2016 Deer Hunting Season Begins August 15

Buck in velvet from June 2016

The calendar turns to August and the summer gives way to fall, although it might not feel like it due to the long, hot summer of 2016. Weather is always going to be a limiting factor for some hunters during deer season, like when the record flooding rains in October 2015 reduced hunting opportunities. In spite of the heat, doe-harvest restrictions, and the possibility of mosquitoes with the Zika virus, the more seasoned hunters of the Lowcountry wouldn’t dream of missing the excitement of opening day.

When pick-up trucks with dog boxes are once again present on rural roads, everyone can see that the chase for a white-tailed buck is back on. These bucks run in bachelor groups during the early season, before the rut, so the anticipation of seeing multiple bucks during any hunt only adds incentive. Food plots can serve to concentrate deer, and hot weather means they might be bedding close to food and water for the sake of conserving energy and traveling less.

 

Long summer days offer ample time to still hunt after work, but sometimes daybreak is going to be the coolest part of any August day. It all depends on the rainfall activity, which was decreased last month, generating the warmest July on record in Charleston according to the National Weather Service. But just thinking of bucks in full velvet each year, reminds hunters about the unique fever felt during the early deer season.

To read the feature story in the newspaper click on Colletonian.

For past blog entries about Opening Days Deer Success Stories click on 2014 Lady Hunter - 2014- 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009