Hunting

Wintery mix & an 8 point

On December 21, 2009 in Deer Hunting, Hunting by Clint Patterson

This past weekend a big winter storm covered the east coast. With such a strong rain I wasn?t sure if I should go hunting at all, but I did end up venturing out in the wintery mix. It was raining and very cold and in some nearby towns there was ice, sleet, & a little bit of snow. Though, I think in Pageland it was mostly cold and raining. Since it was wet and cold I opted to sit in a box stand where I would be shielded from elements. I stuck the camera out the window to give you an idea of what I was seeing and hearing.

Even though I was inside, I still somehow managed to get cold. I sat in the stand until I couldn?t really see much more and then I headed out. It rained the entire time I was there and, at moments, the rain was coming in sideways. I was set to go duck hunting the next morning and so I was really hoping that the rain would stop before we went out to the swamp the next morning.


	*The swamp as the sun was rising*

So, early the next morning I met my fellow duck hunters over at the shed. Luckily the driving rain from the previous day had stopped and we weren?t going to get soaked while we were out on the swamp. Marty, Josh, and I were in the boat and Roger was posted up out on a point. Marty and Josh and I went duck hunting 2 weeks ago (in my previous blog post about duck hunting). This time we had an additional hunter with us. Roger is a duck hunter from waaay back and I once saw him drop a mallard that was a country mile away! So, leaky waiters and all, we were all ready to have at it!

The sun started rising and we had 2 mallards come in on us very early. They landed in an opening just behind us, but we were unable to get a shot on them. Not too long after that, random groups of wood ducks started coming in. I would say that we saw in between 16 ? 25 wood ducks all together. Now that may not seem like a lot to you, but it is a whole lot better than only seeing 2 like we did last time! We were only able to get decent shots off on one group of wood ducks. Josh and I both shot twice at that group and one wood duck went down. Time passed and a few more groups of ducks came in and landed in distant locations in the swamp. We could see them, but we were unable to shoot at them. We stayed a little while longer in hopes of seeing some geese fly in. We didn?t see any geese and when we went to get the wood duck, we couldn?t find it! We had feathers everywhere, but no duck. Though, I?m sure you?re probably saying it to yourself? but that appears to be about par for our course with duck hunting so far! Have no fear though; we are working on some platform-based duck blinds. If we get those successfully installed that should give us better looks and shooting lanes over the swamp.

Now switch gears to that afternoon and deer hunting?

Over the course of the afternoon Jason (the camera guy) came down because he was going to attend an engagement party (my engagement party) later that night. If there was going to be a party, we might as well try to get some footage beforehand. We went back out to the bean field because we needed to be able to make a quick exit if we were to make it to the party on time.

It was still cold and the rain from the previous day had left a lot of damp & muddy areas in the field. We sat and waited for a good while. So far it has been ?Murphy?s Law? that if we take the camera in the woods, we never get a deer on tape. Also, when we take the camera there always comes a point to where we are unable to continue filming. This, of course, is the best time to see a deer? right before it gets dark.


	*The box stand*

Right as it was getting dark, 3 deer came out of the tree line. If you hunt with a good scope, then you know that you can see better with the scope than you can with your naked eye right as it gets dark. It was so dark by this point that you had to be looking through the scope to see them and even at this point it was still difficult. While watching the group of deer for a few minutes 2 more came from the woods and one of them had a big body. It took the bigger deer a while to continue up the tree line towards the other 3 deer. As the deer continued walking, it was easy to tell that it was a good buck. It took (what seemed like forever) until the deer got broad sided. The anticipation was killing me..then BOOOOM? the first shot rang out and startled the group of 3 deer, which we think were does and they quickly fled the scene. The white tails in the air were still visible even though it was getting dark. The big buck ran about 15 yards and stopped momentarily. I don?t know if he was hit or just startled, but it was just enough time to get another shot off at him and then he seemingly ran off into the darkness. Let me back up here and say that these deer were at about 175 to 200 yards out and with it being very close to dark, it was really difficult to see or make out what was going on.

Jason and I (with our hopes up) stomped through the mud all the way down to the tree line to see if we could find any blood. On a side note, I looked at my phone and it was right at 6 o?clock and we had to be showered and at the/my engagement party at 7. It was lining up to be a fun evening all ready ? My fiancé would be frustrated if we were late to our own party (because of a dumb deer as she would say) At the same time, the hopes of finding a big buck were running through my mind all at once. Holly had previously told me that if I knowingly went deer hunting before this party then I was indicating to her that deer hunting was more important than she is! Can you feel my predicament? Too much to juggle at one time! I told Jason that we really had to be in a rush.

We walked down the tree line for a good 50 yards looking for any sign of a hit when I saw a white stomach. I told Jason ?I think that?s a deer? and we both walked closer and sure enough, a nice 8 point buck was lying right there in the edge of the tree line! It was a good sized deer?that was the good part? the other side of the story was that we had to drag him 200 yards through a very muddy field, get out without getting the Blazer stuck, somehow get him to the processor, and make it to the party all within an hour. The excitement & stress both came at the same time. We grabbed horns and started moving. I?m glad we had some adrenaline helping, but even so we had to stop and take breaks about every 50 yards. It was freezing out there and I was pouring sweat. I was pushing to ?keep on keeping on? because in the back of my mind I knew that Holly was waiting on me at the house and she probably wasn?t as happy about the deer as we were. We kept on pulling and dragging through the mud. As we got closer to the box stand, my chest was getting heavy and I could feel my legs starting to shake?and I mean the kind of shake you get when you are out of shape and you start getting the ?shakes? when doing a strenuous exercise. When we lift weights and get light-headed?we like to call it ?going green?. I was definitely winded, light-headed, heavy-chested, sweating and shaking by the time we made it to the Blazer. It took us about 25 minutes to drag the deer and get out of the field because we got back to the house around 6:35. The Blazer, Jason, and I were all covered in mud. Let?s just say that there was no ?Hey honey how are you doing hug? when we arrived back to the house.

Jason said he would take one for the team and take the deer to the processor (a whole different mission in itself since he?s not from Pageland) and in doing so would arrive late to the party. So Jason snapped a few quick pictures of the deer while I headed for the shower with multiple women in my family looking at me with stern looks on their faces! Here is the best pic of the deer.

I hurried up the stairs and got clean, dressed, and back downstairs within a few minutes. I was dressed and still sweating because of how worked up I got dragging that deer. We arrived at our party at 6:59 and it started at 7. I was still hot and, in the back of my mind, I was worried as to whether Jason was going to make it or not. If you?ve ever heard of Angelus, South Carolina, then you probably know that you can?t get there from here. I sent Jason, a Charlotte, NC native out via GPS trying to find Angelus Deer Processing. We were at our party and for the first hour I was worried about him finding the processor. Somehow he found the processor, shot some quick videos, and made it back to the house in time to get cleaned up and make an appearance at the party. All of these exciting events made for a memorable day/engagement party. Even though we weren?t able to get it on tape (due to darkness) it was still a good overall hunt for us.


	*A view out of the box as the sun went down*

For those of you who gave me a hard time last week, let me go on record and say that I did go to church on Sunday so that you are aware that you can go hunting and go to church within the same day! Since we were exhausted from the previous afternoon/evening?s events we slept in on Sunday morning. I went back out on Sunday afternoon and was hoping to have 2 deer at the processor on the same weekend, but it didn?t work out. This time I was able to take the 4-wheeler in and let me tell you that it is a lot easier to get a 4-wheeler across that muddy field than it is a Blazer! However, let me also say that it is a lot colder riding it back than it is riding in a Blazer! I think it took my knuckles 15 minutes to thaw out once I got back. I guess it?s always good to have a good, thick pair of gloves around if you ride 4-wheelers in the cold? I learned my lesson.

And that was the weekend recap. This coming week is Christmas week and I should be able to get a few more hunting trips in. I?m planning on doing both duck and deer hunting again. Right here at the end of deer season, you never know what can happen!

Tagged With: Deer, Hunting

Christmas parties, Fog, & Deer

On December 14, 2009 in Deer Hunting, Hunting by Clint Patterson

This past weekend I didn?t get to hunt but twice due to the Christmas season activities? i.e. Christmas parties & a cantata. This is fine though because it was cold and wet all weekend and I enjoy seeing everyone during the Holiday season. So this blog post will be relatively shorter.
The first time I went in the woods this weekend was on Sunday morning (yes we hunt on Sundays!). Sunday morning it was pretty cold. It was also very foggy and raining. I put on as many layers as I could and by the time I got to the stand I was sweating a little. It didn?t take long for me to cool down in this weather though! I went to the stand that Jason (the camera guy) and I put out last Thursday. I can tell you from the walk in that the deer are definitely back eating corn again. Man they had every cob cleaned except for one! I took a 360 view when it got light enough so you can see the setup.

It was so cold that I was literally hunched down in the stand just trying to stay warm. This is a 12 foot ladder stand hooked to an oak tree that is overlooking a small open area in the woods. The tree that the stand is on backs into a downhill slope, so directly behind me is a small valley. I had been sitting there and I wasn?t moving at all when I heard something jump, run, & gallop away very quickly. This sound came directly from behind me. I never moved and never even saw the deer, but I believe it was a buck as this deer was traveling solo and sounded heavy as it took off. That deer had to have smelled me or something because I wasn?t moving at all. He sounded to be about 20 ? 30 yards behind me coming up that small slope. I wish he would have been to his left about 50 yards because I may have had a chance at him. Anyway, that?s how it goes sometimes. They come from everywhere that you can?t see! As the deer ran off it blew 2 times. It sounded like it paused and started blowing again. So I took Adam?s advice and I blew back at the deer twice. Sure enough? the deer stopped blowing at me. Obviously this didn?t help me get a shot or anything, but at least it got that deer to be quiet. As I think about it now, this is the second time that I?ve been in there and heard deer blowing around me. If this happens one more time I may move the stand to a different location in there to see if it helps. Maybe sitting out on that hilltop allows my scent to spread more. Who knows? If you?ve got any insight on this, respond to this post! So about 2.5 hours was all I could take of the cold and wet and I went back to the house.
This same morning my dad had gone down to the hunt over the soy bean field. They just started cutting the soy beans this week and so the visibility was a little better. He said he saw 4 deer in the field at about 350 ? 400 yards and he could tell that one was a good sized buck. Though, he said when he put his scope up that he couldn?t find the deer. It was so foggy that he said he thinks the scope was reflecting light or something off the mist in the air and it made it difficult for him to see anything (at that distance) in the scope. So while he could see them with his bare eyes, he couldn?t find/see them in the scope. Has this ever happened to you?

So Sunday afternoon I, like any good son, went back down to the soy bean field to see if I could see any deer! I did a 360 view of the bean field on my way in so you can see the setup.

I walked through the muddy field and ended up at the box stand underneath the tree. I like this stand because it provides a good wide area to look at, but it also makes it hard because you?re inside the box and have to move to see out of the corners. There are 3 windows in the box stand and in order to see the areas where the windows aren?t you have to move around a little. I usually like this stand early in the season because I can sit in there without getting torn up by mosquitoes! Then as the season changes and leaves fall I get into the woods more. This box stand is heavy and is constructed out of thick lumber. Getting it down under that tree was no easy task! Here?s what it looks like.

Once in the box stand I shot a video so you can feel the ?boxed in? feeling that you get from sitting in the stand.

I sat and sat and watched it rain and text messaged etc for a while. I then began to wonder if I could look through the scope and see the other end of the field with the mist & fog everywhere still. I put my scope up and I will say that it seemed cloudy inside of the scope. If you?ve ever looked through and old scope or a cheap scope you know that it isn?t clear or if it has let moisture in the scope then it looks somewhat foggy. This is the feeling I had when I tried to look long distances. I also wondered if the IPhone camera could look through the scope. I put it up and it can see through the scope, but it is hard to hold it still enough to do it.

Then right as it was starting to get dark, I saw movement of brown way down in the left corner about 350 yards (the same place my dad had seen the deer earlier that day). I put the scope up and dialed it all the way to 9. I watched the deer for a while hoping that a big buck would come out. It was getting really close to dark and it was getting more and more difficult to see the deer. I could have pulled the trigger, but it wouldn?t have been a good shot + I had to hurry to get to the Christmas Cantata at the church. If I would have shot at the deer I know I would have looked for blood for at least 30 minutes! So, even though I did have my safety off and wanted to, I didn?t force the shot. I sat there for about 15 more minutes and then left.
That?s the weekend recap and next weekend will consist of both deer & duck hunting for me. Hopefully I can get some better footage next weekend.

Regards,

CBP

Tagged With: Deer, Hunting

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