WeHuntSC.com Blog

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks for taking us Hoot!

Regards,

Clint

Tagged With: Hoot, Rabbit Hunting

GroundHog MAX partners with WeHuntSC.com

On February 24, 2010 in News by Clint Patterson

The WeHuntSC.com team is excited to announce that Tufline?s GroundHog MAX is getting involved with WeHuntSC.com in more ways than one! What is a GroundHog MAX you might ask? A GroundHog MAX is an awesome attachment for 4-wheelers used to create remote food plots. And by ?attachment?, I don?t mean a ?pull-behind?! The GroundHog MAX attaches directly under the back end of an ATV. Since the attachment can be flipped and carried in ?transport mode?, and is no wider than the 4-wheeler, so anywhere you can get the 4-wheeler?you can have a food plot. What?s probably best is for me to show you a video of it instead of trying to describe it in words. Check out what I mean?

Embedding that video sure saves me time trying to explain how it works! Now that all you deer hunting, ATV owners are drooling, I?ll tell you how can you get one. There are 3 ways that I know of? either win the ?Buck of the Year? competition next hunting season, go to your local Tractor Supply (after the first of April), or travel on over to www.ATVPlowPlus.com and place your order online.

The thing that we deer hunters will love about the GroundHog MAX is that it provides the possibility of creating food plots way back deep in the woods?that?s right?exactly where the big bucks like them! I believe the GroundHog MAX will change the way hunters view food plots and food plot creation as the GroundHog MAX opens the door to new opportunies. As you can see below, the WeHuntSC.com team is already busy getting our remote food plot underway and yes, we are using the GroundHog MAX to do so!

WeHuntSC.com - Backwoods Food Plot with a GroundHog MAX

Hunters Night Out

If you read these blog entries, then you know that Mike Lee from Tecomate Seed is going to give a presentation at our ?Hunter?s Night Out? when he comes up in the Spring. Keith Frachiseur, the inventor of the GroundHog MAX, has also agreed to speak that same day. As I mentioned earlier, Adam Smith ([email protected]) is spearheading the ?Food Plot Journey? and our ?Hunter?s Night Out?. We will provide more information as the time gets closer, but just know that Tecomate Seed & the GroundHog MAX representatives will both be on hand to speak and we?re looking into getting food there as well!

So all in all, GroundHog MAX will sponsor next year?s ?Buck of the Year? competition, co-sponsor our ?Food Plot Journey?, and will present at our ?Hunter?s Night Out? and we are glad they are on board.

Regards,

Clint

Tagged With: GroundHog, MAX

WeHuntSC.com Video Shoot Behind the Scenes

On February 23, 2010 in Other by Clint Patterson

This past weekend we took to the woods and shot some HD videos that will be edited, produced, and come to the site soon. Trying to take myself serious in front of the camera proved to be a little difficult for me (and may prove difficult for you as well). Though, one of the neat parts of how we?re working our videos at this point is that we ask site visitors to suggest video ideas and contribute information to videos that we may not have included. We ended several segments saying ?If you do it differently or have something interesting to contribute, just let us know and we may come out and film you?. As the goal of this site is to be an information hub rather than a site to promote videos of the WeHuntSC.com team, we hope to get out and around the state to get video segments from different areas and see different ways of doing things. So be sure to let us know if you have any ideas or insight for future videos.

If you aren?t use to having a big microphone hanging over your head, light reflectors in your face, and a camera right on you?it can be a little intimidating. We went around and shot some videos on stand placement, stand location, trail markers, and sign in the woods! Whenever they get finished, we?ll publicize them on the site. I?m really excited to see what Jason and Yellow Cape Communications can create. I know whatever it is will be quality as I?ve seen a lot of his work before + he shot video of the WeHuntSC.com girls on the site.

Hopefully he?ll reduce the glare off my bald head! With that said, all I we can do for now is wait on the edit? more to come later.

Regards,

Clint

Tagged With: Behind, com, Scenes, Shoot, the, Video, WeHuntSC

The Flip

On February 17, 2010 in Reviews by Clint Patterson


	TheFlip.com

I?ve had hunters ask me which video cameras we use for our videos on the site. Well, that is a question with a two-sided answer. For any video that we shoot HD in 1090DPI that will be edited and professionally produced, our camera guy from YellowCapeCommunications.com brings his gear down and sets up shop. I can?t even begin to describe his cameras as they are every expensive and have more model numbers than I can remember. If you are interested in that level of camera, then you may want to contact [email protected] . I will tell you that everywhere those cameras go, so goes some source of lighting. So if you?re interested in getting into high quality video production, you must also get interested in learning about lighting!

Anyway, for our ?in the field? videos, several of the WeHuntSC.com team members carry ?Flips?. We carry them in our hunting bags and/or pockets because you never know what you might find in the great outdoors. Most often, we use these to shoot short videos that we embed in blogs or for videos that we post on the site. I go back and forth between shooting videos on my IPhone and my Flip. With my IPhone I can shoot a video and upload it straight to YouTube from a tree stand or really anywhere, but the quality of the IPhone video is not nearly as close as the quality of the Flip.

The Flip

The specific model we use is the Flip Ultra HD which sells for around $189. The Flip Video Ultra HD is a small, lightweight video recorder that can fit in your pocket. It is very easy to use and only has a few buttons on the camera. You don?t have to be a ?tech-head? to understand how to use this thing. It has 8GB (120 minutes) worth of memory and you can play back the videos you shot on the internal screen on the back of the Flip for quick viewing. The Flip comes with rechargeable batteries, starts up quickly, and can record within moments. One of the features I like most is the ?Turn Sound Off? feature. I turn the sound off so that every time I click a button it?s not beeping out in the woods/swamp/tree stand.

The flip has a USB port (the plug that plugs into your computer from the camera) on the side of the flip. You simply click the button and it opens up and it directly interfaces with your computer. The software you need to get your video off the flip is right there on the flip itself. If you own multiple computers, you can install it on however many you like. The program you install lets you edit and share the videos. For our purposes we use it to sometimes give our movies intros and credits at the ends of them. The software also allows you to merge multiple clips together and edit the length of the movies as well. (See an example of a video created with the flip using intros, merging clips, and credits here) Again, its user interface is very intuitive and simplistic in comparison to standard video suite software, so it?s nothing to be scared of. Once we shoot the videos, load them into FlipShare software for editing, we export and then upload to YouTube. Uploading the HD videos to YouTube does take a little bit longer, but the clarity in the videos makes it worth it in my opinion.

Benefits

Small
Lightweight
Easy to use
Internal USB makes for easy installation on your PC
Good internal storage (no need for buying memory card)
Software allows for small editing of video
Fairly priced

Drawbacks

The Zoom feature does not zoom very far
No camouflage case for it (yet)
No infrared or LEDs for low light video situations

So, if you?re looking for a relatively cheap video camera that shoots HD and can fit in your pocket?look no further. As you see on the site, we love to integrate YouTube videos and you can contribute yours on the ?Game? pages. Whether you get a flip or not, we encourage you to start posting some videos!

Regards,

Clint

Tagged With: Flip, Flip Ultra HD

Snow in SC ? again

On February 13, 2010 in Other by Clint Patterson

Do you remember the blog entry ? A long, cold winter ? that I wrote back in the middle of December? The gist of the blog entry was that nature gives signals about the upcoming winter. I had talked with a gentlemen about the large amount of acorns that were present this past deer hunting season and he told me that was a sign that we were going to have a long and cold winter. So I went and researched and it turns out there are many different signs that outdoorsman say can predict an upcoming difficult winter.

Well, so far, I would say that the gentlemen?s prediction is right on track. We?ve had more snow than I can remember in a while. It has definitely been colder, (and rekindled ardent conversation on global warming all on the news!), snow has reached parts of the coast that haven?t seen snow in a long time, and the groundhog predicted 6 more weeks of winter. It does seem that nature?s forecast of a long cold winter was accurate.

Here in Rock Hill we got 3 ? 3.5 inches of snow and Pageland got 4 ? 5 inches.


Rock Hill Snow (around 3 - 4 inches)		Pageland Snow (around 4 - 5 inches)


McBee Snow (around 3 - 3.5 inches) user submitted photo

If you?ve got any neat pics from the snow in your location, send them to me and I?ll post them to this blog.

Regards,

Clint

Tagged With: again, in, SC, Snow

Shed Hunting

On February 8, 2010 in Hunting by Clint Patterson


	Shed Hunting

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

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

Shed Hunting ? The Definition

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

Wikipedia?s Definition:

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

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

The Time Frame

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

Benefits

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

Tips:

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

Dogs & Shed Hunting

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

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

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

Links where I found information on shed hunting:

http://www.goshedhunting.com

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

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

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

http://www.antlerdogs.com

Regards,

Clint

Tagged With: Hunting, Shed

The Carolina Raptor Center

On February 6, 2010 in Other by Clint Patterson


	Carolina Raptor Center

Have you ever heard of the Carolina Raptor Center? Many people don?t know it exists. If you?re in the up-state of SC, you?re probably more likely to know about it than the people in low-state SC. The reason you may be more apt to know is because The Carolina Raptor Center is located in Huntersville, NC. It?s just across the NC line up interstate 77 a little ways. If you?re into birds of prey, or want to visit a neat place, or just want to take your kids on an interesting trip, you should give this place a chance. The Raptor Center hosts weekly presentations and programs and gives a monthly tour of the Raptor Rehabilitation Center.

Today a representative from the Raptor Center was speaking about the Raptor Center and two particular owls (one of which he was holding) at the Mecklenburg County Government Center. I was able to get close enough to get some decent video and to be able to hear the guy talk about the owl he was holding. He was full of information and even said that owls eat skunks. I wasn?t aware of that, but hate to imagine the thought! Anyway, here?s the video clip below.

I wasn?t able to stay long so I don?t really have an in depth write up on this one, but just wanted to let you all know that this place is out there in case you or your kids may be interested in birds of prey. Their web site details rescue missions they?ve been on and you can sign up to volunteer, adopt-a-bird, and much more. Check it out here: www.carolinaraptorcenter.org/index.php

Regards,

Clint

Tagged With: Carolina, Center, Raptor

QDMA Partners with WeHuntSC.com

On February 4, 2010 in News by Clint Patterson


	Quality Deer Management Association

The WeHuntSC.com team is pleased to announce that QDMA is working with us to bring our site audience a monthly ?Article of the month?. Quality Deer Management (QDM) is a management philosophy/practice that unites landowners, hunters, and managers in a common goal of producing biologically and socially balanced deer herds within existing environmental, social, and legal constraints.

QDMA publishes the Quality Whitetails Journal on a regular basis and the articles featured on our site will come from recent editions of the journal. The most-respected deer biologists, researchers and experts from around the country can be found on the pages of Quality Whitetails. No other publication offers the level of fresh, practical and reliable information on food plots, habitat management, deer behavior and deer hunting. Receiving Quality Whitetails is like having the experts along with you on your hunting property allowing readers to take what they learn and apply it directly to their land.

After speaking with the marketing director for QDMA, I learned that the QDMA organization initially started in coastal South Carolina! So it?s only appropriate that the South Carolina hunting web site and QDMA be involved with each other.

We hope the articles featured on the site will enrich your knowledge of all things deer hunting and, over time, help the quality of deer in our state.

WeHuntSC.com, QDMA Article of the Month page

Regards,

Clint

Tagged With: com, Partners, QDMA, WeHuntSC, with

Site update, Snow in the upstate, + Poison Ivy

On February 1, 2010 in Other by Clint Patterson

You probably noticed, but I did officially update the site this past Friday. I feel the updates were much needed and greatly enhanced the site. Without boring you with a bunch of tech-talk, it was a long and tedious process to get all the new modules implemented and successfully move everything to a new host. This process didn?t go without some hiccups and we may still experience a few more bumps in the road, but for the most part I think we?re good to go. So, if you come back to the site and it?s crashed, just know that I?m working on it and that I am backing up the site at regular intervals. I still have some pretty big updates to come to the photo/video gallery modules and I?m looking into a few more things to add to the site. Keep in mind that I built the site not knowing what the response would be from hunters around the state and since the start in September we?ve had over 50,000 pages views from 43 states & more than 20 countries. So in regards to the site, I?m just trying to catch up to the energy and momentum. The WeHuntSC.com team is constantly on the grind to bring your more and enhance the possibilities of the site even more. We?ve got some good stuff coming down the pipe and you should see all of this in the near future, but I don?t want to spoil the fun! With all that said, thanks for your continued support and visits to the site. If you can think of any ways to make it better, just let me know and we?ll do what we can to accommodate your requests.


	An image of my truck the day after the snow

As you are aware, this past weekend the east coast got hit with some wintery weather and boy did it get here quick. It started snowing around 4:00 pm on Friday or at least that?s when I first saw it. All of the forecasts were for bad road conditions and snow/sleet/ice all around. I was supposed to take the second part of the CWP (Concealed Weapons Permit) class, the shooting portion along with taking the test. Well it didn?t take long for them to cancel the class and post-pone it until the next weekend. After the CWP class, Adam and I were scheduled to go and do some more food plot work back deep in the woods. We obviously had to take a rain check on this as well. I think the upstate got considerably more snow and ice than other parts did. I like the snow and hope that it brings some interesting game-camera pics!

Adam and I had started working on a remote food plot the previous weekend and after doing so I was reminded of something. A few days after we worked, I first felt a tingle and in a few hours this tingle turned into an itch. This itch was yes? Po Po Po Poison Iveeeyyy! I wore blue jeans with a hole in the knee and dag-bummit if I didn?t catch poison ivy on that one knee from where I had bent over with the chainsaw in some brush. Of course it took 2 days before I realized what was going on and by that time I had spread the poison ivy to the other leg. So all week this stuff has been driving me absolutely crazy and not scratching my legs has been very hard to resist. I started off with Calamine lotion and, from what I can tell, this had little effect on the poison ivy. I have now switched to ?Ivy Dry? and it burns and really dries out my skin. If you have any urban legend solutions I?m up for it and respond to this post with your suggestions. If it persists, I?m going to just break down and go to the doctor, but I?m trying to tough it out?. I won?t lie?it?s rough right now. I feel like I have scales or something. Ok, that?s a little to much info so I?ll stop.

So both the food plot work and the CWP class got delayed which now affects our plans to go wabbit hunting with Hoot next weekend. I think we can still make it, but I don?t know how long we?ll be able to get out and about. We are trying to get Will to shoot a rabbit with a bow and arrow on camera. Do you think this is possible? I will be very surprised if he?s able to do it, but then again he did hit that can a few weeks ago on camera.

Also, if you emailed me since I updated the site, it did not go through. I realized this tonight and figured out the issue with some tech help from two different hosting companies. When I updated the DNS entries for the site, it affected the MX records on the exchange email server. I know that is tech-jargon, but either way it?s working now and our email addresses work again.

If you haven?t seen the coyote pics that are getting posted on the site, be sure to check them out. The guys are really laying the smack down on some coyotes!

Regards,

Clint

Tagged With: Poison Ivy, Site update, Snow in the upstate

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