Blog Entries from the WeHuntSC.com blogging crew
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.
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
I always enjoy the holiday season for many reasons. One of those reasons is that there is just so much to hunt! Whether you?re into hunting deer, waterfowl, rabbits, or predators?this time of the year has something for everyone.
By this time of the year the leaves have fallen off the trees giving very good visibility in the woods. The greater visibility offers many advantages for deer hunters. With the leaves on the ground you can obviously see further which helps you locate deer before they locate you! Early in the season sometimes deer can easily, what some deer hunters say, ?get in on you? or ?slip up on you? because of the cover offered by the heavy foliage of the forest. Though, late in the season this cover is gone and areas which are previously invisible now are easily seen. With all the leaves on the ground shots can also be squeezed in areas that before seemed too ?tight? to shoot in during earlier in the season. Usually the weather is cooler by now and many hunters feel that the cold weather, combined with the less number of food sources for deer, keeps the deer moving about more.
On the other side of the discussion for late season hunting is the fact that by now deer are on high-alert because they ?feel? the pressure from being hunted and therefore move more at night than during the day (or during visible shooting light). Last year I put out 50lbs of corn on a stand and hunted it in the morning and afternoon and one day later every kernel of corn was gone, but I hadn?t seen any deer. The deer were eating the corn throughout the night and staying out of sight during the daytime. I kept the cycle of putting corn out over and over for a couple of days and realized that I was going to go broke before I saw any of these deer during hunting hours. We had a group of 9 does that I was coming in during the night and I was simply paying money to feed them!
Late in the season deer hunting gets a little tougher for a couple reasons, but it also gets a little easier for a couple of reasons as well. I will say, as a rookie food plot guy, that we?re seeing a lot more deer in the fall plots late in the season than we did early in the season. I think the cold weather factors into that mix. That is to say that the frost hitting the Tecomate Seed food plot plants has turned their starches to sugar and they taste better to the deer. When the deer?s food sources begin to lessen and you have a lush, green food plot sitting in the middle of dead, grey plants and trees, it does look intriguing even to the human eye. I imagine that we?ll start working a couple more plots in anticipation for late season hunting next season.
Another thing to consider is that it?s also duck hunting season! In late December Waterfowlers have gone through the first part of the season and now the second season has come in. If the deer are only moving at night in your area then you can always opt to go duck hunting (if you hunt both). By this time of the year duck hunters have scouted their swamps/ponds/rivers and have a pretty good idea of where the birds are coming in. The cold weather is also what duck hunters love because it normally means that more ducks are in the area.
On another note, rabbit hunters can now carry their guns with their dogs and get after some ?bunns?. Many rabbits are on the run by this time of the year and will be on the move even more so after deer season ends. Coyotes and other predators are also on the move as winter approaches. I may be wrong with this statement, but I think coyotes breed around late January / early February in our area and the period before they mate is a period of a lot of movement and great hunting for predator hunters.
Late in the year is a great time for SC hunters for many reasons. What is it that you like to hunt late in the season and why?
Regards,
Clint
Josh & Troy after the game Photo courtesy Casey Outen Disclaimer: This blog has nothing to do with hunting or the outdoors.
Every now and then you get to be a part of something special?
In 1991 I stopped playing football in the dirt track around the field during games and started being a water boy for the Eagles. I enjoyed being a part of the team, being around the field, the players & coaches, and learning the game. Back then we had a small water tank on wheels that I had to pull out to the guys during time outs and all over the field throughout practice. I can remember having the water tank turn over on me and not being strong enough to pull it and the guys laughing at me! It didn?t matter to me though because as long as I got out of school early in the playoffs to ride with the team and wear a jersey, I would keep on pumping the pump to give water pressure for the hoses and bringing the guys water. I can remember the guys seeming like giants when I was that young. Fridays were special because we got to make Gatorade. We always had contests in between the managers to see who could make the best tasting Gatorade. Some of the players were always on me to put extra packets of the mix in the water to make it sweeter. I remember small things like that plus riding the bus, being at practice, and being on the sidelines like it was yesterday.
By 1997 I had worked my way through the system until I was finally a senior. I was the Qb for our team and we had a ?Cinderella? season. I was blessed to play on the team that won the 2nd state championship in the school?s history. I can remember many moments from that season like it was yesterday as well. We beat Barnwell 21-19 and we were the underdogs all season long. It felt good to finally see and feel what it was like to win a state championship. The medal and jersey are still on the wall.
The Eagles won another championship in 2003, the year of my first season in Europe. The Qb for this team was Trent Usher who was the head coach?s son and also ball boy when I played back in 1997. After playing in college and Europe for a couple of seasons, I tore my shoulder up and had to get into ?real life?. When I got back I started helping out with the team at practice and on Friday nights. I even had a short stint as a long-term sub at Central. In time I got a job in Charlotte and wasn?t able to be in Pageland throughout the week, but I continued to come on Friday nights and help out on top of the box. Even though years had passed the same coaches were still at Central and the program was still rolling. Transitioning from playing to helping coach was a little challenging because I had to (and still am) trying to train my eyes to watch different aspects of the game.
Coach Mangum & Son (JR) Photo courtesy Jason Fararooei Yellow Cape Communications
The past two seasons (2008 & 2009) we had really good squads and we met Dillon each year in the state championship. We lost two years in a row by 1 point to Dillon and each loss was tough to swallow. We just couldn?t seem to pull it out for one reason or the other, but we keep on coming back for more.
This year things kind of got shaken up earlier in the year when the district cut our head coach?s salary to around 10k as part of the budget cuts. Coach Mangum was a ?working retiree? and wasn?t offered a job at his previous level of compensation. The district?s decision lead many working retirees in the district to leave their post and retire. Everyone wasn?t sure what would happen, but Coach Mangum stayed on to coach for a small fraction of what he deserves. His unselfish decision to stay and coach is one of the best examples of servant leadership that I can think of and pretty much set the tone for the whole season. Coach Mangum stayed on to lead the program that he and so many others have spent 30 + years making for several reasons, but one of the biggest reasons was because his son plays on the team.
We met Dillon again this year in the state title and it was a tough game. It was a ?nail-biter? and it didn?t look good for us with 3 minutes remaining as we were down 17-7. Dillon was about to have a ?3-pete? with all 3 victories coming against us and I was numb in the press box looking down to the field. Then, things got interesting. Dillon?s players seemed to relax a little and we drove the field and scored. 17-14. Dillon got the ball back with around 1:45 left and threw a pass on 2nd down and we picked it off and the rest was history. We scored with about 37 seconds left in the game to go ahead 20-17 and we held on for the victory. Our guys were down, but not out.
I?ve been a part of and seen a lot of things happen on the football field over the years, but what I saw happen last Saturday in Columbia is what I believe to be destiny. It was our year to win and God had a plan for our team. For our guys, the game played out in the perfect way and in the perfect time. The victory felt really good since we?d been beaten by Dillon the past 2 years in a row. It was also sweet because Coach Mangum?s son was able to be on the winning team?the first undefeated state championship team in our school?s history combined with the fact that Coach Mangum took a severe salary cut and stayed on anyways. Coach Mangum has always wanted his son to be on a state championship team and it finally happened. We were happy for them, the whole team, and the community overall. Everyone on the team played a part in the win and now I know 3 former ball boys who all have rings because ironically Coach Mangum?s son was the ball boy when Trent?s team won the state in 2003!
It?s been a long time since I was mixing Gatorade and running footballs out to the refs, but the thrill of victory is still the same. Whether I was taking a towel to the guys, throwing Td?s, or sitting on top of the box it still feels good to win. We had many opportunities to give up in the past 3 weeks, but we never did. Our guys bent, but never broke and always believed we could win. Now another trophy is in the trophy case because of the dedication and commitment of everyone associated with this year?s team and the program overall.
Below is a video made by Casey Outen from the state championship weekend
Every now and then in life you get to be a part of something special. This past season was another one of those special times in my life.
November has been a busy contest calling month for me, as I traveled to Easton, MD for the World JR Goose Calling championship. Callers from all over the United States traveled to this event.
We met Mark McDowell, owner of Lodge Creek Calls in Archdale, NC and we rode the rest of the 8 hour ride with him. John Hand was also along with us for the ride as he competed in the Mason Dixon Duck Calling Championship.
After, arriving in Easton, and checking into the hotel, we decided to go to the Waterfowl Festival and see the Dock Dogs and attend other festivities. We ran into our good friends Jeremy Smith and Clay White, who work for Drake Waterfowl Systems. We hung out with them for a little while and they gave me some added support and since I?m on Drake?s Competition Calling Team, I really tried to make a good showing.
I started really well, but half way through my final round, I locked up my call and couldn?t even make a sound! Finally, after 2 or 3 puffs, I got it going again. I continued on with my routine but realized I had blown my chance for the win. I finished solid and walked off stage with my head high (that was tough).
Once all five contestants blew their final round, they called everyone out to announce the winners. As I figured, I finished 5th but wait a minute, I had just finished 5th in the WORLD! Man how cool is that?
Later that night, a good friend of mine, Mitch Hughes won the World SR Goose Calling Championship and he even let me hold up the big $10,000 check (back stage of course) . Congrats again Mitch.
Sunday morning came and we headed back to SC with a 5th place finish and written excuse to miss last Friday?s day of school!
I would like to thank Lodge Creek Calls, Drake Waterfowl, Decoy Outdoors, and WinnTuck Waterfowl Lanyards, and the crew here at WeHuntSC.com for their continued support.
Good Calling & Hunting,
Blake
As you read from my previous blog entries, I?ve been duck hunting in a couple different swamps the past few weekends. I took my camera to record the hunts and I also took my tripod to steady the camera for various shots. After looking at my videos and pics, I realized that I need to camouflage my tripod a little because it was sticking out like a sore thumb. When I?m deer hunting, I usually have my camera behind some burlap, camo cloth, or clamped to a piece of wood. In those settings it usually works out well, but in more open settings like duck hunting it would be better if I could camouflage the tripod some.
The legs of the tripod go inside each other so I don?t want to bother the lower sections for fear that they would not extend smoothly or become tough to deal with. Many times I?m sitting on the ground or in a low spot and don?t need to extend the tripod out the whole way anyway. My first thought was to spray paint the top section of the tripod with black, green, brown, and grey paint which I guess could work, but I?m not sure if it would hold up over time with as many scratches and wear & tear that I?ll undoubtedly put it through. Would it be sticky, smell, rub off on clothing or my hands??? These questions were running through my mind when I thought about painting the tripod. It could work, but I didn?t want to risk messing the tripod legs up so I held off.
Later in the week I went to Dick?s Sporting Goods and found something that was the perfect fit. I picked up two rolls of camouflage tape. I used both kinds, but it was obvious that Hunter?s Specialties camo tape product called No-Mar Camo Gun & Bow Tape was the one to go with. I?d never tried any camo tape on anything before, but this stuff got the job done. I used both kinds of tape, but the No-Mar tape holds a lot better than the other (which I can?t remember the name of now), is more durable, and tears better. One roll cost $7 and I came home and covered the non-moving parts of the tripod and it looks really good. I went in circles on the first leg then realized that going vertical gave a better, smoother presentation. So on two legs it looks really good and not as good one the other! Though, I was really pleased with the overall outcome. I shot a short video and sent it to a couple people and some of them thought that I had bought a tripod that was painted camouflage! Obviously that is a good sign as it had them fooled! Hopefully it will also confuse any deer/ducks in the woods or swamps in the hunts to come.
Below is a video of the tripod after applying the Hunter?s Specialties No-Mar tape
Get you some Hunter?s Specialties camo NO-Mar tape and cover whatever you?ve got that?s making you stick out!
I had a pretty busy weekend over this past Thanksgiving Holiday. I spent a lot of time in the woods and swamps and don?t have much to show for it, but then again that?s why they call it hunting rather than shooting! Though, I don?t mind getting out in nature and not shooting anything?it?s a whole lot better than being at work!
We knocked off early at work on Wednesday and I headed down to Pageland. I wasn?t able to hunt that evening because I gave the devotion at football practice that night. After that we had the Turkey Bowl draft and then I headed down to the in-laws! We stayed up pretty late talking and I got to bed around 12:30.
During the day on Wednesday I gave Mr. Bruce Puette a call to see if he wanted to go hunting Thursday morning. Just like clock-work Mr. Puette assured me that he was going. I should have known he was going because if the sun rises, Mr. Puette is usually in a stand somewhere! I woke up at 4:15 in order to get ready and meet Mr. Puette at his hunting club. Though on Thursday morning he put me in a nice stand overlooking a gas line and he hunted a different stand. I had the perfect setup and a good stand, but nothing came through. I could hear the duck hunters wearing some ducks out in the distance though. Those guys were shooting every couple of minutes. There are obviously some ducks flying down around the Pee Dee River!
After the hunt with Mr. Puette I ate a very nice Thanksgiving lunch with my in-laws. I ate enough to hold me over, but I didn?t over-eat because a big game was up next on the schedule. That?s right?the Turkey Bowl was scheduled for 3 o?clock and I needed to be there and ready to play! You may be wondering what the Turkey Bowl is?well if that?s the case then please refer to the blog entry I wrote for 2MinuutinVaroitus.com where I describe the Turkey Bowl in full. Some of my Finnish friends asked me to write a blog for their web site so they sent me a shirt and I gave it a whirl.
Thursday evening we ate yet another Thanksgiving meal and this one was at my parent?s house. If you know my mama, then you know she can cook and she puts on a big spread every Thanksgiving. We ate until we almost couldn?t move. I was so tired from the Turkey Bowl that I had to go and lay down at a decent hour. I think I got to bed that night around 11.
I was up early Friday morning to go duck hunting with Gavin Jackson and his duck hunting crew. I got all layered up and stepped outside. As soon as I got outside I knew something was off. It wasn?t cold at all. I started getting hot after a few steps. When I got into my car I noticed that it was only 60 degrees whereas the day before it was 38 degrees. Some kind of warm front had come through the area and I didn?t even wear my jacket in the swamp!
We made our way into the swamp and got everybody set up. We had 3 hunters and me and I set up on the beaver dam to try to video the event. It started to get light and we anticipated birds flying in from everywhere, but for whatever reason, nothing much was flying. We had 4 birds come in real low very early and they got out of there quick, but it was too early to shoot plus they were in and out very quickly. After that we only saw a handful of ducks in the distance and before too long the hunt was over. We had our own little ?lame duck session? in the swamp. Though, the lack of birds flying didn?t stop me from filming and taking pics. I got some good footage of the setup and guys walking through the swamp. Videoing while duck hunting adds another factor into the mix that is somewhat scary?water. I was scared of dropping my camera in the water, but what can you do right? The tripod also got introduced to swamp mud on this trip. Even though we didn?t get any birds much less a shot at a bird, we still had a good time.
I had to be at Central at 12 because the bus was leaving for Woodruff at 12:30. We made our way over to Woodruff and I thought the bus we were on was going to break down before we got there. We did end up making it and I have to say that our game this past weekend vs. Woodruff was one of the best high school games I?ve ever been a part of?coaching, playing, or watching. Woodruff had a nice stadium and it was jam packed, music everywhere?it was the electric, Friday Night Lights environment that you read about and only experience every now and then. The game was full of big hits, big plays, momentum swings, and it was down to the wire. In the end we won the game and everyone was on edge until the clock struck zero. Woodruff had a really good team and be on the lookout for their Qb next year. He was running the show and doing a good job with it. Now we?ve got Dillon again and I hope we can break our recent trend with them!
After I woke up I headed back down to the in-laws and hung out for a while. We even did some painting for my mother-in-law! It never hurts to keep the in-laws on the good side I guess. Later that evening I hunted near their house from my climbing stand. I?m not a big fan of climbing stands, but every now and then I?ll break bad and use mine. And it took me more time to get situated because of my use of the safety harness, but I always use it when in the climber. It can be aggravating, but the downside would be a whole lot worse than if I wasn?t wearing it.
In this setting I was overlooking a swamp behind me and a fire break in between some planted pines and oaks in front of me. I had some corn out beneath me and also on the fire break. I had been putting corn out there for a while, but had never hunted there and I figured it would be the perfect set up. I thought that I wouldn?t be able to film out of the climber, but after using it I think I could use my Irwin Grip and make it work. We shall see in future attempts!
On this hunt I saw everything but a deer. I had some wood ducks fly over me and then came the geese. Throughout the whole afternoon I had 2 squirrels running around below me. Sitting in the stand I had my back to the swamp and I figured that if something was walking through the swamp that I would hear it and be able to turn around in time. Well I was sitting there in the quiet when all of a sudden I hear something slurping water behind me. I was frozen. I knew there was no way a deer could have walked through there that quiet enough to get close to me and drink water. I slowly turned around and 2 huge raccoons were quietly walking through the edge of the swamp. I tried to get them on film, but by the time I turned around they had gotten behind some brush and I couldn?t get the camera focused on them. I guess they came down from one of those trees or something. I have no idea how they got that close to me. Right before dark I had, what I thought to be a chipmunk, come out of some thick brush to my right. It was getting dark and was difficult to see, but after looking at the bird it was plainly a quail. I haven?t seen them around much, but I definitely knew what it was. I watched it walk around for a bit and then it flew off. It was a neat afternoon in the woods with the exception of not seeing any deer!
Below is a video with visuals from the weekend...no ducks or deer harvested, just scenery!
By the time Sunday morning came around I had to sleep in. The weekend was wearing me out and I didn?t want to fall asleep in church! No hunting on Sunday afternoon as we watched film at the coaches meeting and then I spent some time with the wife!
Overall it was a good, long, weekend. Thanksgiving, good food, the Turkey Bowl, an exciting football game and road trip, duck hunting, and deer hunting made up my whole weekend. I didn?t bring anything home other than myself, but it sure was fun. I was actually glad when Monday came around because with this kind of scheduling, I have to go to work just to rest.
I recently went hunting with one of our duck bloggers, Gavin Jackson, and when we were hunting I noticed something unique on his gun. Gavin had a put a very small vinyl WeHuntSC.com decal on the barrel of his gun! Creativity. Of course I liked the innovation and took some pics of his setup.
Pic of Gavin?s gun
Turns out that Gavin had Josh Johnson of J-Graphix to create this for him. Josh works with us a lot on graphics and can also help you out if you would like some vinyl WeHuntSC.com decals for your gun barrel too!
Below is a quick video of the images of the decals on Gavin?s Gun
If you would like to put some of these on your gun, just contact Josh Johnson and he can assist you!
The 7 day Waterfowl season is not going as I planned, but I have definitely learned my lesson. This past Saturday, as most of you know, was the opening day for ducks here in South Carolina. Nick and I were excited to get out on the water and try to harvest a few ducks, but due to poor planning and time management, our season hasn?t gone as planned. We don?t like to hunt rivers too often due to the crowds there, so as part of our strategy for duck season Nick and I get on Google Earth and scan the Francis Marion government woods for locations where ducks would reside such as swamps, ponds, etc. When we find a location that looks good we mark the coordinates and punch them in our hand held GPS, ride out to the area, and check it out. Before the season started we executed this plan and marked some spots we wanted to check out. Due to poor time management by Nick and me, we only got around to 3 of the 7 spots we marked down. The days got closer to the season and eventually opening day arrived and we still hadn?t checked out all our previously identified spots. So we grabbed our guns and headed out to one of the spots on Saturday afternoon. (Saturday morning I was unable to hunt because I went to my girlfriend?s North/South game) Well to make things better there wasn?t any water in the swamp we selected to hunt. We had just wasted a trip so we left to visit a spot we knew had water, but a lot of people hunted it and we roosted some ducks. The next morning we went back to the same location, and again, poor scouting got us. The birds were flying all around us but not where we had set up. We didnt kill any birds that morning either. Though, the next morning I went back and set up were we had seen the birds coming out of the roost the day before. On this hunt we finally killed some birds! We ended up with 2 Drakes and a hen.
Throughout all of this we still had fun chasing ducks around in the swamps. One thing I did learn is to get all my scouting in before the season is in!!! We still might not kill any, but at least we know where the birds are lol.
P.S
If anyone is into filming there hunts you need to take a look at Deer Ridge Innovations Camera Mount. It simply attaches to your shotgun, rifle, or bow and you can film anything you shoot at. In the clip below I used it in my duck hunts, and it worked very well! I?m pleased with the purchase and suggest it to anyone trying to self-film. I self-film my deer hunts with a portable camera arm, but this Mount is going to be much easier for me to setup and use in my future hunts. I?m sure y?all will see more videos from me while I use the Deer Ridge Camera Mount.
Deer Hunts This Past Weekend
Trail Camera Bucks This Past Weekend
Derek
We are excited to announce that we are hosting the first annual WeHuntSC.com predator competition! South Carolina?s first predator competition is made possible due to some great sponsor donations and enthusiasm from some local predator hunters. We continue to push to accommodate all hunters and species and this is another step in that direction.
The winner of the predator competition will receive some great prizes from our sponsors:
In the first year of this competition we are only going to have 1 winner who will take home all prizes, but in future years we are working to have first, second, third, and ?big dog? winners. In short, as we grow we will continue to expand the prize levels.
Since there is no exact season for hunting coyotes, this competition is structured somewhat differently than our other competitions. This competition will take place over one weekend and will culminate in a ?check-in? at the Sportsman?s Warehouse in Columbia, SC. The competition will not require any posting of pictures to the web site. Hunters can hunt in teams of 3 or less and the winner will be chosen based on a scoring system where coyotes, bobcats, and foxes bring in different amounts of points. See the competition rules & regulations for more info.
Also, YOU MUST SIGN UP BEFORE THE COMPETITION STARTS TO BE ELIGIBL E TO PARTICIPATE! So be sure to register your team! If you have any questions regarding participating or sponsoring this competition, please contact Chip Humphries at [email protected].
We hope to see you at the check-in!
Regards, Clint