Great Football Weekend!

Go Tigers!

What a great win over Miami, a top 10 team! Clemson is now in the driver's seat for the ACC Championship game!

Wofford finally won a game, a nice win against WCU!

Oh, and to top it off USC is losing to Vandy 10-7 in the 3rd Quarter!

Andrews, SC Hunting Weekend 2009 Wrap-Up!

Well I haven't posted in so long I would be shocked if anyone is still following the blog! I have been so busy with work and parenting that I haven't had much of an opportunity to blog. I have been able to hunt a few times each week, but I haven't taken a deer until this past weekend.

Jennifer gave me a green light a few weeks ago that I could join friends that I used to hunt with when we lived in Charleston for a little hunting weekend during the rut-well I have been waiting and watching the days tick down-just so happened the first real cold snap of the season came through just in time for this past weekend! Afer a three hour drive I got up to Andrews, SC (Williamsburg Co.) just in time to hunt Friday evening. I sat on a road and cut over and saw a few does and a small 4 pt buck that evening.

Saturday morning was cold, 44 degrees and calm, but I didn't see a deer-I think they moved later in the morning.

Saturday evening I got in the stand about 4:30p overlooking a clear cut. After seeing nothing for a few hours, about 6:45p a couple of does showed up acting very nervous. A few minutes later I heard a crash in the woods at the back of the cut over and the does took off! Out walked a really nice buck and the chase was on!

I watched him chase the does for a minute and got my rifle up. When he walked into a shooting lane after a doe I dropped him with one shot from the ole' .30-06!

The buck was ~170 lbs and had a 15.5" spread. It was a great weekend!

8 Point Buck Williamsburg Co. SC 10/17/09

Trail Cam Bucks

As I sit here watching the USC/Ole Miss game, I thought I would catch up on my hunting adventures, especially since I am a Clemson fan!

Anyway, I have been hunting a handful of times so far this year, but I have not taken a deer yet. I went with my buddy Evan Jeffords last saturday, and had a couple of small bucks walk right under my stand (even had a small 6 pt grunting!), but no big guys. The bucks are starting to move, and show signs of pre-rut activity. I found several scrapes this week! I have seen many deer this year, and that is encouraging. Here are some nice ones on camera that I hope to get a chance at this year!

Hunting Update

Well I know that I haven't posted in about a month but it's due to lots of time spent at work and home. Recently I have been busy working on the budget and business plan for the health system for 2010, and really haven't had time for much else. We celebrated Anderson's birthday on the 15th and had a great time with family. To see more on that, click here.

I have had the chance to hunt a few times since the season started, and fortunately have seen a good many deer, but nothing close to a shooter. I've seen a total of 32 deer so far, but only 4 bucks. I have hunted a few times at Trowbridge Plantation with James Wedgeworth and while I haven't dropped the hammer his son-in-law took a dandy opening morning. Take a look below.

I'm heading to the farm this weekend for a hunt, so with all this rain maybe my luck will change. I'll be reporting back soon...after I clean the house and watch Anderson so Jennifer can take a break, that is!

PS: I hope everyone is ready for college football, which starts next weekend! Go Tigers and Go Terriers!!!

Trail Camera Pics and Anderson's first Farm Venture!

Over the past few weeks I've gathered a few pics of some nice bucks-here are a few that I hope will be around come August 16! August 15 is my son's 1st Birthday, so it will be cake and ice cream to start the year! Also, today Jennifer and Anderson went to the farm with me after a day of boating to spread corn and check the cameras... a good time and it won't be long before he will be tromping around in the woods with his Daddy!

Nice 7 Point

He'll be driving the buggy soon!

Deer Season Scouting Time!

It's good to be back on the blog after taking a few weeks off. I figured everyone is getting the updates from Jennifer'sblog about Anderson and our weekly activities, so I have reserved my blog for more hunting and hobby related topics.

I went to the farm last weekend to check the corn and trail cameras. The loggers have been thinning pines over the past few weeks, and unfortunately they cut a good deal of timber near my "honey hole" stand from last year. It really has affected the deer traffic, as I had no pictures of deer over the past week feeding on corn at this location...hopefully that will change soon once those loggers get out of the farm, which should happen over the next week or so.

I have been scouting a new area on the farm and believe that I will move a stand to this location, especially after I had some nice deer on camera. I had a nice 10 pt that has been showing up during the day-hopefully he will be there when the season starts!

Nice 10 Point

Another shot!

Nice Father's Day!

Well it was great to finally be able to celebrate Father's Day-Jennifer and Anderson gave me a wonderful 1st Father's Day-A nice hot breakfast to start the day, coupled by a great afternoon outside crabbing and fishing off the dock...and topping the day off with a boatride and a cookout. We had a great day and I am so thankful to have such a wonderful wife and awesome son!

SOLD!

Since buying the Bad Boy Buggy I haven't had room in the garage for our vehicles, the buggy, and my ATV, so I decided I no longer needed the ATV and was going to sell it. I procrastinated for a month or so, and when talking to my dad the other week he suggested I sell it on Craig's List, so I put an ad on Charleston and Hilton Head Craig's List and sure enough, it sold within 3 weeks, so I am relieved to have room again in the garage to park all the vehicles!

I sold it to a nice young guy and his dad, who lived in Mt. Pleasant of all places. He was so excited to get his first ATV and I was happy to sell it to someone that would enjoy it.

Stephen's Turkey

Folks,

most of you know that I am a major turkey hunting fool-I love to chase those birds through the woods as much as anyone, and unfortunately another season is in the books without me bagging a turkey. I had a great season and had a couple of chances to take a bird, but it just didn't work out. The same can't be said for my good friend Stephen Creech, who finally got the monkey off his back in Williamsburg Co. taking a really nice Gobbler this season along with his friend Alderman Maynard. Congrats Stephen!

Nice South Carolina Longbeard

Long Overdue

Well friends,

I apologize for my lack of posting lately. I have been busy lately, mainly working at the hospital and enjoying fatherhood! I have a new boss at the hosptial, and that has led to a lot of late hours, and when there is time to do anything else, I try to spend it with Anderson and Jennifer. He is really getting big now!

Anderson at 9 mths

I did get a chance to participate in a wedding a couple of weekends ago, for my Sister in law and new brother in law-Paige and Charlie. I am looking forward to getting Charlie out in the woods this year, and also spending a little time on the boat fishing when we have time.

Charlie, Thanksgiving 2008

Turkey Hunting Updates

I've been lax with blogging lately, not because I haven't been busy, but because the hunting has been Lousy! I've still got 5 tags to fill, and it appears as though I'll end the season without a turkey...again!


Last weekend Jennifer and I went to the Heritage Golf Tournament, so I did not do any hunting. For more on the Heritage, check out jennifer's blog here.


I went hunting yesterday at the Webb, Hamilton Ridge, and Palachucola WMAs. We did not hear a bird or see a bird. It was horrible, especially since I took a day off from work! I was told over 45 gobblers have been killed there this year, but on 26,000 acres, that's a small amount to me. The old timers say in the past you could hear turkeys gobbling everywhere...but times have changed with the poor poult years recently as well as the increase of interest in turkey hunting, adding more and more hunters to the mix.

Cypress Swamps at Webb Wildlife Management Area

This morning Allen Haynes and I went to Yemassee to try and get on a gobbler before the season ends. They have been real quiet up there for the most part this year, but this morning we got on a good bird and he gobbled 10-15 times, but never came in as I believe he got with hens. We saw a few hens later and called back and forth with one for a few minutes, but once again, it appears as though there will be no turkey gumbo or smoked turkey sandwiches for the Talbert household unless they come from Butterball in 2009!

Arrowhead!

I had some work-related stuff to do yesterday morning, so I didn't get a chance to chase the longbeards off the roost, but I was able to slip away for a few hours in the afternoon-so I loaded up the buggy and headed up to the farm. I didn't have any luck...saw a couple of birds, but could not get a good hunt going. However, I was walking down one of the sandy roads and looked down (I am always looking for artifacts!), and there half buried was a beautiful arrowhead in perfect condition! I also found a native american tool of somekind about 40 yds from the arrowhead about 2 weeks ago. I think all of the rain we've had unearthed this treasure-a really neat find for an otherwise uneventful hunt-

The turkey hunting for me has been slow, since the opening day experience, I've had very little action...meaning, I haven't even heard a gobble! There is turkey sign all over theproperty, and i've taken some great hunters along with me, as well. Birds are just lock-jawed, I guess. I've seen a few turkeys here and there, but it's really been slow. I haven't been in the morning in over a week, and won't be able to go until next Saturday, but hopefully I'll have better luck then.

New Pet?

I noticed a bunch of leaves and moss on one of my shelves in the garage the other day. I was puzzled by it, but didn't think too much about it and cleaned it all up. After all, we rarely keep the garage doors open-However, a few weeks later, I discovered a full fledged nest on one of our garage shelves...this time with a guest. Check out Jennifer's new pet!

Our new "pet"

I don't have the heart to throw out the nest, and the bird comes and goes through a small opening in the garage, apparently! We'll see how long this lasts-kind of neat for now, don't you think?

*EDIT:

We discovered yesterday that the momma bird has at least 4 eggs she is nesting on...this will be interesting!

That's why they call it Hunting!

This morning was opening day of Turkey Season 2009 for me. I arrived at my spot at 7am. Walked 20yds from the truck when wham, Gobble! I couldn't tell where or how far so I hooted the owl call once, and wham, gobble again-I located him, and he was close, about 75 yds away, roosted in a pine tree. I slinked over into the woods off of the road and set up. I had good visability about 60 yds down the road, but not a shooting lane as there was a good bit of brush and sapling trees in my way. Anyhow, I yelped a couple of times, and he gobbled back. I yelped a few more times and laid the call down. He gobbled 5 or 6 more times and I heard him fly down. 2 minutes later, here he comes. A big boy, 10+ in beard, made his way down the road, coming right to me on a string. I had the gun on my knee, and the safety was off. Due to a lack of a shooting lane, I could see the bird making its way down the road looking for the hen, and I just got ready. He gobbled two or three more times within 30 yds of me...talk about heart pumping action! Once the bird got into my shooting lane (about 10 yds away) I raised my gun to my shoulder to take the shot and the bird flew off like a bat out of hell-I shot but it was too late. He was already in air about 30 yds from me. I was shocked at how fast he took off and cannot believe I do not have a dead turkey to show for such an awesome hunt. Took the shot at 7:30am-An incredible hunt nonetheless!

Weekend Wrap-Up

Well after the trip to NC on Friday, I was pretty much beat, both mentally and physically. However, I didn't let that stop me from a weekend full of activities.

First off, I received a call Friday afternoon from Jack McGill wanting to know if my father in law and I wanted to go offshore fishing to a wreck off of Fripp Island to go after some Sheepshead and Black Drum. He went a few weeks ago and really slayed them. Phil couldn't go because he had already agreed to go fishing with Paige and Charlie, so I told Jack I would still go if he wanted to. However, based on the wind and wave forcast, we decided it was going to be to rough and we would go another day. So I instead took up the other offer of joining Charlie, Paige, and Phil for some inshore action.

The following day, Jack called me early in the morning but unfortunately I didn't get the call. I called him back and left a message, and proceeded on over to Beaufort to meet up with everyone at 11am. We had a great day on Charlie's boat, but the fishing was horrible. Once we got to our fishing hole, another boat soon joined us, and wouldn't you know, It was Jennifer's uncle Rob and Aunt Sheila, and their friend Debbie Walters! Rob was the only one that caught a keeper, a nice 17" Red. The wind was really rough, and we decided to move to a different spot near Monkey Island to get out of the wind. We were able to get away from the wind, but the fishing was no better. At least we had a good deal of food and beverage to enjoy, and it was a hoot watching the monkeys. (For those of you that don't know, I am not on Drugs. There is a real Monkey Island near Beaufort, an island where the Federal Government keeps monkeys for research and other proejcts. The actual name of the island is Morgan Island!)

A couple of Monkeys on "Monkey Island"

On my way home from Beaufort, I got a call from Jack. He had gone fishing after all! And wouldn't you know it, they slayed the Sheepshead! Jack tried to call me and get me to go, but I missed the call and that was that. He and a friend of his, Eddie Hipp went and had a great time. Guess I'll have to pay better attention to my cell phone. By the way, they caught at least 4 that were over 9 lbs each!

Eddie Hipp with a couple of 9 lb+ Sheepshead...that could have been Me!

After Church on Sunday I headed up to Yemassee to attend a meeting for this year's hunting season at Richfield Plantation. Most of the members attended to meet the new folks and develop the rules for this upcoming season. I think we have a good group of hunters and this year looks to be a good one. More to come on that in the future. After the meeting I rode around and scouted a little for turkeys...Can't wait for the season to start!

Visit with my Grandmother

I don't usually blog about things other than guy stuff-you know, football, hunting, golf, etc. However, I've recently been faced with a difficult challenge in the declining health of my grandmother, Leona York of Statesville, NC. My mother's mom, she has been a significant part of my life for as long as I can remember. She was a great cook in her day, and a sweet Christian lady. I took this past Friday off and traveled to North Carolina to visit with her. She has been moved to a nursing center which is traumatic enough, due to her lack of eating. It was a very tiring day to drive over 9.5 hours in a day along with the visit, but it went well and I'm so glad I went. These times are precious. Please continue to pray for her health and for our family as we cope with her illness.

My Grandmother, "Tam"

Tam looking happy

Fire Pit Photos

Here are some photos of the Fire Pit that I won at the Rotary Auction a few weeks ago. David Hamilton came over and helped me unload it the other day-thanks David! This thing is rock solid and weighs well over 150lbs! Now, we can't wait to use it-hopefully we'll be able to before next year!

Nice Fire Pit designed by Iron Art by Kevin, located on HHI

Thanks for the help David!

Update!

Hope everyone is gearing up for Turkey season! I have been laying low lately, helping Jennifer take care of a sick baby(Anderson got his first cold!), and doing a few things around the house. Work has been really tiring lately, so I've been taking it easy on the weekends. It doesn't help that my detector was defective and I had to send it in for warranty service a few weeks ago. I just got it back yesterday so I should be good to go for the next few weekends, if I get a chance to search for relics before Turkey Season kicks in.
Despite staying around the house, I did get the chance to help out yesterday at our Rotary Club Annual Auction to raise money for the Hilton Head Children's Center Capital Campaign. It was a huge success, and we raised aroung $100k! I couldn't resist bidding on a few things, and was fortunate enough to have the winning bid on a great custom made fire pit. Here's a link to the auction and the fire pit!
And to those that are aware, thank you for the constant prayers for my grandmother, Tam. The doctors finally determined that she has cancer, and at her age the options for treatment aren't great. Her decline has been dificult for the family-She is a wonderful person and a Christian-I pray that God will take care of her and heal her if it be his will-Keep the prayers coming!

Take Care,

Brad

Turkey Season Clarification

For those of you wondering why I haven't posted in a while, unfortunately I just haven't had that much going on! Between taking care of Jennifer, Anderson, and completing much needed honey do's around the house, there hasn't been much else going on in our lives worth blogging about. I guess I could whine about Obama and his ridiculous spending plan, or brag about Clemson showing out on the hardwood, but I'll leave that to the pundits! I'd rather talk about our lives and hobbies, but I may slide a blog entry in every now and then about college sports or the Conservative cause!

We did have a wonderful dedication service for Anderson this past Sunday at church, however. It was a really great service and Anderson was well behaved! For more about the service, click here.

I hope to hit a few more Civil War sites with the detector before Turkey season kicks in, but in the meantime I recieved clarification for those of you in the Lowcountry wondering if the Zone 6 Season will begin Mar 15 as stated, or Mar 14, since the 15th falls on a Sunday. Well, I recieved the answer straight from the horse's mouth, Charles Ruth, DNR Biologist and Turkey Project Supervisor. Here is his written response:

Bradley,

The old Sunday to Saturday law was finally repealed last year. In the future, seasons for all species will open on the date that the law says they will open.
This is a good thing because there was always a lot of confusion among hunters (and DNR) about this issue. Plus, it reeked havoc on our printed materials when, every 7 years, the dates fell onSunday.
That being the case, turkey season in GZ 6 will open as posted on March 15.
Keep in mind that the basis for the old law was from a time when people did not hunt on Sunday (it was actually illegal to hunt deer and turkeys on Sundays in the piedmont until a few years ago). As things changed, the attitude concerning Sunday hunting changed and now most people hunt on Sundays. You may recall that there was even a lawsuit about the right to hunt on Sunday a few years ago.
Let me know if you have questions and good hunting.

Charles Ruth
Wildlife Biologist Deer/Turkey Project Supervisor
SCDNR
P. O. Box 167
Columbia, SC 29202-0167

So, for those of you that were hoping to get an extra day chasing those longbeards, sorry to report you'll either have to hold church in the woods on the 15th, or play hookey from work on the 16th!

Happy Hunting,

Brad

Too Much Going On!

Sorry I've been slack with blogging lately. With everything going on with my Grandmother I've been a bit preoccupied. Jennifer and the baby travelled to Charleston Thursday night for a continuing education class she had and they are staying with her Meme Love. I'm planning on swinging the detector in McPhersonville today along with scouting for antler sheds. I'll report out this evening.

Also, I'm reading a new book by H. David Stone, Jr., a physician out of Florence, SC. The book is called Vital Rails, written about the Charleston & Savannah Railroad and the Civil War in Coastal South Carolina. This is a fascinating book about the areas that I have been relic hunting. It's a good read for local history.

Thanks for all the prayers for my grandmother-she seems to be doing a bit better and will hopefully be discharged soon.

Take care-

brad

First Confederate Relic!!!

I got a call earlier in the week from Jack McGill, a fellow relic hunter and good friend of my father-in-law, Phil Amsler. He and I have relic hunted a few times in the past, and we ususally get together at some point in January or February for a few hours of detecting every year. Jack asked me to join him this weekend for some good old fashioned relic hunting, and of course, I obliged! We had prepared to search several sites, but due to the cold weather (30 degrees), we decided to stay close to Jack's home on Lady's Island in Beaufort and search a Yankee camp site that Jack had recieved the landowner's permission to hunt. We have hunted there several times throughout the years and I have always found a few campsite relics, but never anything too substantial.

Anyway, we got started late due to the weather, and began swinging our detectors around 11am or so. I searched for a good hour without much activity, when BAM! A good signal, and once I dug it out, there I had it: my first button of any kind, a fully intact Eagle Coat button! A few minutes later, I had dug a couple of roundball bullets. Before lunch I had dug several other camp related artifacts and one nice .69 caliber Minnie Ball bullet, but no other buttons. Jack had located an Eagle button as well. Unfortunately for me, I forgot my shovel at home, so I had to borrow one of Jack's old ones. And wouldn't you know it, it broke! It's hard to dig without a shovel!

We took off for lunch(and to purchase another shovel for yours truly!), and after all that I only had time for about 45 more minutes of digging before I had to get back home. Well I started digging and got a great little signal. I dug out the hole and couldn't find anything. For about five minutes, I searched that little pactch of dirt, kept getting a signal but couldn't find the target. I kept sifting the dirt, and was just about to move on, when I noticed the target: a small button that had fallen through the dirt pile into the grass. I grabbed it, cleaned it off, and then realized what I had just found: in the middle of a Yankee Campsite, I had just found a Confederate South Carolina uniform cuff button! It is in almost perfect dug condition, has a good amount of Gilt left, and is fully intact! Jack was beside himself, and so was I. This was an incredible find, and in a Yankee camp of all places! It just goes to show you you never know where you will find a true treasure! This was by far my best relic hunting effort to date!

Good Looking Relics: Roundball bullets, .69 Cal Minnie Ball Bullet, two buttons

Union Eagle Coat Button

South Carolina Confederate Cuff Button

Relic Hunting

Well now that Deer season in SC and College Football is over, I've been spending more time around the house playing with Anderson and completing a few "honey-dos." However, I was able to sneak out of the house for a few hours last weekend to do a little relic hunting.


For those that don't know, I am kind of a closet history buff and really enjoy Civil War and early American History, especially when it pertains to the South. When I was a kid, I really loved learning and reading about archeology...so this may be a way of fulfilling a childhood fantasy, I don't know. I do know, however, that there is something really exciting about finding a piece of history in the ground that hasn't been touched in hundreds of years. Fortunately, I live in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, where there are numerous places to hunt. There is so much history here, and it's a really great way to enjoy the outdoors this time of the year.



As for my new finds, I recently searched a "hunted out" Yankee Civil War Camp on Lady's Island in Beaufort, SC. Even though this place has been hunted many times in the past, I always seem to find a few relics. In about two hours I found a dropped .58 Cal "Minnie Ball" Bullet, a piece of burned "camp lead," and a brass rivet that was used as a sword belt placeholder. Nothing to retire on, but a few nice finds notheless. I tried to think about those Yankees that were here based out of that camp in the early 1860's, that I'm sure had never been to this part of the deep south before. Remember that they were here for 5 years without air conditioning, bug spray, or bridges, among other necessities of lowcountry living today! I bet they loved the mosquitos and sand gnats! Wonder where the guy was from that dropped that bullet, or the guy that lost the placeholder out of his belt?


Another place I hunted recently was around McPhersonville, SC, a former thriving Summertime Southern Village for coastal plantation owners in the 18th and 19th century. There was a battle here during the revolutionary war, and McPhersonville was the headquarters of the Confederate third military district of SC during the Civil War. I went to hunt an area that I have under lease for deer and turkey hunting, but due to the historical activity in this area, I knew that it was possible to find some old relics. Problem is, I have no clue where anything of significance was on the property...as now it's all grown up in fairly thick swamps and pines. I did search around a few old Magnolia trees that were an indication of an old house site. I really didn't find much of substance (old nails, aluminum caps and pop tops, iron, etc.). I did make one nice find, though. I found a brass piece with two holes in it. It is very ornate and perhaps was used as a nameplate or decoration for some type of furniture or other piece. I really have no idea of it's use or what it was, but it is definitely from the late 1700's through the 1870's or so. I'd appreciate any thoughts on what it could be!

Recent Finds: Brass Sword Belt Plcaeholder, dropped .58 cal Minnie Ball Bullet, camp lead, Brass Ornate Piece

I also want to make sure that folks interested in relic hunting or lowcountry history check out Richard Walker's new book, Relics and Reminiscing. This is a great work detailing Richard's 30 plus years of relic hunting, primarily in the Lowcountry. He has made some great finds and is a really neat South Carolinian. Thanks for a very entertaining book, Richard!

Deer Hunting Season Wrap-Up!

Well, it's over! All the work over the summer with planting food plots, endless scouting in the woods braving snakes, ticks, sand gnats, and mosquitos, providing supplemental feeding, and installing stands has hopefully paid off in the form of a nice mount of that beautiful wall hanger, or at a minimum, hopefully a freezer full of delicious and healthy vension to enjoy over the coming year!

For me, it was a crazy year. Our first child, Anderson, our son named after my grandfather, was born Opening Day of the South Carolina Deer Season, 8/15/2008. We were overjoyed and overwhelmed at the same time! The birth of your child is truly one of the most incredible events you can ever imagine! Regarding hunting season, this wonderful and incredible event impacted my ability to hunt compared to previous seasons, but due to the fact that I have a wonderful and understanding wife, I was able to hunt more than perhaps any new dad I know! However, I just keep telling her that it won't be long until he will be tagging along with me to the woods, leaving her to enjoy some peace and quiet around the house!

Anderson and his Daddy

As for my season, it was fairly successful overall. I was able to successfully harvest 3 out of 4 deer I killed this year, two antlerless deer and a nice 7 pt. The nice 7 pt was taken at Richfield Plantation, which is where I personally hunted this year under a lease arrangement. I killed a doe at Richfield as well, but unfortunately was not able to recover the deer. It's a part of hunting, and I guess has happened to most at some point, but anytime you kill an animal, I believe you owe it the respect of harvesting. Unfortunately the coyotes found the deer and left little but the bones by the time I found it! I also missed two very nice bucks out of the same stand I killed the 7 pt during the first two weeks of the season! I think that was God's way of telling me to get back home to my wife and little one!

Nice 7 pt Hampton County, SC Buck taken December 14, 2008

The most enjoyable part about this year was everything that I learned. I believe I became a better hunter this year and had a fun experience, which should be the goal each and every year. This is the main fundamental that I will teach Anderson once he is old enough to join me in the woods, along with safety, of course!

I became much better at scouting, identifying rubs, scrapes, trails, bedding areas, etc. I was able to use my trail cams to my advantage, which is what led me to taking the nice 7 pt. I scouted that particular stand location using arial maps, and then evaluating oak trees, acorns, trails, old rubs, and finding a few sheds led me to set up in that area. I also learned more about deer movement and interaction, seeing almost 70 deer in the field over the course of the season. It's always enjoyable to see the does and small bucks interacting. Although Jennifer probably wouldn't agree, I believe I gained more patience this year as well!

I learned that no matter how confident you are, never, ever, shoot the "lone" doe in the field, especially late, and even more so when you are on an invited hunt! That only can result in the taking of a Button Buck, which is, again, part of hunting, but something no hunter wants to have on his or her record. After years of hunting, I finally made the mistake of shooting a Button Buck for a doe. I was distraught over this for a good while, but finally realized that it happens to everyone. The important thing is, I learned a valuable lesson.

Over the past few months I was also able to enjoy several new hunting locations and met numerous folks I now consider friends and hunting companions. I was able to hunt at Richfield Plantation with Melvin and Gregory Lane, Billy Herndon, and Jerrald Martin. I was also invited on a few hunts at Roebuck Plantation in Robertville, SC, owned by Wise Batten. It was here that I met Mike Casstevens and Brian Carmines, both skilled woodsmen and fine folks. And Wise is as pleasant and kind a gentleman as you will meet.

I was able to take several folks hunting with me at Richfield, including Brian Weatherby, Evan Jeffords, Jack McGill, Brian Miller, Jon Bush, and was able to take Charlie Sprietsma, my future brother-in-law, on his first two deer hunts ever. Next year, I will make sure Charlie gets a chance at a nice one!

While it was nice to meet new friends and hunt new places, I also was sad to leave a place I had essentially cut my teeth deer hunting, and also the location of my best kill to date, a 198 lb 10 pt, Givings Neck Hunt Club off Black River in Georgetown County, SC. I missed my friends and "adopted" hunting family from Andrews, SC, the Blakelys and the Taylors from Mt. Pleasant, SC. Hunting season wasn't the same without those Wednesday night and Weekend after-hunting Pirleaus or Mustard Fried Venison dinners. However, Kevin Blakely was kind enough to share with me his monster buck taken at Blakely Farms in Andrews, SC this year. What a deer-congrats Kevin!

Kevin Blakely, Blakely Farms, Williamsburg Co, SC

All in all, I saw 68 deer, 19 bucks and 49 does. I averaged seeing deer a little over 50% of the time I was afield, which is very good. Our deer population in the lowcountry is thriving, folks!

I hope that everyone had a great season and enjoyed time out in God's great outdoors. For me, it's now time for spending time with the baby, maybe a little relic hunting, and scouting for the upcoming Turkey Season, which opens up March 15 for us down here in the Lowcountry. Happy New Year to All!