Late season wood duck hunt

Three happy hunters and their wood duck limits

A slog into the swamp for woodies

Comer Morrison retrieves a drake wood duck

Always on the lookout for wildlife!!

The next to last Saturday of duck season is reason enough to rise early and try one's luck for waterfowl. A cold 32 degree morning graced the coastal Lowcountry and a foursome of friends headed into a natural vegetation pond in central Yemassee. A forecast of Fast and Furious wood duck activity at shooting time did not disappoint as three swamp gunners took a limit of woodies.
To view past blog entries about hunting wood ducks click here.

Quail Supreme recipe

Quail birds in brown gravy

Quail, green peas and potato mash

The fun part of the Quail Supreme occasion involved taking a bird dog into the woods and conducting a hunt for pen-raised quail. No bird dog? Don't worry, farm-raised quail are quite similar and can be purchased at your grocery store!

Quail Supreme:

6 to 8 quail or quail breasts
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon papper
1 teaspoon paprika
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup cooking sherry

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Flour quail. Melt butter in a large baking dish. Lay the quail breast side down in the dish of melted butter. Bake 30 minutes or until brown. Turn quail and add cream of mushroom soup and mix with the sherry. No sherry? Substitute 1/2 cup red wine. Bake until bubbly. Reduce heat to 350 and cover dish with foil. Bake 1 hour. Serves four.

Add a side of cornbread too

Harvested quail, ready to be cleaned

To view past recipe blog entries click here.

Wood Duck hunting in the late season

A drake wood duck harvest is always a success story

Extra! Extra! Practice makes perfect!

Hooray for the wood duck! 2013 proves again that the Lowcountry duck hunter has much to be thankful for when considering the wood duck. The daily limit for wood ducks is three per gun, which was increased by one duck from a limit of two woodies per gun just a few years ago. The daily limit for a mixed bag of ducks is six per gun, but right now Colletonians will be hard pressed to find that kind of success. However, three wood ducks in the bag is not too far-fetched to conceive. Wood ducks are very adaptive to habitat scenarios such as rivers, creeks, swamps and even isolated wetlands. Unlike other ducks that prefer wide open spaces, wood ducks are not only fine with woodland environs, they thrive in them. A wood duck can dodge tree limbs and branches with agility, and is just big enough to absorb a few glancing blows from branches if need be when landing. Woodies can offer some great wingshooting! Finding water right now can often mean finding some wood ducks. Drought conditions persist in the Lowcountry, despite several inches of rain in late December. The lack of water holes in the woodlands can serve to concentrate wood ducks, so if you can identify a water source, then you may find some ducks. Look around the edge habitat of the pond for feathers, and the acorns, which are their number one food source.

Two woodies in the woods on 1/17/2013

To read more of my feature article on the end of duck season click Colletonian.

To view past blog entries about wood duck hunting click here.

Quail hunt with Red Fish Brand

Curtis Hart before entering the quail woods

CHESTER !!!

The Lowcountry Marsh and Field clothing outfitter known as Red Fish Brand is serious about getting out to enjoy hunting and fishing traditions. What began with a quest to reignite America's passion for the cotton duck hunting jacket, has expanded into functional pants, shirts, belts and the new waist coat or cotton duck vest. Stepping into the upland pine woods in search of bobwhite quail, each step on the upland trail holds unknown dividends but lots of anticipation. This first-time English setter owner, enjoyed Curtis Hart's descriptions of the bird dogs he owned in the past. Some things never change regarding the admiration of these working dogs, even though some days require a healthy dose of understanding that the  bird dogs are not perfect. Leather boots and leather gloves were put to the test during the hunt, and stories about favorite shotguns were shared. The sighting of a mighty buck that had stayed safe during deer season gave us pause to give thanks for all the blessings of the Lowcountry. Cold weather is the best time to enjoy the double-thick Red Fish Brand Field Trial Waist Coat. The wet conditions of the woods hampered the flight of the pen-raised quail this day, limiting the harvest of birds for the frying pan, but we will endeavor to try and try again while quail season continues.

Red Fish Brand jacket and waist coat after the hunt

Cotton Duck cloth garments made locally

To view past blog entries about quail hunting click here.

To view past blog entries about Red Fish Brand click here.

2013 SouthEastern Wildlife Expo - Preview

2013 SEWE poster

Get SEWE Tickets HERE

Mary Roberts and Molly Dunn of SEWE on King Street

It's time for another romantic notion about Wild Life in the Holy City during Valentine's Day weekend! That reality will come to fruition for the 31st time thanks to the SouthEastern Widlife Exposition, the largest sporting arts festival around. From February 15 to 17, SEWE will feature wolves in 2013, and will bring back the popular Dock Dogs, while adding a classic duck decoy auction that is sure to reverberate throughout the plantations of the Santee Delta and the ACE Basin. To view the latest video promo click 2013 SEWE. Visiting the SEWE booth at the Second Sunday on King Street, where they partnered with the Charleston Animal Society offering puppies for adoption, I spoke with SEWE Director John Powell. The phone lines have been burning up with vendors finalizing their booth space at the sporting village, and the artists of SEWE will be coming in from all across the USA! And don't forget the retriever demos, birds of prey displays, oyster roasts and all around Lowcountry fun that is to be found on SEWE weekend. Bring the family and get in touch with other outdoors enthusiasts who appreciate wildlife and art equally.

To view past blog entries from the 2012 Southeastern Wildlife Expo click here.

Saltwater Seminar Series in Charleston Feb. 9

George Poveromo with a yellowfin tuna

The magazine that focuses on saltwater fishing is bringing its acclaimed National Seminar Series back to Charleston for 2013. Host George Poveromo is a senior editor at Salt Water Sportsman magazine, and stars in the World of Saltwater Fishing TV show on the NBC Sports Network. It may be frigid outside on Saturday February 9, making it a great day to attend class indoors all day about how to catch more saltwater fish. The seminar begins at 9 a.m. and will conclude by 4 p.m., and will have a cadre of experienced fishing captains sharing their knowledge. In 2010 the auditorium at Charleston Southern University was packed with about 300 saltwater anglers eager to learn more about fishing tactics and tackle, and they will use the same location this year. I first attended the National Seminar Series in 1995, and the 2013 edition will be the 26th year for this popular saltwater event. The fee to attend is $55 and is considered a good deal considering it includes six hours of instruction, a course textbook and a one-year subscription of Salt Water Sportsman magazine. Is a saltwater textbook valuable? You bet it is, and I can still put my hands on my 1995 copy. Bad weather days, when one cannot go saltwater fishing, offer the perfect time to pour over books about tactics and let that knowledge sink in, while checking to make sure your tackle box has the correct equipment. Attendees will also receive a goodie bag with boat cleaning products, fishing line, offers for tackle discounts and more. Plenty of fishing equipment will be given away on February 9 during door prize drawings. In 2010 the giveaways included gear from sponsors like Sperry shoes, Penn reels, RayMarine electronics, Suffix fishing line and Rapala fishing lures. Best of all, you will be with a room full of saltwater enthusiasts who are ready to share fishing stories, and excitement about upcoming fishing trips.

To view more of this feature article in the newspaper click on Colletonian.

To view past blog entries about the Saltwater Seminar Series click here.

Wood Stork populations recover naturally

Wood Stork in isolate wetland in Colleton County

Three wise wood storks contemplate a day in the Lowcountry

When witnessing a nesting colony of wood storks and their rookery a casual observer might remark that it is simply a place bustling with bird life. While some are taken in as if gripped by the lapels, and give thanks to the Creator who saw fit to provide such a mechanism that protects our mighty feathered flock, so that they can reproduce and grace our wetlands with their stunning and chiseled beauty forever. Amen.

To read my front page article on the wood stork population recovery click on Charleston Mercury.

To view a past blog entry about Whooping Cranes in the Lowcountry click here.

To view my most recent Birding Journal Observations blog entry click here.