Yarborough Group is Bullish on Ballistics

Mac on the spotting scope tells Phil where to SEND IT!

Whether you are already comfortable pulling the trigger on a firearm or not, the Yarborough Group is ready to serve the needs of civilians. This core group of elite ex-military types are eager to provide assistance with scenarios from long-range shooting for deer, to home invasion and disaster training. The Yarborough Group ballistics brunch course teaches how to control body posture and breathing before gently pulling back on the trigger, and all courses include the most modern thinking when it comes to gun range safety and marksmanship.

            

Graduates of the Ballistics Brunch course

Gun owners without access to a private shooting range usually head to a gun shop or public range in order to fire their weapons. Varying levels of firearm safety and instruction can be found at the gun shops and customers pay for things like range time, instruction time, gun rental and ammo. With the Yarborough Group the customer gets an extraordinary exposure into the mindset of tactical training from modern day warriors.

            

My marksmanship training was very hands on and professional

Disaster courses that are available from Yarborough Group include Basic Survival, Advanced Survival, Basic Trauma Medicine I and II, Improvised Medicine and Home Defense I and II. Tactical training courses include carbine fundamentals, pistol fundamentals, advanced pistol and ladies only pistol fundamentals – all of which can be offered at a private instruction course. Of course the instructors can travel to a location agreeable to all parties, and for the ballistics course we met at a private gun range in the ACE Basin.

            

Shooting Bench ready for next pupil

When I was tasked with shooting alongside these highly trained individuals known commonly as Special Operators it was the end of deer season so we focused on rifle shots from 100-yards on out to 300-yards. Long Range Marksmanship Instructor Mac took me through a safety talk before we ever loaded the .308 bolt-action sniper rifle that I would use. All the Yarborough Group instructors are young, but they have served with distinction, and Mac once won the All-Army Sniper Competition.

Spending time on a range with these gents is a great way to educate about gun safety and shooting accuracy. The Yarborough Group is named after a ceremonial knife that is awarded to those who complete Special Forces training, but they understand that not everyone is comfortable on a gun range and they welcome any skill level to utilize their services. For a listing of their group courses and upcoming classes visit the Internet at Yarborough Group.

To read the entire feature article in the newspaper click on Charleston Mercury.

Lowcountry Saltwater Fishing Report - 2/10/2015

Fishing Report for the Coastal Lowcountry of South Carolina:

Team Reelin' with a 54.1-pound Wahoo from Feb. 4
Photo by SC Wahoo Series

Inshore Report: Scott Hammond at Haddrell's Point West is taking a FRESH angle by sharing that the shad fishing in the Tail Race Canal has kicked into high gear! Catch numbers are usually very good but right now they are averaging from twenty to fifty-shad per day. In other words, fish a 2-inch chartreuse curly tail grub rigged with a 1/8-ounce jighead until you have so much fun you forget all about saltwater fishing! But seriously, the redfish are still schooling in large numbers on the shallow flats ready to inhale a properly placed Zman StreakZ. Sheepshead are still hanging around bridge pilings and heavy structure in 10 to 25-feet of water, with oysters being the bait of choice in February. For the latest  seminar information visit the Internet at Haddrell's Point.

Offshore Report: While bottom fishing continues to consist the majority of the offshore reports, Scott says that several boats have made it out onto the trolling grounds to find some stud wahoo. Numerous fish in the 50 to 60-pound range have been reported, all coming from just offshore of the ledge. A few blackfin tuna are mixed in and even some small dolphin too, and with the cost of fuel still lower than normal its a great time to steam towards the bluewater. The bottom fishing includes great reports of triggerfish and b-liners coming from 70 to 90-feet of water. The top baits include squid and jigs, which are working on black sea bass as well in 50 to 65-feet of water.

To view past Lowcountry Saltwater Fishing Reports click here.

2015 GameKeepers / Winter - Planting Future Fodder

Tree Spade at work transplanting a live oak

Planting trees for an annual mast crop requires open space and a long term management plan, and these efforts can turn into what feels like a free food plot in successive years. Property owners who manage for game can tell you that everything costs more these days when it comes to planting. All these factors might cause managers to look at an acorn a little differently as it rests in the palm of their hand. 

A property manager in Orangeburg County, South Carolina shared how making changes to the long term management plan of a property led to a large tree plot planting. With an increased timber harvest, in order to create more open space for wildlife habitat, the property stepped away from timber management as the priority and stepped up efforts to provide better hunting in the future. 

Winter cover of GameKeepers Magazine

Manager Gary Davidson knew he needed to plant some sawtooth oaks and live oaks to enhance the property back in 1994. “By chance I came across a nursery in Georgia that had a surplus of sawtooth oaks, and they were willing to make us a deal,” said Davidson. "We came away with 1200 sawtooth oak saplings, which are in the white oak family and they yield a large nut in the early part of fall. These sawtooth trees began producing mast for us in just five to seven years, and they don’t skip a year of production like a pecan tree does.”

An acorn planted today can pay off
big time for wildlife down the road

“During those formative years I fertilized the sawtooths to sweeten their mast and I pruned them as best I could too,” said Davidson. “But 18 years later these trees are on their own now since the yield is so large that I don’t need to spend money on fertilizer or spend time pruning them for stand improvement. I find that a good wet summer like over the last couple of years can greatly enhance their mast yield too.”

“We have a soft mast crop from native persimmon trees on the property, and they also produce in early fall,” said Davidson. “We rely on native red oaks and water oaks to drop acorns late so that these food sources don’t ever run out.” Getting 1200 seedlings planted is labor intensive, but Davidson’s take away message is they now have a reliable and natural mast crop each year, and that in today’s world of escalating costs the mast comes free of charge.

Planting Guide Graphic

There is no link available to the entire feature article in the Winter 2015 issue. To join the Mossy Oak Gamekeeper club and receive a hat, Biologic seed samples and magazine subscription click here.

To view past blog entries from Gamekeepers magazine click Fall 2014 - Summer 2014 - Spring 2014 - Winter 2013

Field Notes and Photos - February 2015

Daytime Sleeping Raccoon in large pine tree

Field Notes is a column I began eleven years ago in the Charleston Mercury newspaper, but as the amount of newsprint space in the 'salmon sheets' has diminished, so has the space for my nature photography. Now when I have a fresh batch of observations I share them via Lowcountry Outdoors.

To view past Field Notes click on October 2014 -  September 2014 - August 2014 - June 2014 - March 2012 - February 2012 - October 2011 - September 2011  

Black Snake in February 2015!! Snakes in Fall.

Screech Owl using a Wood Duck Box

Wild Turkey hens in the afternoon twilight

Wood Duck Box - Spring Maintenance

Screech Owl critter encounter in a wood duck box

The wood duck plays an important role as one of the top ducks in the hunter’s bag. The federal limit per day per hunter for wood ducks was raised from two woodies to a three wood duck limit just a few years ago due to a sustainable harvest. Hunters need to play a role in spring by maintaining wood duck boxes to aid in their reproduction.

Unlike most other species of ducks, the wood duck can adapt to nest in a man made duck box. True to their name, wood ducks haunt the woodlands and are also adept at nesting in tree cavities and other hideaways. Among the earliest ducks to begin nesting, wood ducks are usually paired up by the end of February and looking for a suitable nesting site.

Wood ducks can be picky though, especially as it concerns previously used wood duck boxes. If egg shells and moldy bedding materials are present in early spring, they may shun that box. Wildlife managers must be willing to visit and service their boxes each and every year. This gives the outdoor enthusiast a great reason to be outside, and provides an opportunity to encounter wildlife.

My typical wood duck box maintenance set up

Opening a wood duck box in order to empty the contents and provide fresh bedding sounds like an easy chore, but there is a lot of adventure along the way. First, consider that the wildlife manager is likely up on a step ladder and perched over some kind of water.

Use a pair of leather gloves to scoop out any old bedding material, egg shells, spider webs and residue. Then add fresh pine shavings to cover the entire bottom of the nest box, and then fasten the lid shut. The hen wood duck will add her own down feathers to the bedding when she begins laying eggs.

To view past articles about wood duck boxes click here. 

For past blog entries on wood ducks click on hunting or cooking.

Deux Cheneaux Redux

Host Allen Bell, Reaves McLeod and I

Good fortune shines on those who spend time in the outdoors, and wildlife encounters create ties to the land for both the landowner and the sportsman. Allen Bell at Deux Cheneaux feels this bond more than most according to the manicured appearance of his woodlands near Ritter. Open fields, thinned hardwoods, pine timber and ponds create a mosaic of wildlife habitat that is good for Bobwhite quail, where hunters can be hopeful they will be shooting coveys when the birds break cover.

Brittany Spaniels on Point at Deux Cheneaux

A walk through the Head field at Deux Cheneaux, adjacent to the Johno Creek reservoir, is the type of setting that makes for a memorable outdoor adventure in the ACE Basin. Bell’s 28-guage over and under Rizzini shotgun is always at the ready when the cold weather days of February allow for spending time working with the bird dogs of Docehno Kennels. Joining Bell and Reaves McLeod on a weekday afternoon hunt, we chased bird dogs until the daylight dwindled.

I hunted over Annie in 2009 as well

While hunting over two Brittany spaniels, we were not ready when Bell caused a covey to flush wild. I swung my 20-gauge to the left and dropped one bird, while the bulk of the covey flushed forward and settled back down. Then Bell and McLeod waited for the dogs to relocate the birds, before they moved in to flush and shoot the singles.

Quail hunting at Deux Cheneaux is based on an early release program that sees quail released in October which are left to fend for themselves. Lots of native grasses are left in place on purpose to give the quail some cover from marauding hawks. Even in an area with cover, on this cold day we found not one but two Cooper’s Hawks hounding the quail. This trial by nature ensures that the survivors will fly hard when flushed, making a challenge for wingshooters. To read about a past hawk encounter while quail hunting click here.

McLeod pushes the quail cover

The copious amounts of beggars lice that we had clinging to out hunting pants and to the fur on the dogs verified that we had searched for the bobwhites wherever they went. The final stop of the day was to the Chateau at Deux Cheneaux where Miss Susan came to greet us and to listen to our hunting tales about her favorite bird dogs. Later, as I cleaned the quail I visualized a recipe I sometimes refer to as Deux Cheneaux Redux, where the birds are in a brown gravy cooking in a black skillet, in preparation for a gamebird supper that nourishes the body and soul.

To view the entire article in the newspaper click on Colletonian.

To view past blog entries for Deux Cheneaux click 2011 Dove - 2012 Turkey - 2012 Deer

 

2014 Charleston Trident Fishing Tournament - Awards

Alicia with CLA gives Ecology Award

Nice Mahi Pic wins First Place

Tuesday January 27th marked the annual awards banquet for the year-long Trident Fishing Tournament. The awards were once again held at the Edisto meeting facility on James Island County Park, since Chas. Co. Parks Dept. is the principal sponsor of this tournament. Of course, all of the local fishing clubs line up to help promote the tournament, but this night features the anglers that made the special catches that made the 48th Trident Fishing Tournament memorable.

There are freshwater and saltwater categories and this tourney has stood the test of time because it is supported by most of the fishing clubs in the area. These are the same ones that hold one-day tournaments of their own such as Charleston Coastal Anglers, Carolina Lady Anglers, Lowcountry Anglers, Island Sportsman Club, and Charleston Inshore Anglers. The Summerville saltwater fishing club is the newest club to support the Trident Fishing Tournament.

Super Cool T-shirt design for 2015

Handsome Plaque for large Spadefish

To view past blog entries from the Trident Tourney awards click on 2014 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010