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Blog Entries from the WeHuntSC.com blogging crew


Another Great Weekend Hunting!

After our football game last Friday night, Ryan (wide receiver/safety on our team), Katie (my girlfriend), and I headed out towards camp. After driving for about an hour or so we arrived and were eagerly awaiting the next day?s hunt. Early that next morning, five o'clock to be exact, we made our way to the stands. Katie and I went to a two-man stand on a row of pines surrounded by hard woods and Ryan went out to the stand overlooking the cut-down / cut-over. We were optimistic about the hunts and hoped to see some big bucks.

Katie and I got to our stand early and we kept dozing off and waking up until the sunlight started to shine throughout the woods. After sitting for about an hour, a 6 point walked out. Katie, shaking from excitement, grabbed the camera from my hand and began to film! I thought to myself, I think I have found my new camera operator! After filming the buck for a few minutes, Katie put the camera down to enjoy the sight of the deer. Before this point Katie had only seen two little fawns sitting with me during the pre-season. Getting to watch someone see their first deer in the stand and to watch their reaction is one of my favorite hunting experiences. About ten minutes passed and the deer moved out of our shooting lane to a small track of hard woods to our left. Katie asked, "Why didn't you shoot the buck?" I explained to her that we were managing our property and trying to shoot mature bucks with 8 points or better and a spread of at least outside their ears. It was a neat experience and a good day in the stand!

Ryan was sitting in a stand that Nick and I had put up a few weeks earlier. This was also the same stand that I harvested the cow horn from in my pervious blog. Ryan also had a good hunt as he saw 3 does and a 4 point on the corn pile. Having not hunted for a while, Ryan said that he had the "trigger happy fever", but he never did shoot any of the deer, he just enjoyed watching them.

 
  Atsko Scent Eliminator 4-pack
As I?ve mentioned before we?re really focusing on our scent control this hunting season. This past Thursday I was excited to receive the Astko Scent Eliminator 4-pack. Having great success with the McKenzie Scent Fan Duffle Bag in all my previous hunts, I was excited to try these new scent products as well. The Astko four-pack includes: Body wash, laundry detergent, scent eliminator, and a UV eliminator. The night before my hunt, I washed all my clothes with the laundry detergent and placed them in my McKenzie Scent Fan Duffle Bag. The McKenzie Duffle Bag scents my clothes and acts as a cover scent while the Atsko products kill bacteria and reduces my human scent. Using these two as a combination helps control my scent from the inside out.

Atsko also has another neat product that I?m using?their UV Killer spray. After arriving to my stand, I took my camo out of the McKenzie Scent fan duffle bag and sprayed it down with the UV killer. I used the UV killer spray to lessen any reflection that may be coming from my camo or gear. Regular commercial detergents have brightener dyes in them that, when hit by light, are visible to deer. Just in case my clothing came with any reflective dye or material on them or had any on them from previous washings, I wasn?t taking any chances.

I truly believe that these products had (and are having) a great impact on my hunts. We had deer walk underneath the stand and not even know that we were there! I?ve been close to deer before, but not as much and as frequent as this year! If you want an adrenaline filled hunt, try having deer walk right underneath your feet! Getting that adrenaline rush is what hunting is all about and scent control can make it happen.

Thanks to Dennis Coblentz For Some Of The Footage


 

 

 

Derek

 


A Great Weekend Hunting

 

Just as in my previous blog, we are still concentrating on getting our property right for the upcoming years. By ?getting our property right? I mean we are working on food plots, shooting lanes, and game management. October 10th was a very foggy Saturday morning and I was running late to get in the stand. So instead of sitting in the ?honey-hole stand? as we call it, I choose to sit in a stand closer to camp for sake of time. This stand is also in a good location so I was optimistic about seeing some deer. Three deer have been killed out of it since the start of the season so it has been getting some action. Nick and I have also filmed a good amount of deer from this stand. It?s a two-man stand set up on a logging road and the view from the back of the stand overlooks a cut-over.

Just as you would imagine?a buck came out behind the stand in the cut-over. As I mentioned, it was a very foggy morning and it was really difficult to see out of my scope! I thought to myself that it was just my luck that a deer walk out behind me and then I could barely see him for the fog in my scope. I didn't have my camera tripod that morning so I pulled my camera out of my bag and tried to free hand a little short segment of footage. With the light being low, the deer coming from behind me, and the fog making it difficult to see?I really couldn't tell how big the buck was. At first I thought it was a spike from a distance, but I finally got the camera focused on him. It turned out to be one of the deer we have been looking to harvest for genetics sake. Before I picked up my rifle, I checked and double checked to make sure this was the buck we?d been looking to cull before I made the shot. After I finalized my decision with the help of my camera, I had to stand up and turn around in the stand to make the shot. It wasn?t going to be the best body position to be in for a good shot, but I was able to as I used the back rest to steady my rifle as I placed my crosshairs right in his kitchen. I made the shot at 7:34 and he dropped right on the corn pile. After I got down and made it over to the deer I can tell you that this deer was one of the biggest cow horns I have ever seen! I usually do not shoot small racked bucks but this was interesting because of how big he was and how his horns didn't show that! The deer turned out to be around a four year old buck according to the processor.


That afternoon I went to a climber that I placed on another logging road about 800 yards away from the stand I hunted in that morning. I didn?t see any deer that evening but I did experience something awesome that I have never experienced in deer season. I had about 25-30 hens walk under my stand in a uniform line calling to each other! It was amazing to watch how they act out of turkey season and how much the call. I couldn?t believe what was happening, but I just sat there and watched it all take place beneath me. It was a pretty neat thing to experience and see.

So far in my life, I?ve always hunted with guns. This past Sunday afternoon I attempted my first bow hunt. I ended up perched on a wooden platform about 25 Feet up in the air on the edge of some hard woods. After a little while of sitting I had a small doe walk out. Having never killed a deer with a bow I was going to shoot a doe if it walked out, but once again my camera helped me! I zoomed in on the small deer and noticed that it had little bumps on his head and I knew it was a ?Button Buck?. I thought to myself in three to four years he could be a nice shooter. So I practiced restraint, and didn?t hit the release and let the arrow fly. It was a very close encounter with this deer. He was so close to the stand that I could hear the corn as he mashed it with his teeth. Crunch! Crunch! Even though it was a small deer, that hunt has to been one of the best experiences in my book.

Being so close to the deer and he not even knowing I was there was really neat. Again, I think one of the reasons for that is the McKenzie Scent Fan Duffle Bag. I put my hunting clothes and gear in it for 2 hours before every hunt and it is really working. I even put my gloves and face-mask in it just to be safe. I know that my scent control must be on point if I want to be close to my game and without this bag I may have been winded by this deer. This deer had no clue I was in the woods because I smelled like strong pine and because of this close encounter I got to experience a great first bow hunt.
 

 

 

All in all, it was a great weekend of hunting. I hope to have many more to come.

 

Derek,

 


The Hunter vs. The Killer
   WeHuntSC.com - The Hunter vs. The Killer
  The Hunter vs. The Killer

A while back someone on twitter saw a link to our site and checked it out.  Their response tweet was that they liked the design of the site and that it fired them up and made them "want to go kill something?"  Obviously this individual doesn''t have a clear understanding of what hunting is all about as his words were a window into his personal view of hunting ...or should I say his trouble distinguishing the difference between hunting and killing.

I often meet people who are non-hunters and sometimes over the course of conversation we end up talking about hunting.  Inevitably the conversation trends towards the hunting vs. killing debate.  It usually surfaces in the form of "How can you shoot those helpless little creatures?" or "You try to kill Bambi?" This statement is typically a strong indicator that the person asking the question has never hunted.

I'd like to take a look into the hunting vs. killing debate from a hunter's perspective. Let's use a critical lens to analyze and deconstruct the meaning of hunting and also killing. What are the differences between hunting and killing? Where do the differences lie? What are the signs of both a "hunter" and a "killer"? Let's start the investigation by looking at hunters.

A Hunter
Hunters, first and foremost, have totally different motivations, thought processes, and core values than a "killer" does. The fundamental values of a hunter affect the way he/she views the sport. A hunter's beliefs and values prompt actions that are direct indicators that the individual is a true hunter. Over time these fundamental differences are outwardly manifested in the activities in which hunters engage. For this reason, you will find hunters involved in activities in which you will never see "killers" involved. These belief-motivated actions can be noticed both in-season as well as during the off-season.

In the off-season a hunter still enjoys many aspects of hunting. This is because being a hunter doesn't come for a season and then leave, its not seasonal, it's a way of life. Some examples of these off-season activities are those such as "shed" hunting where finding a deer's shed antlers is the goal, or with training any hunting dogs that a hunter may have, doing off-season scouting, competing in target shooting competitions and/or calling competitions, attending trade shows, moving deer stands, building duck blinds, practicing calling techniques, researching, planting and maintaining food plots to help with the health and nutritional diet of the deer, turkeys, ducks or other game in the hunter's area, or even watching hunting TV shows. 

During the season a hunter doesn't merely look to harvest anything that walks through the woods, but rather is selective about the game that he or she does choose to harvest. A hunter won't shoot more meat than he or she needs in his freezer. Hunters also help less fortunate people by donating deer meat to them. It's common to find hunting clubs or deer processors working with local organizations supporting the needy. A hunter takes pride in being able to watch an animal mature over time and is challenged to hold the game in their area. A hunter also has a true appreciation for nature and the patterns found within nature denoting intelligent design from above. Hunters grow to appreciate the stillness of being in the middle of the woods, field, swamps, etc where one can momentarily elude the business and noise of everyday life. Sitting on the ground, in a stand, or in a blind offers one the time and place to ponder the wonders of the universe or anything else that may come to mind. The serenity hunters find out in nature can't be found in too many other locations and gives some hunters a natural high.  This tranquil and peaceful place is where the hunter remains until he/she either encounters the game or the end of the hunt. Sure, a hunter wants to harvest an animal, yet he/she still enjoys the hunt whether an animal was harvested or not. When the game does arrive, whether it is a duck, boar, turkey, deer, etc hunters enjoy the instant rush that comes over us. The instant rush of adrenaline, rather than the kill, is what gets hunters hooked.

A hunter also has the discipline to watch their game for hours and never pull the trigger. When a hunter does pull the trigger, it is a calculated moment that has been in the making for some time rather than being a moment that randomly happens by chance. Harvesting an animal is the culmination of many factors some of which are: off-season scouting, scent control, successful hunting tactics, food plot, land/game management, successful calling, well trained dogs, and yes, an accurate shot. All of these factors coming together at once is not an easy feat to pull off. Therefore, when an animal is harvested it's the intersection of preparation, patience, and nature. 

Hunters usually have hunting partners with whom they go hunting and spend time. Having a hunting partner is a good safety measure, it helps when any work needs to be done, and offers a chance for fellowship while participating in an activity that both individuals enjoy. It's commonplace to find fathers and sons hunting together. You see hunters also care about passing the tradition on to younger hunters.  Because of the burden to share the sport and experiences in the outdoors, hunters strongly support activities which promote and educate hunting to youth.  Fathers also appreciate the opportunity that hunting gives them to spend time with their children.

To see what happens when a non-hunting, father-son, duo goes hunting and realizes the rush of the hunt and the experience that they'd just had together see the below video

Hunters also get involved with organizations that support their sport and focus on the conservation of the sport so that everyone can continue to enjoy the outdoors. Organizations like Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA), Ducks Unlimited (DU), National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), and the National Rifle Association (NRA) are ones that you'll see true hunters get involved with. These organizations bring a wealth of research, information, and synergy to their respective sport of hunting and work for the greater good of the hunting community as a whole. Hunters get involved with these organizations because the core principles and values of the organizations align with the core principles and values of the hunter. 

The last thing I'll mention is that, due to the strong differences between hunters and killers, you'll seldom find hunters associating with killers, the two just don't mesh. Sure they may bump into each other at a processing plant every now and then, but you won't see them together much other than that. The old saying goes "You are what you hang around" and because of this notion, hunters are careful about the company they keep. Take a look at the people around you who hunt and think about who they do and don't hang around to see if it holds true.

We all have different perspectives, but the above is my perception on what makes a hunter and how you can identify and distinguish a hunter from a killer. Since I've elaborated on what I believe comprises a hunter, now let's look at the other side of the fence. Let's look at characteristics that I believe make up a "killer".

A Killer
A "killer" is essentially the opposite of all the characteristics mentioned above that encompass a hunter. In my opinion, killers give hunters a bad reputation. In the same way that you'll see a hunter involved in specific activities and carrying out certain behaviors, you'll see killers not taking part in certain activities and also engaging in contrasting behaviors. Most of the time a killer's behaviors are in stark contrast to those of a hunter.

In contrast to a hunter, a killer does not appreciate the hunt because the hunt is what stands between them and a kill.  Killers don't genuinely appreciate the wait, the silence, and the necessary time in a stand/blind that most hunters love because a killer doesn't really enjoy the peacefulness of nature, but rather is in a hurry to pull the trigger. 

Killers don't respect the land they hunt on or animals they harvest. They don't mind littering or damaging the land they hunt on because the environment and conservation is not of their concern. Killers are also what we like to call "trigger-happy" and will shoot the first deer, turkey, duck etc. that they see. In the deer hunting world killers live by the motto "If it's brown it's down" because they're not concerned with game management or limits. I remember an instance related to this topic that happened when I was a kid that still sticks out to me. 

In the mid 90's we were at one of our locals processing plants and everyone was talking about deer hunting while the guys were cleaning deer. The environment was the normal, upbeat, good-humored, environment that you've probably experienced before at a processing plant. We had been there about 20 minutes when some guys came up and bought in a very young doe. The deer was so small that it looked like it had just got rid of its spots. At the time I didn't really know what was going on because I was so young, but I distinctly remember the old man that was processing the deer's reaction to the situation. The guys drug the small deer up and immediately the whole processing plant went silent. Tension was in the air and it was thick. I vividly remember the awkwardness of the moment. The guy who shot the deer said he wanted some "tender meat" and that did not go over well at all with the processor.  He gave the guy a death-stare and then shook his head in disappointment to let him know that what he had done was wrong. After that the whole place remained quiet until the individuals who brought the deer in left. Being young, I didn't exactly understand what had just taken place, but my dad explained it to me on the way home. In retrospect, I now respect the processor even more because even he didn't want to make money cleaning a deer that was so young because he respected the game and disliked doing business with a killer.

Another sign to look for that denotes a killer is what they do in the off-season.  Killers rarely participate in, and do not enjoy, the off-season work that hunters love because its actual work and it doesn't involve or even come close a kill. Hunters know that working in the off-season can help their game and also keeps the hunter's flame burning year round. Killers on the other hand may do some off-season work, but from what I can tell, they don't seem to be too motivated about it.

After a killer does harvest a deer, they commonly boast about the kill as if it builds social status whether their animal was a trophy animal or not. Of course a hunter may brag about a nice deer, duck, turkey, etc they've harvested, but they won't go to the extent of self-promotion that a killer will.  A true hunter doesn't need any self-promotion and doesn't thrive on his reputation because to a hunter it's not a competition, but to a killer, it is.

Killers aren't interested in taking others hunting because it only lessens their chances of making a kill. Sure everyone hunts by themselves at some point in time, but (if okay with the hunting club and/or land-owner) a hunter is always open to taking another person hunting, especially a kid because a hunter wants to share the enjoyment of the sport. A killer's viewpoint on that matter is the opposite because he/she isn't interested in sharing the sport as much.  

Killers aren't concerned with adhering to the state/county regulations on game and don't mind breaking the rules because they don't respect the game, land, or sport as much as a hunter does. Due to this lack of adherence to rules & regulations killers will do things such as spotlighting deer at night, shooting before legal shooting time, hunting on land that isn't theirs, harvesting more animals than they are legally supposed to, etc. For whatever reason, a killer seems to feel above the law.

Summary
In the above paragraphs I've used a critical lens to compare, contrast, and note my view on the characteristics of both the "hunter" and the "killer". Looking deeper into the debate and deconstructing the meaning from a hunter's perspective provides unique insight with which you have the right to agree or disagree.

   WeHuntSC.com - Epistemology Graph
  Epistemology venn diagram courtesy Wikipedia

The term "Epistemology" refers to one's "way of knowing" and really forces one to ask the question "How do I know what I know to be truth?" Knowledge is derived from the merging of what we know to be true (truths) and what we believe (beliefs). This is demonstrated by the graph on the right. 

Given an epistemological viewpoint, one can be more informed about hunters from understanding a hunter's core values and beliefs. One must know the truths about hunters and understand the sport from a hunter's perspective in order to be knowledgeable and informed in the debate. Looking at hunting from the vantage point of a hunter offers valuable insight for non-hunters and those who are critical of hunters.

Determining whether an outdoorsman is a hunter or a killer is a judgment that can only be made on an individual basis. Stereotyping hunters as blood hungry killers is unfair because many times that is simply not the case. I'm not denying that there are some killers out there. I'm just saying that you can't call us all killers until you get to know us and understand us a little. 

Regards,

Clint
 


Sometimes You Just Have to do the Right Thing

The below blog entry was submitted by a SC hunter who wanted to share his story and lesson learned and who has also asked to remain anonymous:

Everyone learns the tremendous difference between right and wrong at a very young age.  Some of us choose to do the right thing and, often times, some of us choose to do the wrong thing.  The sum of the consequences of our choices is what comes to define us as individuals. Doing the right thing is not always the easiest path to take, but it is definitely the most fulfilling. The following is a true story about what recently happened to me and how I chose the hard path to do the right thing. 

About two weeks ago, I was in a deer stand hoping for a buck to walk out.  A few does and a fawn or two had come out, but no bucks.  About an hour before dark, what I thought was another fawn walked into the shooting lane.  I brought the rifle up to look at it through the scope and it was a huge bobcat.  He wasn?t hanging around long, so I shot him just as his front foot hit the edge of the lane.  I actually considered mounting the cat because of his size.  The next day I posted pictures of the cat here to the site.  I was proud of it! Not once did I give a single thought about any regulations involved with shooting bobcats whatsoever.  The next day a buddy of mine at work asked me if we were supposed to shoot bobcats during this time of year.  I replied to my friend ?Why not??  I thought that bobcats were regulated like coyotes, which is a year round open season. After a little bit of research I realized that I was wrong.  Bobcat season opens November 25th in my game zone. I had broken the law.

I had made a mistake and even posted it for everyone to see!  I had to swallow a little pride and do what was right and bite the bullet.  I called the Department of Natural Resources to find out what I needed to do.  A few hours later I ended up meeting a DNR officer who subsequently wrote me a ticket for $140 and 10 points off of my hunting license.  I did not enjoy paying the fine, but if I wouldn?t have reported myself and had gotten caught later, I could have served jail time and paid 10 times more than $140.  I have no doubt that I made the right decision about turning myself in to DNR.  Since then, a few of my friends have called me an idiot and a few have said I did the right thing.  I don?t mind the name calling considering I still have a clean criminal record after the fact. 

The point of me telling this story is to show that ignorance is no excuse when it comes to breaking laws.  My ignorance to the hunting laws in my area could have caused me major trouble, but I chose to do the difficult, but right thing.  Now I am in a little trouble and am missing some points on my hunting license, but more importantly, I still have my integrity and peace of mind about my actions. 

I encourage everyone to read the rules and regulations book before you go out in the woods so that you won?t find yourself in a predicament similar to mine.  It is also a good idea to fold the book up and stick it in your pack or pocket or wherever it can fit in case you need it while you?re out. 

In our high school weight room we had a sign that said "Character is who you are when no one is watching" and I think that statement holds a lot of water.  I applaud the hunter for demonstrating good character in this situation even when he knew there would be a penalty.  I also applaud the hunter for submitting the entry and turning the situation into a positive one for everyone. We all have to play by the rules, so if you don't know them then just travel over to SCDNR for more information.  If we all respect the game, the environment, and the rules, then we're only helping ourselves to be safer and helping to ensure fun in the outdoors for future generations.

Regards,

Clint

 


The South Carolina Deer Hunting Message Board is Getting Heated Up
  WeHuntSC.com - SC Deer Hunting Message Board
   

The air is getting a little cooler, football season is in full swing, and deer hunting season is upon us.  If you?re like me you can smell the seasons changing to fall in the air? and it just does something to you.  Sensing the temperature starting to drop and smelling the grass of the football field just makes me feel good inside!  

Others are sensing it and ?getting the itch? (at least the hunting part) too!  This can be noted as the activity on the message board is picking up.  I imagine we?ll get some good conversations on the board this fall as well as some good pics/videos posted to the site.  I look forward to seeing what everyone brings to the site this season!

Maybe we should give a prize for the first user to 300 posts or something? if we do, you boys would have to catch up to Hoot because I think he?s currently in the lead!

Remember: If you?re posting a pic in the competitions PUT THE DATE IN THE PIC!

Regards,

Clint

 


Wac?em Archery Products to Sponsor 2010 Deer Hunting Competitions
   WeHuntSC.com - Wac'em Archery Seatpacks
  Wac'em Archery Seatpacks

We?re excited to announce that Wac?em Archery Products is getting on board to sponsor the 2010 WeHuntSC.com Deer Competitions.  Wac?Em Archery products is based out of Utah and has donated 4 packs of 100 grain broad heads + 2 vertical seatpacks to the competition winners.  I?m sitting here looking at these broad heads and seat packs and I know that all you bow hunters are going to love some Wac?em Archery products. 

A little bit about Wac?em broadheads from the Wac?em Archery Products web site (www.WacemArchery.com) ?The flight of the Triton is like no other fixed blade broadhead; it truly is unbelievable. With its cut on impact head, just the right cutting diameter, and no mechanical blades to deflect, the Triton is at the head of its class in every penetration test available. The Triton, with its resharpenable head and replaceable blades, is in a class by itself. And it definitely has the ?look.?

WeHuntSC.com - Wac'em Archery Products - Broadheads

Also, the vertical seatpacks are really neat.  If you ever have an issue with stowing your bow in your vehicle, then look no further because these seatpacks can solve your problem.  You simply strap these around the seats of your vehicle and store your bow right up next to the backside of the seat.

A big thanks to Wac?em Archery Products for working with us to offer the hunters of South Carolina some really great prize packages.  If you?d like more info on Wac?em Archery Products just venture on over to www.WacemArchery.com.

Regards,

Clint
 


Founders FCU Donates Hats to 2010 Deer Hunting Competitions
   


WeHuntSC.com - Founders Federal Credit Union Logo

   

We?re excited that Founders Federal Credit Union is donating a camo Founders hat for each competition winner for our 2010 deer hunting competitions.  If you?re like me, you can never have too many hats and I can tell you that these Founders hats are quality hats and some winner will be glad to win one. 

As you probably know, Founders is a reputable, South Carolina based, Credit Union that has roots in the Fort Mill area.  We?re glad to have any sponsors, but we especially like to help promote SC based organizations.  So we?d like to give a big thanks to Founders for donating hats to this year?s competition winners.

If you?re looking for a solid Credit Union that?s got great customer service, then go to Founders and open an account?and if you?re wondering?yes, I have a Founders account!

Regards,

Clint
 

 


2010 Deer Hunting Competitions Announced

* I will continue to update this blog entry and the competition pages as more sponsors become involved.  So keep checking the list because the prize packages will continue to get better.

We?re pumped up to see what everyone around the state will be seeing and harvesting this coming hunting season.  As usual, we are hosting a couple competitions on the site and hunters from all over the state will compete to win prize packages and we?ve got some really good prizes to give away!  This year we have removed a competition and added 2 new ones to the mix.  You should also notice the rules for the competitions before posting any images because we are changing how the competitions work a little.

The Rules and New Changes

  • Only registered users can post pictures ? Why do you have to register to post pics you ask?because we need your contact information in case you win.  You would think it?s easy to get in contact with a winner, but many submissions have been posted to the site without a contact email address.  By registering to the site, we?ll have your email address in our database.  Don?t worry, it?s free to register and we?re not going to spam your inbox.  Anyone can post pics/videos to the regular galleries, but only registered users can post in the competitions
  • Date has to be in the picture - Due to some pictures from previous hunting seasons being posted (and complaints about it), this year we are requiring that the date be written on something in the picture to validate when the deer was harvested.  Yes, this is a pain, but if you do it right and win it?s worth the minor inconvenience.  If you?re reading this blog and hope to have an entry, then stop right now and go find a black sharpie and put it in your hunting bag just in case.  Also, if you can think of a better way to go about validating when the deer was harvested just let me know.  Any entries submitted without the date in the photo will not be considered valid entries and therefore will not win.
  • Quality of photo is highly important ? Obviously we can?t verify the weight of your deer with 100 % accuracy or the legitimate number of points on the rack.  We must trust your word in this matter.  This is why we factor in the quality of the image into the competition because sometimes the truth gets stretched!  So if you shoot a 10 point, 170 lb buck and take a bad picture and someone else shoots a 10 point, 150 lb buck but has a better picture then the best picture will be selected before the deer with the higher weight.
    Tips for taking a quality pic
  • Voting ? This year we are going ?American Idol? style with it a little.  We are going to cut off all entries on Jan 1 and will narrow it down to 3 finalists for each competition.  I will post those 3 finalists here on the site on Jan 3.  We will open the top 3 contestants to online voting to let everyone else determine the winner.  We will let voting run for 7 days and then stop the voting on Jan 10 and announce the winners on Jan 11.  Prizes will be delivered shortly thereafter.

Again, see the rules for each competition before posting

The Competitions & Prizes

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  1. GroundHog MAX Big Buck of the Year ? This competition is to see who bags the biggest buck in SC.  The winner will receive:
    1. A GroundHog MAX
    2. A McKenzie Scent Fan Duffle Bag
    3. A True Timber Camo Hat & Vinyl Sticker
    4. A WeHuntSC.com Vinyl Sticker
       
  2. Muzzy Archery Buck of the Year ? This new competition will find out who drops the biggest buck in SC with a bow and arrow.  The winner will receive:
    1. A Muzzy Ex-celarator drop away arrow rest
    2. A Muzzy 6 pack 100 grain broad heads
    3. A McKenzie Scent Fan Duffle Bag
    4. A True Timber Camo Hat & Vinyl Sticker
    5. A WeHuntSC.com Vinyl Sticker
       
  3. McKenzie Scent Fan Duffle Bag Women?s Buck of the Year ?This competition will find South Carolina?s #1 deer hunting diva.  Ladies, need help removing perfume/lotion scent that that may reside on your hunting clothes?  Just win this competition and you won?t have to worry.  The winner will receive:
    1. A McKenzie Scent Fan Duggle Bag
    2. A True Timber Camo Hat & Vinyl Sticker
    3. A WeHuntSC.com vinyl sticker
       
  4. True Timber Youth Buck of the Year ? The True Timber Camo Youth Buck of the Year competition will highlight upcoming hunters from around the state and will see which youth can harvest the nicest buck.  This competition will receive:
    1. A True Timber Camo Ground Blind
    2. A True Timber Hat
    3. A McKenzie Scent Fan Duffle Bag
       
  5. True Timber Doe Competition - The True Timber doe competition is a new competition that we?re hosting this year which is looking to find the biggest doe in South Carolina.  Not every hunter will have the chance to get a monster buck, but many hunters get good chances at harvesting a nice doe.  The competition winner will receive:
    1. A True Timber Camo Ground Blind
    2. A McKenzie Scent Fan Duffle Bag

We look forward to seeing what happens around the state again this year! 

* If you?re an organization interested in being a sponsor and would like to get involved, see the Sponsor FAQ page.

Regards,

Clint
 

 


The South Carolina Rabbit Hunting Message Board Just Got Fired Up!
   WeHuntSC.com - South Carolina Rabbit Hunting Message Board
   

WeHuntSC.com noticed considerable growth in site traffic this past week with the welcoming of several rabbit hunters from all over South Carolina.  If you are into hunting rabbits and you?re in South Carolina, then you need to get in the loop with the rabbit hunters on our site.  These guys are from all different corners of the state and are very passionate about rabbit hunting and the dogs they use to hunt them!

I don?t know much about rabbit hunting, but I?m learning slowly over time.  Though, I can tell you from going hunting with Hoot and watching the message board that rabbit hunting is just as much about the dogs as it is about rabbits.  I would venture to say that you won?t find many rabbit hunters who aren?t also dog lovers.  Now it makes sense to me why Hoot didn?t even carry a gun when he took us rabbit hunting last winter. 

It seems that the dogs must be trained year round and I will say that these ?bunn brothers? talk about the breed of dogs and where they descend from like they just researched someone?s family tree and wrote a report on their heritage.  They know this stuff inside and out.  If you?re not on the inside of the rabbit hunting world then the language they speak when it comes to blood lines can be a little hard to follow.  I find it neat and interesting that these guys know all this information about their dog?s lineage and pedigree and discuss it so frequently.  I guess it is necessary though if you want to have the best dogs trailing some rabbits!

We?re happy to have all the new site members aboard and welcome any others that may wish to join in on the fun!

Regards,

Clint


The Convergence of Technology and Hunting
WeHuntSC.com - Digital Deer - Deer imposed over SC

Technology, dynamic applications, mobile devices, and the web are crawling into many aspects of our lives.  We have been, and still are, observing the intersection of technology and hunting.  Hunters are broaching the technical realm and are incorporating technology into the ways we hunt a little more every day.  The modern hunter realizes that technology can be beneficial if he/she is open to it. 

Technology is used in different aspects of hunting, for example, the game camera. The latest game cameras are GPS enabled and some can even post pictures to an online database that can be accessed and controlled remotely. My dad used to be critical of my openness to technology and make comments like "It's just another one of those gadgets that you like to mess with". Though, a couple of weekends ago he went with me to put a game camera up and is eager to see what pictures come from it! This is just one example of the integration of technology and hunting and I'm sure you can easily think of a few. 

Mobile devices. Mobile devices and smart phones are really changing the way we do things and in some ways changing our culture.  Let me give you an example of how a mobile device was beneficial to me out in the field last season. Last year I was hunting in a new location and had a deer walk in on me right at dark. I had to sit in the woods a long time before the deer passed by so as to not spook him away and give away my location. Since I was hunting in a relatively new location, and it was dark, I got disoriented as I tried to find my way out. Right as I began to switch into panic mode I remembered that my mobile device had a GPS application in it. So, I turned my I-Phone on and used the GPS/map feature to find my way out. I was glad that I had my phone and that specific application with me on that occasion! Though, there are also a lot of other useful apps for hunters on mobile devices such as GPS-Lite, the compass app, and Primos even has an app that makes all kind of game calls such as the sounds of turkey, deer, ducks, and many others.

Hunters also use the web to communicate, share information, learn, and to compete in competitions on WeHuntSC.com! With the increasing acceptance of HTML 5 and the popularity of YouTube (and video in general) the amount of hunting video, blogs, and outdoor driven applications on the web and mobile devices will continue growing. The advancement in tools for creating dynamic apps combined with the emerging technology oriented outdoorsmen paves the way for more applications that will show up in the future of hunting in various forms.  Location based technologies also offers beneficial functionality for society and eventually it will be incorporated and accepted by hunters. While hunters of the past did not have technology available, it's just a matter of time before every hunter is using some sort of technology or application to give them a better edge hunting. 

If this were not true, you wouldn't be on the internet, on a hunting site, and reading this blog! 

Regards,

Clint

 


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