Sheepshead Slam with Gul'R'Boy Charters

Captain Mike McDonald took Clinch Heyward, chairman of the S.C. Wildlife Federation fishing out of the South Island Landing and Lowcountryoutdoors.com tagged along. Leaving out of South Island Boat Landing and fishing in Winyah Bay, the target of the inshore fishing trip was  spotted seatrout. Upon arriving at Gul'R'Boy's trout hole the anglers proceeded to catch just about anything but a trout! A spot-tailed bass was followed by a flounder, croaker, dogfish, rock bass, ladyfish, sheepshead, black drum, and THEN a trout decided to bite the hook. Everything fell for a shrimp fished under a float and it was good to partake in the mixed bag of fish that is just part of the blessing that is Lowcountry saltwater sporting adventure. For more info about Capt. McDonald click on Gul-R-Boy Charters.

Photos By Jeff Dennis: Clinch and Mike wet a line in Winyah Bay, two fisherman wearing buffs or masked men?, Finally - what I am calling the Sheepshead Slam - defined by when you catch a trout, spot-tail and a sheepshead at the SAME location

July / August Birding Observations

Lowcountryoutdoors.com admits that the birding during the dog days of summer is a little slow, but remains committed to birding reports. Some observations included Indigo bunting, bluebird, cardinal, kingbird, loggerhead shrike, blue grosbeak, Mississippi kite, red-headed woodpecker, red-bellied woodpecker, ruby-throated hummingbird, brown thrasher, pileated woodpecker, tufted titmouse, mockingbird, wild turkey, red-tailed hawk and of course, doves - lots of 'em. The birds of summer tend to enjoy suet (when its not melting in the sun) and black sunflower seeds more than the smaller grains. As always, clean and cool water in the bird baths is the number one songbird attractant during summer.

To view the May-June '09 birding blog entry click here.

Photo by Jeff Dennis: a potrait of Warblers and Bluebirds that Lowcountryoutdoors.com recently acquired

Opening Day of dove season at Longbeard Farms

Way down in a hollow right next to the Wateree River lies Longbeard Farms, near Eastover. This Richland County setting was just one of the dove fields across South Carolina where the annual rite of passage known as opening day of dove season was observed. (Some members of the public also call this the first saturday of college football season) A host of family and friends gathered at a dove field prepared in corn and sunflower, and after a brief safety meeting, the shoot began at 3 p.m. Captain Todd Stamps put me in a corner of the field where the birds like to cut across. A bird appeared, my 12-gauge pump shotgun bellowed once and the bird fell, and we held a meeting to decide that this was not a bad thing - unlike the superstition of say catching a fish on your first cast during a fishing trip. The weather was warm and a gentle breeze guided the doves into the field so that all the gunners, which included about 10 youths, were able to have a fun shoot until 6 p.m. A Boston butt supper was served with green beans and some cold BEvERages. Thanks to huntmaster Patrick Stamps for coordinating all of the days activities.

Photos By Jeff Dennis: Dove season is a great way to get youths involved in the outdoors and the hunters show off their doves, Todd Stamps with two birds on the way to his limit, Erin of Mt. Pleasant guards the sunflowers from those invading doves

Sailfish featured in CCA's Tide magazine

Ever wonder about the Sailfishing out of Charleston and of the S.C. Coast? In my article titled Easy Sailing in the Sept./Oct. edition - you can read about how one boat targets sailfish with a mix of dredge rigs and dink baits that can challenge your knowledge of fishing tackle and how to keep track of your bait spread. Sailfishing off the S.C. coast is ramping up to a 'peak' of activity later this fall, so there is no time like the present to knock the rust off your game plan and go offshore for sailfish.

For past articles by Jeff in CCA's TIDE magazine click here.

Photo by Jeff Dennis: Richard Coen reaches for the bill of a sailfish

Photo by Capt. Bobby Kriv: Lauren Dumas with her first ever sailfish caught in Aug. '09

Wildlife Themed License Plates for S.C.

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources conducted a survey for the public to pick which wildlife theme they would like on their license plate. Over 5000 people responded and they chose the plate with a deer and a dusk background and the plate with a painted bunting songbird. SCDNR funding from the sale of these license plates goes to conserve and improve wildlife habitat.

Good buck reports - Velvet Antlers

Some of the early season buck harvests are starting to come in to Lowcountryoutdoors.com and the velvet antlers make each good buck harvested a trophy. There has been much talk about the 16-point buck arrowed in Kingstree.

To view a past blog entry about harvesting bucks in velvet click here.

Photo provided by Palmetto Pride Processing: a 10-point buck weighing 205-pounds came in from T and M Farms in Ulmer.

Photo by Randy Lane: Mary K. Lane with her first ever ten-point buck - it weighed 180-pounds

Goose Season Begins: DU Skeet Shoot

September 1 marks the beginning of the early season for canada geese which runs all month long and is designed to engage and limit the population numbers of resident Canada geese. Resident geese can clog neighborhood ponds and golf courses, and find relative safety in these same areas because they are often no hunting zones. Goose hunters have to first seek out geese that are in an area that is legal to hunt in, and then access the permission to hunt there. Any readers wanting some help controlling resident geese this season can send me an e-mail so that I can put them in touch with hunters from Ducks Unlimited. The volunteers of SC DU are gearing up for fall fundraisers, and are always keeping an eye out for nuisance geese.The South Carolina chapter of DU held their annual Volunteer Appreciation Day at the Indigo Club shooting facility in Columbia. The high temperatures did not hamper the fellowship that was evident when the volunteers held a little skeet competition. Congratulations go to Team Two: William Clyburn, Steve Johnson, and Cliff Edler (all from the East Cooper Chapter) and Team Three: Bob Murphy, Doug Saunders and Mitchell Preger for winning the competition.

To view a past blog entry about duck hunting click here.

Photos by Jeff Dennis: The entire DU volunteer crew at the Indigo Club, Cliff Edler shoots at the doghouse station in front of a beautiful oak tree, Ty Tyler takes a crack at the wobble trap (look closely for the spent shell hull that whacked the photographer)