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Blog Entries from the WeHuntSC.com blogging crew


Vote for the Winner

It?s going to be like a second Christmas pretty soon for the winners of our competitions?but first someone has to win!  Last year we selected the winners, but this year we?ve narrowed it down to 3 entries per competition and are letting the site audience vote on our winners.  Voting will be live for 7 days and run through Jan 10th.  On Jan 11th the winners will be announced and the prizes will be delivered shortly thereafter.  Stay tuned for the winner?s blog when we post pics/videos of the winners receiving their prizes.

As you know, this year we implemented the ?have the date in the pic rule? and that made many pics ineligible for the competition.  We had to enforce this rule because site users were uploading pics of deer shot in previous years.  Forcing hunters to put the date in the pic removes the question as to when the deer was harvested.  In this year?s GroundHog MAX Buck of the Year Competition we had to make a ruling on a pic that was a tough decision. 

   WeHuntSC.com - We couldn't accept this picture
  Hated to throw this pic out

Ryan Lyle posted a game cam pic of a deer (with the date in it) then posted a pic of the harvested deer right beside of it. It was a great deer!  It seems Ryan found out about the competition after he harvested the buck so he created a side by side pic showing the game cam pic of the deer and then the pic of him and the deer after he shot it.  While the rack in both pics looks very similar, we threw this pic out from judging because we want to abide by our own rules, we want to be fair to the entries that did have the date in the picture of the harvested deer, and we also don?t want to have to compare any racks with game cam pics in future entries.  It?s just too fine of a line to walk and could lead to unfair decisions and future scrutiny.  While this deer is one of the biggest deer I?ve ever seen shot in SC, we?re sorry that we can?t accept the photo as an entry.  Feel free to complain in the comment section below.

With all of that said, thanks to everyone for participating and thanks to our sponsors for donating such great products to WeHuntSC.com & to our winners.

Go and Cast Your Vote

Regards,

Clint
 


A Year of "Firsts"
 
The season is setting like the December sun.  

As the sun sets on another year, it's time to reflect on the 2010 season.  One thing that I always like to think about is what happened during the season that has never happened before.  These "firsts" are the things that keep me motivated, inspired, and excited about future hunts.  For me it always seems like my deer seasons are full of "first" time events.  I've been hunting for about 19 years and every year something happens during a hunt that makes me say, "I haven't seen that before.", or "That's the first time I've ever...". 

Early on it was easy to accumulate "firsts", like the first deer stand that Dad and I built.  At the time we didn't know that this "first" built stand would become a stand that led to the "first" buck for three hunters, including myself.  My "first" buck was a four point that I shot when I was 13.  It was an October day and I had just settled into my deer stand.  Earlier that day I bought my "first" grunt call and pulled it out to see how it worked.  After blowing on the thing for about an hour (I had no clue), I saw a buck coming straight at me.  It stopped at about 30 yards and I shot.  The buck bolted and then hit a pine tree at full throttle and broke off both sides of its antlers.   That was probably a "first" for the pine tree. 

 
  My first possum encounter! HAHA

This year hasn't been short on "firsts".  I had an opportunity to take my "first" "Wall Hanger", which was an eight point buck for another  "first".  I also took my cousin on his "first" deer hunt and he saw his "first" deer while hunting.  We will have to work on his "first" kill next year.  We also saw a little snow which for me was a "first" as far as hunting in it.  My year was also filled with the not so usual "firsts".  I got buzzed (within inches) by a red tail hawk at sunset that nearly scared me to death.  I also saw a possum while hunting.  That was one that I had to think about for awhile. 

What "firsts" did your year of hunts have?  Hopefully, your year and past years are filled with as many "firsts" as mine.


Doe in the Snow
 
  View from my stand.

It's not too often that WeHuntSC in the SNOW!  I made a little extra time to get in the stand on Sunday because there was a little white stuff on the ground.  A good bit had melted during the afternoon but it was still enough on the ground to get me excited. 

The wind had picked up during the afternoon which made it the coldest hunt I had been on this year.  As I sat in the stand I thought about how cool it is that in South Carolina our deer hunting season extends from late summer to early winter.  Thunderstorms to Snow is how I like to think about it.  Well this season has definitely provided both ends of the spectrum and everything in between. 

 
It was getting dark but I got a photo of these two.  

The hunt was successful in my book because I saw deer.  Four doe eased out of the cut-over and into the hardwood funnel my stand was in.  They seemed very cautious as they entered the hardwoods.  I'm not sure if it was the wind or if they were wondering why the woods had been highlighted in a blanket of white powder.  They definitely stuck out like a sore thumb against the white backdrop.  Well they moved on and so did I.  It was a pretty fun hunt.  Did anyone else have chance to get out and hunt in the snow?  How did it go?


Coyote Control

The potential change in the South Carolina deer regulations as highlighted in the blog by Clint titled "South Carolina Buck Regulations?" has a lot of people talking about buck limits, fees, and the one I'm most interested in, PREDATORS. 

 
  Coyote in trap

I had the opportunity earlier this year during trapping season to watch what I would call a professional trapper at work.  If they were to give trappers a degree, this guy would have his Masters.  For the purpose of this blog, I will refer to him as Master Trapper.  His main goal was to trap wily coyotes from a friend?s property and he didn?t disappoint.  My buddy told a story of a few days before when they noticed Master Trapper abruptly stop his ATV and examine a spot on the pasture fence.  My buddy said they stopped and asked him what he was looking at. Master Trapper replied, ?coyotes are crossing here.?  He spotted a single coyote hair on the fence while traveling 40 mph on his four-wheeler.  That?s impressive.

Over the past few years, the coyote has expanded his range and is often seen in places you wouldn?t expect.  I read an article this morning on CNN of coyotes in New York City.   I wouldn?t have believed that a few years ago.   I also have seen them in my backyard, which just a few years ago would?ve been unheard of.  According to SCDNR, ?populations in South Carolina were established in Pickens and Oconee counties in the late 1970?s by houndsmen, and coupled with natural immigration, have since expanded to include all counties in the State.?

The question that often is asked is ?what impact do coyotes have on deer/turkey/predator populations??   Based on my research there are various opinions on this question.  The scale goes from those that say that we need to eradicate coyote populations to those that say they have no impact at all.  Personally, I don?t think it?s rational to say they have no impact at all.   I found an interesting article called, ?Coyotes in the East: Are They Impacting Deer?? which was done by the USDA Forest Service.  Its research has found that coyotes do have a significant impact on deer fawn populations.  In its research they monitored 60 fawns and noted that 44 of these fawns didn?t survive until the fall season.  During the research, they were able to attribute 36 of the 44 (80%) fawn deaths to coyote predation.  That sounds significant to me.   They are still conducting research as highlighted in Clint's Blog "South Carolina Buck Regulations?" .   I also found an article at Outdoor Life magazine, which showed a series of pictures in which a coyote caught a fawn. This just gave me a visual of the research done by the USDA Forest Service.  As with everything, I feel that the impact depends on the situation, but you can?t ignore that there is an impact.

 
  Me posing with coyote trapped by the Master Trapper

The next question would be ?What does a landowner do??  Let?s face it, the coyote is here to stay, but there a measures that can be done to control them.  SCDNR has a good publication that gives a history of the coyote and how they can be controlled.  I got to see this done first hand by Master Trapper and it?s something I will not soon forget.  Let?s remember that they don?t call them Wily for nothing.

Personally I'm not against buck limits because I usually don't reach the proposed limit.  I usually will kill a doe or two for meat and then hunt for a "Wall Hanger".  That's just me though.  What impact do you think coyotes have as it relates to the proposed change in buck limits?

 


South Carolina Buck Regulations?

If you read SCDNR?s page then you are aware of their recent article about hunters requesting changes to the management of deer in our state.  In case you haven?t seen the article, I have pasted the text from it below. 

This article can be seen on SCDNR?s web site here: http://www.dnr.sc.gov/news/yr2010/dec23/dec23_deer.html

December 20, 2010
Deer hunters request changes to state?s deer management approach

South Carolina deer hunters are asking for changes to the state?s deer management approach based on public opinion data gathered by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Much of the discussion among hunters is related to concern over the unregulated harvest of antlered bucks, and an estimated 25 percent decline in the State?s deer population over the last 10 years according to DNR biologists. Currently there is no enforceable limit on the number of bucks a hunter can take during the season.

Public meetings, mail surveys, and more recently telephone and internet based surveys of the state?s deer hunters indicate that a minimum of 70 percent of hunters support the concept of a reasonable limit on antlered bucks and the implementation of a tagging program that would provide for enforcement of such a limit.

Additionally, a minimum of 70 percent of hunters indicate that they would support paying a modest fee to implement such a tagging program as long as the fee was used to administer the program and for deer research and management. A complete summary of DNR?s efforts to document public opinion on future deer management can be found online.

DNR?s governing board has discussed this issue on numerous occasions this year, and at the Dec. 17, 2010 DNR Board meeting voted to support a statewide limit of 4 bucks per hunter per year, and a mandatory deer tagging program whereby all harvested deer (bucks and does) must be tagged at the point of kill with tags provided by the department. A nominal fee of $5 per tag for residents and $25 per tag for nonresidents is proposed.

Although DNR can make recommendations, any changes to the current deer hunting laws require action by the South Carolina General Assembly. The DNR Board proposal will be incorporated into the DNR?s Legislative Proposal for the 2011-12 session.

Do you want a regulation on bucks in SC and do you think this will help or hurt hunting in our great state?

Regards,

Clint


Wall Hanger

Let me first say that I'm excited to be able to share my outdoor adventures with WeHuntSC.com.  I was born and raised in Lowrys, SC (Chester County) and I have had a passion for the outdoors since I was a little kid.  Hopefully, I can paint a picture of some of my hunting memories that illustrates my passion for South Carolina and Hunting.  I will start out by telling you about a deer hunt from earlier this year.

Every hunter dreams of harvesting a Trophy animal or as I like to say, a Wall Hanger.  I've always had the mindset that the glass is half full.  With that thought, I've never judged the success of a hunt on whether I killed a "Mature" animal.  A "Trophy".  A "Wall Hanger".

Now for the whole truth.  Over the past few years, I've started to wonder if taking a "Wall Hanger" would ever happen.  Let me remind you that a trophy is in the eye of the beholder.  To me a trophy is a mature animal.  Period.  I'm not worried about Boone and Crockett status.  To me a "Trophy" whitetail is defined by more than just how many inches of antler are on its head.  Anyways.  My chances to harvest a trophy animal have mounted over the past several years.  The most recent "chance" happened during the opening day of the 2009 season.  A perfect quartering shot put the deer down, only to have him disappear without a trace.  That haunted me for an entire year.

 
  Soybean field that I had to cross.

Fast forward to October 16, 2010.  The morning was cool and crisp and the air was still.  I started to my stand about an hour and a half before first light.  I wanted to get in early because I had to cross a soybean field which usually held deer during the night.  By going in early, I thought if I were to spook deer going into my stand the woods would have time to quiet down before light.  Well, on the way in to my stand it was quiet.  No spooked deer was a good start.  As I got settled into the stand, I put on my face mask and gloves and prepared for an hour of sitting in the dark.  You would think that this would be a boring hour, but it was actually quite exciting.  A pack of coyotes made themselves known with a sequence of howls that sent chills up my spine.  Then a few hoots from several owls made me feel like I was not the wisest one in the woods that morning.  After all that fuss, the crunch of the leaves signaled that a deer was approaching. The deer cruised through without pause and the crunch of leaves faded into the dark.  It was too dark to see but my suspicions led me to believe that this was a buck heading to the soybean field to check his scrapes.

 
View from my stand.  

As the horizon started to brighten, the silhouette of several deer moved through the soybean field.  I was on full alert.  Several deer moved through the hardwoods to my left and eased into a cut over that I was facing.  It seemed that the deer were all around. The next deer I saw was a doe on the far edge of the soybean field.  She was by herself which to me signaled that a buck could be following . She stopped for a split second and then moved on.  Then I saw him. WOW!  I immediately got into position because I knew that my window of opportunity was small.  He stopped and worked a scrap for a second.  It was as if time stood still.  Here was my "chance" to redeem myself and silence those haunting memories.  He then turned and started to walk off.  I put the crosshairs on his shoulder and squeezed.  BOOM!  The buck jolted and ran out of sight.  My heart and mind were racing at this point.  Do I get down or do I wait.  That wasn't a hard decision.  I jumped down, literally.  I made a quick pace to the edge of the field and there he was.  I put a quick stalk on him to make sure he was down and then I woke up the woods. BBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOYAAAAAAAAWWWWW! (Can you tell I was pumped?)

My glass was now full!  That mindset that the glass was always half full started to be an excuse.  Of course I love to be in the woods and yes it's not all about the kill, but every hunter dreams of harvesting a "Mature" animal.  A "Trophy".  A "Wall Hanger".  Well, now I have mine!
 

 
8 pt. 212lb. 19in. inside spread. Shot at 165 yards.   

 

 
Pic of my oldest son Riley and the 8 pt.   

 


A Hunt for Strength

The following is a guest blog by Laura Byrd McKenzie

It was the best adventure ever! We waited anxiously- shaking from nervousness, yet stiff with excitement! We had put so much of ourselves into thishunt? planning, preparing, saving and sacrificing. Finally we could see him coming out.  His head was down. He didn?t even notice we were there. At just the right time we made our move!  And, in an instant, Eddie-Ramzie was part of our family! A child from the other side of the ?big pond? (Atlantic Ocean) was ours forever and there was no looking back.

The feeling we had that day at the airport when we first held the 2-year-old little one who became our ?Eddie-Ramzie McKenzie (ER)? was a first that can never be matched.  Much like the day he had his first kill, it was a day we will always hold ?deer!?

Eddie-Ramzie started hunting with his dad, Eddie, in the Fall of 2010. Considering that most of ER?s summer was spent swimming and playing video games, he was quite bored on the first few hunts. I imagine the act of sitting in the tree stand might have seemed like a trophy in itself considering the effort put forth just to get there.  Eddie-Ramzie triumphs daily through a forest of adversities in his quest to walk and otherwise actively enjoy life like any other young boy near rural McBee, South Carolina. Though he has to be careful as his bones break easily, he?s known for also breaking medical milestones and defeating the odds.

After several hunts and countless arguments, his dad hammered into Eddie-Ramzie?s hard head that eventually he would learn to love hunting.  His dad didn?t understand why hunting should be so difficult to tolerate for Eddie-Ramzie. After all, he had endured over two years in the lonely wilderness of an orphanage near Russia?s Black Sea. He had bravely survived a hunt in the US and Canada for skilled doctors who continue to perform his repeated bone surgeries. He firmly and patiently grasps the cold metal of a walker and wheelchair almost every day.  He masters each school day by overcoming a mischievous ?big mouth? to make straight ?A?s?. 

If he could tolerate all of the above, he was darn well going to calm down, keep his mouth shut, and overcome a little boredom to embrace the metal of a rifle and eventually break the stride of a deer?  hopefully without breaking his own shoulder.

Eddie-Ramzie was already aggravated from the last hunt when his daddy set up his AR-15, which was borrowed from longtime friend Patrick Griggs. ?The Big-One? had strutted from the thicket and posed for a shot, only to leap away in laughter as a loud CLICK yielded nothing. ER protested as he caught a familiar piggy-back ride on his dad in order to hike back to their hunting golf car, ?It was YOUR fault, Daddy! You didn?t set up the gun right. It was your fault I didn?t kill that buck!?

Over the next several hunts the quiet sign language between the two guys became heated as ER insisted that his dad was not using the new deer caller correctly. ER insisted that according to the directions he read on the package, ?You don?t know what you?re doing, Daddy!?

One Saturday morning, October 30, Dad decided to let his son sleep late after one of ER?s many rough nights of bone pain. Eddie-Ramzie insists that it had more to do with Dad?s whining for more sleep than with anyone?s pain. Regardless of who won that edition of ?The Biggest Whiner,? the two men pulled their camo clothing from the proven McKenzie ScentFanDuffle bag.  They had argued the night before and ER won as they settled on using dog fennel for the cover scent in the bag?s cartridge/fan system.

They set out on the mid-morning hunt. As ER had killed enough time in that deer stand while reading a tree?s-worth of books, he decided to bring along a thicker book.  After reading quite a while, another grey argument began to stir in those colorful woods. ERs hands and fingers gestured sharply that his dad was once again using the deer caller incorrectly. Fed up with his son?s 10 year-old ?know-it-all? attitude, Dad gave the call to the Smarty Pants beside him, and motioned as if to say ?just do it yourself.?  Eddie-Ramzie snatched up the device and proceeded to use it according to the words so clearly printed on the package. He settled back into the comfort of reading. Within about two minutes, a handsome doe crept from the briars.

ER lifted his trembling arms to aim. He was sure the gun had been secretly snacking on his cousin Jeanie?s famous homemade pastries because it suddenly weighed a ton.  Time slithered like the snails on the front porch as he remembered how his older sister, Bobbi, boasted that she had killed her first doves at age 7 which was a much younger age than he had. His sister Jessi?s voice screeched in his mind as he recalled her laughing that she looks much better in camouflage that he ever dreamed of looking. He hunted for strength in his hands as his stomach felt as jiggly as the strawberry jello dessert his mom, Laura, sneaks before diner.

If he could make this shot, then finally he could brag about his first deer and how much smarter he is than his Daddy. After all, he had chosen to read and follow directions, unlike Big Eddie! And most important of all, he was reading his Bible when God brought out the deer just for him!  His strong little fingers squeezed the cold trigger as his trophy submitted herself by expiring at his feet on the ground under the tall pines that his Papa Byrd had raised from saplings.

Finally, it had happened! And, all was right with the world! Faster than a pine cone can bounce from a squirrel?s tail, a text was sent to announce his kill. Vehicles could be heard skidding over the sandy cordoury bumps of Jesse Byrd Road.  Truck doors slammed, digital cameras flashed and friendly waves abounded as a large crowd of at least 3 people gathered to greet him: nevermind the coincidence that the crowd was in fact the three females in his family who compete to boss his every move.

His mind echoed like the hills and hollow near the creek that trickles beyond the barn we call the old ?tenant house!?  Yep, my Mema Byrd will surely hurry to get dressed so as not to be late for tonight?s green-carpet gathering at the local Hardee?s Restaurant. The top story on her agenda will be to proudly announce to her friends that her grandson, Eddie-Ramzie, has once again accomplished his goal and brought home adventure, strength and love.

WeHuntSC.com - Eddie Ramzie with his first deer

WeHuntSC.com - Eddie Ramzie McKenzie with his dad Eddie McKenzie

Adventure, strength, and love can be found through a multitude of experiences and within countless lands and seas throughout the world. However, no adventure is quite like the outdoor life this skinny young boy experiences in the Sand Hills of Middendorf Community, USA.  No strength is quite like that which comes as a result of brokenness. And no love is quite like the love Eddie-Ramzie McKenzie feels for his daddy, his God, and newest of all, deer hunting!

Laura Byrd McKenzie
 


The Hunt of a 1,000 What If's
   WeHuntSC.com - The Camera Setup on the Tower Stand
  The camera & the burlap I got hung in

What if the deer would've come out 10 yards further down the plot?  What if I would've just had my gun already propped on the shooting rail?  What if the deer would've kept walking toward the decoy?  What if my gun barrel didn't get caught in the burlap?  These were the questions running through my mind moments after blowing a perfect chance to harvest a nice 9 pt. Let's rewind?

This past weekend, I had the privilege to sit in the deer stand a few times.  Saturday morning didn't offer any luck even though I felt like I was in the perfect setup.  I called Clint to see if he wanted to film me hunting over the Tecomate Seed Food Plot on the power line Saturday afternoon.  We decided were going to setup a buck decoy and use a rut smoking stick by Tink's. I placed the decoy and smoke stick about 60 yards down the plot. About halfway between the decoy and the stand, there was a fresh scrape on the edge of the food plot. The wind was blowing in our face at an angle, which was good considering the deer should be coming out in front of us. The deer we have been seeing have been coming out close to the scrape or at the very bottom of the plot. It was around 3:30 pm when we finally got situated in the tower stand. Clint and I were whispering what we hoped would happen and just texting people on our phones, trying to kill time until the ?golden hour? arrived.

WeHuntSC.com - The 9 pointer just 5 yards in front of us   
The 9 pointer just 5 yards in front of us  

Since there hasn?t been much rain, the squirrels were making a ridiculous amount of noise in the leaves to our left and right. Around 4:40 pm, the sporadic scampering from the squirrels had ceased and a rhythmic pattern of steps started resonating from the hardwoods to our right. I instantly looked at Clint and said ?That?s a deer!? Adrenaline suddenly rushed through my body and heightened my senses. I could hear every twig snap and every leaf crackle as the deer approached. He was walking right towards our stand!  As the deer approached the food plot, he was so close that we couldn?t even see him. At this point, Clint and I were so excited that we literally felt like puking. Finally, Clint saw some antlers moving below us. Since I was in the right corner of the stand, I didn?t see the deer until he was a step away from entering the food plot. First thing I spotted was antlers. So I started taping Clint on the leg for him to let me know if it was a shooter. Clint gave me a thumbs up!!! It was game time! The deer was so close we had to be extremely quiet in our movements. I gently sat my binoculars on the floor and started to get my gun raised. By this time, the deer had spotted the decoy and had taken a few steps toward it. Perfect! I was thinking the deer was going to head straight for the decoy and Clint was going to capture the magic. The deer suddenly got spooked. He paused, turning his ears in every direction trying to pick up the slightest noise. I was frozen! I still hadn?t gotten my gun raised. The deer started walking toward the woods instead of the decoy. It?s was now or never! I quietly, but frantically tried to get my gun positioned on the shooting rail. The deer was just a few steps from disappearing into the woods when my gun barrel got tangled in the burlap on the top railing.  As I untangled the barrel and clicked the safety off, the deer darted for the woods. BANG!!! ?Did you get him!?!? Clint whispers. My heart sank. I just had the greatest opportunity to take a nice buck and failed. I?m pretty sure in my rushed state of mind; I shot over the deer?s back at 15yds! We sat until dark and then got down to make sure I didn?t hit the deer.  We didn?t find any sign of the deer being hit. This was the greatest hunt, with the worst outcome, in my life.

The image of the buck spotting the decoy & getting all stiff-legged

WeHuntSC.com - The buck spotting the decoy and getting scared

   WeHuntSC.com - Does in the plot on my dad's hunt
  Does in the plot on my dad's hunt

Even though I missed the deer, I had to show my family this awesome hunt. So when I got home, I played the footage for my dad, mom, sisters, and brother-in-law.  As soon as the buck came into the screen, my sister was like I can?t believe you missed that nice buck. Great! Here we go, time for the clowning to commence. Then my dad chimes in, ?That deer about licked your barrel!? Now I?m trying to defend myself by describing what is happening behind the camera. My dad said he was going to get in that same stand in the morning. I said that was cool because I could just film him. He said that I wouldn?t have to worry about that deer again if he came out on him because he would ?put him to sleep?.  So Sunday morning we headed back out to the tower stand. After getting in the stand, my dad couldn?t be still. His back was bothering him and he was on a bucket seat that didn?t have any back support.  He kept squirming around and occasionally stood up.  By this point I thought there was no way we are going to see a deer.  So I just started playing on my phone and started texting people. Suddenly dad whispered ?Don?t move! A doe just stepped out.?  By the time I get the camera turned on and zoomed down the plot, two more does stepped out. None of these does where on high alert like a buck was with them, so I immediately tell dad to pick one out and shoot.  Before he can put the binoculars down and grab his gun, there were six does in the food plot.  Three of these does are at least 120 lbs. Dad got his gun on the shooting rail and we pick out which doe he is going to shoot.  ?Ready?? he whispered.  BANG!!! ?Haha? I chuckled. The deer bounded off. Dad asks ?Did I hit her?? Then you hear me kind of laugh and say ?I don?t know?.  I started picking on him because that is the first deer I?ve ever seen or heard of my dad missing. For some reason, he placed the cross hairs on top of the does back and shot over the top of her. I was like why would you do that, she was only 140 yards out. Then I realized that was the first deer my dad had ever attempted to shoot with a rifle. We decided to get down and check for blood just to make sure. As I waited for my turn to climb down the stand, I glanced back down the food plot and another deer had just walked out after all the commotion. I started whispering to dad to hand me the gun, but obviously he didn?t hear me. By the time he finally handed me the gun, the deer had run off. Now it was time for dad to get clowned by the family. Luckily for him, it was only mom there. So all he got was, ?I can?t believe ya?ll missed those deer.? 

WeHuntSC.com - The WeHuntSC.com Scent Control 1-2 punch

Even though pops and I were 0 for 2, those were two of the best hunts I?ve experienced in my life. I have to give special thanks to Mckenzie Scent Fan Duffle Bag, Atsko Scent Elimination Products, True Timber Camo and Tecomate Seed. Without the Mckenzie Scent Fan Duffle Bag and Atsko?s Scent elimination products, I don?t think Clint and I would?ve ever been able to get that close to the 9 pt. To be in a stand that is about 12 feet high and get within 5 yards of a buck like that speaks volumes for these two products. True Timber has great camo patterns for our area and the material is quiet. I will be purchasing more from them soon! Tecomate Seed just keeps bringing these deer in.  We haven?t hunted that stand much, but now we have seen 3 or 4 bucks on it and a lot of does. So I highly recommend you guys try these products. 

Below is the video of my first hunt

Below is the video of my dad?s hunt

 

These are 2 hunts I'll never forget!

Adam

 

 


SC Bucks Browsing the Tecomate Seed Remote Food Plot
   WeHuntSC.com - Buck in the Tecomate Seed Food Plot
  Buck in the Tecomate Seed Food Plot

After the Eagles game Friday night I knew it was going to be cold the next morning, so I put some extra layers of clothing in my McKenzie Scent Fan Duffle Bag and let that baby roll all night long.  In retrospect I was glad that I did because it was pretty chilly out there the next morning?and yes, I smelled like dirt!  With the cold weather, all the scrapes, rubs, and rut activity going on, I was excited about going and sitting over one of our fall, Tecomate Seed food plots the next morning. 

If you?ve been following any of the Tecomate Seed Food Plot Journey over the course of this past year, then you know that we?ve been working hard putting in food plots in various locations.  I went out to the ?power line plot? this past Saturday morning and had a pretty neat hunt.  The power line plot has Tecomate?s Max Attract & Ultra Forage in it.  It sure is coming along nice by my rookie food plot creator standards.

We?ve got a tower stand placed about 1/3 the way down this plot.  We put it here so that we could easily see to the bottom of the food plot.  I like this stand because it?s in a good location and it?s provide a spacious setup from which it?s easy to film.  Oh, and there just happens to be a nice scrape about 20 yards down from the stand as well. 

I arrived very early so that I could get in the stand and give myself time to get situated and ready for the sun to rise.  As I walked through our food plot to the stand it was easy to see that the Tecomate Seed Ultra-Forage & Max Attract was growing well.  This stuff was higher than my ankles in many places.  With the low-levels of rain that we?ve had this year I was pretty pleased with the growth.  I opted to walk through the plot versus around it because there were dry leaves all on the side of the plot and I was trying to be quiet.  Walking through the plot rather than the edge helped reduce the amount of noise I made entering and I wasn?t worried about spreading a lot of scent in the plot because of McKenzie?s Scent Fan Bag + Atsko?s odor elimination products that we?re using this year. 

When I arrived to the tower stand I put out some doe estrus and then left the bottle open at the base of the stand.  The power line acts as kind of a ?wind-tunnel? and with all the recent talk and signs of rut I wanted this estrus scent to blow down the plot in hopes of luring a buck into the area.  I was hopeful that a buck would come through to eat and then smell the scent and work his way up the plot?at least that was my mental picture of what would be neat to happen and get on film! 

WeHuntSC.com - The Tecomate Seed Setup

I sat there in the dark for a little while and tried to get everything situated.  Carrying a camera, tripod, gun, bag, etc makes for a little extra work and requires some extra time to set up.  I finally had everything up and was ready to watch the sun rise.  I sat for a little while when I noticed a deer enter the food plot at the very bottom left.  I could tell the deer had a decent size, but yet wasn?t huge.  It was still kind of dark and it made it a little difficult to see?and even more difficult to film (so sorry for the initially dark footage at the beginning of the video below).  The whole time I was watching this deer I thought it was a doe.  It wasn?t until after reviewing the film that I learned that it was actually a small buck.  The raw footage isn?t quite as dark as the footage in the video below?when YouTube encodes the video there is a little bit of quality lost in the encoding.   As I sat in the stand thinking this deer was a doe I was pretty pumped because I thought there was a good chance that a buck may be coming behind shortly thereafter.

WeHuntSC.com - Buck in the Tecomate Seed Food Plot   
Buck in the Tecomate Seed Food Plot  

This first deer stayed in the plot for a little bit and I zoomed in and out trying to get more light in the camera.  I even moved the camera once trying to get it closer to me (you?ll see the bump(s) in the video).  The deer was just browsing and poking its head up and down.  I could see the deer ?winding? as some call it.  He was putting his nose up in the air and seemingly inhaling so as to smell what?s in the air.  I felt sure that the estrus scent I put out was making its way down the power line.  Though, thinking this deer was a doe, I didn?t really care that it smelled the estrus.  Either way I was pretty pumped because a deer came in the plot early and that signaled to me that deer were moving in my area. 

After seeing this deer my heart was pumping a little so I was very focused looking for anything that might be trailing shortly thereafter.   Sure enough about 15 minutes later I saw another deer enter the plot from the same direction?this one had a bigger body.  I zoomed in with the camera and got the deer in the video screen.  When I saw the rack I knew it was a good deer, but I knew that I wasn?t going to shoot it.  I wanted to, as the saying goes; let him go so he could grow.  I was sitting there with my rifle in my lap with the barrel leaning against the railing of the stand and with the tripod and video camera just to the right of me.  It may not sound like it, but in those few seconds it?s a lot to manage in between operating the video camera,  getting the gun up, and paying attention to deer in front of you (without spooking him).  I?m trying to learn the art of managing this all at once. 

Seeing these deer come through made me realize just how quick I?ve got to be ready to get my gun up if I want to shoot.  If the deer don?t stop, eat, or spend any time in the plot, then there are only a few seconds that you have to react.  If I would have wanted to, I could have probably got a shot off at this larger deer, but the shot would have been rushed a little and I don?t like taking shots in a hurry if I can help it.  He?ll be bigger next year!

Hoot, I did some commentating in this video for ya!

Ultimately, it was a good trip in the woods for me.  You don?t always get to see deer, but I was fortunate enough to see some on this hunt.  It also felt good to see some bucks in the area and to have them browsing on the food plot that we spent a lot of time installing.  Hopefully these two will make it for a couple of years and will hang around to walk in front of the camera again. 

Regards,

Clint

 


A Doe in the Cut-Over
   WeHuntSC.com - The Doe in the Cut-Over
  The Doe in the Cut-Over

Derrick Outen is a character?and yes...a sharp-shooter.  If you know him then this blog entry won?t surprise you much.  I?ve been after Derrick to let me video one of his hunts for a while and we finally lined it up.  This past Saturday morning, I met Derrick early in the morning and we set out on our hunt.

We ended up in a nice condo stand overlooking a field that is surrounded by woods. We made a point to be quiet and not use much light as we entered because sometimes deer bed down in the areas surrounding this stand and we didn?t want to spook any of them on the way in.  It didn?t take us long to get up the stand and get situated.  I also made sure I was on the side of the stand that would be filming the ?good? side of Derrick?s face just in case I had to get him on camera. 

It was 43 degrees and the air had a crispness to it that felt pretty good.  We sat and watched the sun rise from about 30 feet up in this spacious condo stand.  It was a very picturesque scene to observe as you could see for a very long distance all the way around the stand.  As the sun rose the beams of sunlight shined down onto the field for a really unique sight.  As soon as the sun hit the top of the trees it was dead in our face.  Derrick looked at me and said ?that?s why this is an afternoon stand? lol!  We leaned back to keep the sun out of our face as much as possible.  Eventually it finally got high enough not to bother us.

We sat and scanned the field for about 2 and a half hours.  We had a great aerial view of everything going on around and beneath us.  The only problem was that nothing was moving!  Derrick had some food plot product planted in the field and some corn out around the edges?everything seemed just right.  I was sure something was going to walk out at any minute.  The cut-over had been cut about a year ago and so there was thick brush surrounding the field that we were overlooking.  If a deer walked through the brush, as Derrick said he frequently sees them do, you would see the bushes and small trees moving as they came through.  Normally one wouldn?t see this kind of stuff, but being up so high you have that visual capability due to the vantage point the stand gives you.  He said if it?s a buck, sometimes you?ll just see antlers making their way through the brush in the cut-over.  The thought of that scene just kept playing over and over in my mind, but no matter how hard I thought about it? it just didn?t happen.

The clock was ticking and I had to head to the beach to celebrate the one year ?engage-iversary? with the wife.  We got down out of the stand and headed back to the shop.  Derrick said that there was another cut-over that we needed to check on the way back in.  We drove a little while and then parked the truck.  We got out and started walking.  I?ve never tried to just walk up on a deer before and didn?t really think anything like this would work.  So as we got out of the truck I was asking myself all these questions about how we were really about to pull something like this off and if so, how was I going to get it on film.  I didn?t have any answers that made sense to me.

We arrived to the edge of a cut-over and this cut-over was looking down on a really steep hillside.  Derrick said that the deer were going to be on the hillside somewhere and that we needed to be as quiet as possible.  He really knows the land well and we would be shooting at a down angle in a direction that didn?t pose any danger to anyone.  Since we were out of the stand I was free handing the camera which equals a ?shakey? video.  Also, at this location the sun was in our face again and it was bright.  We took a few steps with Derrick leading and me in the back.  After about 5 yards it was clear to see that ?quiet? wasn?t the word that would describe our entrance.  There were just too many sticks on the ground, brush in the way, briars ripping our pants, and cuckle berries.  It was thick and not fun to walk through. We got about 15 yards in and neared a tripod stand that he?s got on the hillside and he said ?there they go? and I looked up and saw 2 white tails just bounding down the brush-covered-hillside.  They were getting out of there and I mean quick like.  This is the scene that a hunter sometime sees, but hates to see it happen?that is, spooking a deer and watching them flee the scene.  Right after he said ?they?re they go? I had started turning the camera on and he was propping up on the tripod stand.  To my surprise, one of the deer got right on the edge of the woods and just stopped and turned around.  I have no idea why this deer stopped, but when she did I heard Derrick say ?You ready??  Since the sun was directly in our eyes it was really hard for me to find the deer in the camera.  I was bobbling the camera and mumbling?"uh, yea-noo, hold on, yeah I got her, go ahead".  As soon as I said ?go ahead? Derrick pulled the trigger and the shot rang out and the deer ran to the right going out of the cutover and out of our sight. 

I watched the deer in the screen and I told Derrick that I didn?t think he hit the deer.  Derrick just stared at me and we had an awkward moment of silence and then he said ?You mean to tell me that you are doubting me??  The look on his face was reminiscent of a look that the football coaches gave us when we had just messed up and they asked a question?knowing that they knew what the answer was!  I said, ?Well you could have hit it and I?m not saying that you didn?t hit it, but just from the way she ran off and the dirt I saw fly behind her? I don?t think you hit her.?  Another stare down and question??Clint, you?re really going to sit here and say that you don?t think I hit that deer??  I got the camera back out and looked at the video and the video was tough to see because of the light and me moving it around so much ?Blair-witch? style, but at the end of it you could see the deer and the shot.  We watched it back again and I said? ?You didn?t hit that deer.  I?m telling you...you missed.?  Derrick just shook his head in total disbelief that I didn?t think he hit the deer.  The look on his face was one that I can?t describe accurately here in words. I think my doubting his shot may hurt our friendship a little! Lol!  He said ?Alright?let?s go get the mule and see?but I?m telling you? I hit that deer.

We headed back to get his mule (yes we?re in SC, but that?s not a real mule but a larger ATV) and on the way back I was thinking to myself that there was no way he hit the deer.  I mean think about it?we just go walking through some cut-over, the deer jumps, he props up on a tri-pod, asks me if I?m ready, I give him the go ahead, and he shoots downhill at about 125 yards and he hits the deer?... all within 10 ? 15 seconds?  Come on now..the odds were just too high working against us.

We got in the mule and headed out to the location of where the deer was and sure enough?we found blood at the location where the deer was standing when he pulled the trigger.  When we found that first drop of blood Derrick gave me another long, awkward pause/stare basically letting me know that I was dumb for doubting him.  It was again reminiscent of a look you may have seen in high school football from one of your coaches.  We parked the mule and set out tracking.  Derrick had also switched guns from the rifle to a shotgun in case the deer jumped again.  We set out walking over this cutover again trailing this deer.  The briars, cuckle berries, and everything else was sticking to us and getting in our way.  Since it was early a lot of the brush was wet and so our clothes became wet after just a couple of yards tracking this doe.  We walked and trailed this deer forever and we could easily see the blood trail and this deer was really moving after the shot.  We only lost the blood trail momentarily and then regained it.  This doe ran back up the hill, made a left, and then headed back down the hill toward the creek.  We trailed this deer for about 115 yards and it took us about 20 minutes.  We kept thinking we were just about to see the deer, but then there would be more blood further up.  I told Derrick that we were going to have to add 5lbs to the weight of the deer because of how long the blood trail was.  We were both surprised at how long the deer ran.

We finally found the deer lying down the hillside near the creek.  It was a decent doe and, as bad as I hate to say it, he made a perfect shot.  I mean the bullet placement was right where it?s supposed to be.  When we saw where he hit the deer he kept giving me a hard time about me doubting him.  We drug it to the next closest road.  When we looked at the doe we noticed that the deer was really old because it only had about 4 teeth on the bottom jaw and those teeth were loose.  We also noticed that this deer had been shot earlier in the season by someone. It looked like someone grazed the top of this deer?s neck with a rifle because the hair was gone and you could see the fresh scar on the back of the deer?s neck.  I?d never seen one with that few teeth and that been shot before, much less that combination at the same time.

We headed back to the mule and brought it over to pick the deer up and guess what I got lectured about all the way to get the deer, all the way back to the shop, and all the way to the processor and back?that?s right??I can?t believe you doubted me? and on and on and on.

This is a good example of properly having the date in the pic

WeHuntSC.com - Derrick and the old Doe

Below is the video I shot?be ready cause it?s quick and very shakey

All in all it was a good hunt and I won?t ever question Derrick?s shot again (whether he misses or not)! Lol! I will say though that he made a good shot and got it done in a situation that was probably not the best case scenario so I give him kudos for that.  His shot was definitely better than my video!

Regards,

Clint

 


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