S.C. Quail Restoration and Bird Dogs at Moree's

Jeff Dennis and guide Billy Benson in the field

A return trip to hunt quail at Moree’s Sportsman Preserve in Chesterfield County on October 2 was nearly canceled due to storm damage from Hurricane Florence. Just two weeks earlier this area known as Society Hill received 24-inches of flooding rain, washing out some access roads. The longtime manager at Moree’s is Mike Johnson, and he worked overtime to prep their property and facilities for our hunt. Guide Billy Benson and I discussed bird dog lineage during the entire morning hunt, since I own one of the English Setters he raised eleven years ago at Moree’s.

            

S.C. Bobwhite Initiative

“I have been guiding here for 30 years now,” said Billy Benson of Florence. “Your dog’s mother was named Roxy, and this 9-year old male named Hoss is from a separate litter of puppies from Roxy. I watch the dogs each year to measure their ability to hunt and Hoss seems primed and ready for another hunting season. Aging is different for all dogs, but around age 11 is when I see it really slow down my working dogs. Another guide here named Leroy Jordan uses English Setters from the same lineage as your dog Chester.”

English Setter retrieves a bobwhite quail
while Mike Giles watches

The SEOPA conference in Florence featured bobwhite quail as a discussion topic with SCDNR’s small game biologist Michael Hook and Don McKenzie of the National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI). Quail population numbers have been in decline in every state of its range for decades, but out of the failure to fully grasp this landscape scale problem, a new resolve is forming to save our bird hunting culture. Songbirds have also been identified in decline, and it turns out that they require the same early successional habitat as bobwhite quail. A new management strategy that regards both the gamebirds and the songbirds as a treasured resource is uniting partners in conservation like never before.

To read the entire feature article in the newspaper click on Colletonian.

To view past blog entries about quail hunting click Shenandoah Plantation, Alabama - Barnsley Gardens, Georgia - Airy Hall Plantation, South Carolina - Buchanan Shoals, North Carolina - Jones Preserve, Tennessee - Pine Top Plantation, SC - Featherhorn Farm, SC - Deux Cheneaux Plantation, SC

To view past blog entries about bobwhite quail management click 2014 S.C. Quail Initiative - National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative - 2009 SE Quail Study Group - 2009 Quail Unlimited / Indian Creek Award

To view past blog entries for my S.C. Quail Season Finale click on 2015 - 2014- 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009 

To view past blog entries from the Tall Timbers Field Day click 2017 -  2013 - 2011 - 2010

To view past blog entries from SEOPA click 2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2009

Cheraw State Park - Just After Hurricane Florence

Entrance right off Highway 52

Park Manager Robert Mahony

Located in Chesterfield County, Cheraw State Park has a rich history tied to the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) which built many of the structures found there today. A more recent chapter for Cheraw State Park is the championship golf course built in 1991. I visited with Park manager Robert Mahony on October 1 to learn more about the 7000-acre state park with centerpiece Lake Juniper offering recreational swimming, paddling and fishing.

"We just had Hurricane Florence come through here and we recorded 24-inches of rain," said Mahony. "Our campground road got washed out by the flooding and we cannot access about half of the park at this point, but repair work is already underway. Our Director of Parks, Recreation and Tourism is Duane Parrish and he came here right after the storm to assess the damage. We do have some pine trees that came down in the storm to clean up and our picnic area behind the office remains flooded."

Mechanical management practices are also in use here

A serious outbreak of mosquitoes is also making that picnic area inhospitable, but I did notice some folks using the pet-friendly Boardwalk Trail near there. Deeper in the property is Turkey Oak Trail which incorporates a 2-mile loop and a 4.5-mile loop though the piney woods. No horses and no 4-wheelers are allowed, but foot traffic is welcome. The state park is popular with visitors from place in North Carolina like Monroe, Fayetteville and Pinehurst. Any guests wishing to spend the night may utilize one of the cabins on sight, built by the CCC. The cabins are quaint, rustic and set up to sleep four guests and I am happy to report a new effort underway to remodel and modernize them.

To view past blog entries about S.C. State Parks click Hickory Knob State Park - Edisto Beach - Huntington Beach - Myrtle Beach - Hampton Plantation - Barnwell / Tornado - Hunting Island

To view past blog entries about managed properties click on Congaree National Park - Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Botany Bay WMA / Coastal Geology - Donnelly WMA / Night Sounds - Belfast WMA / Benefit - Bear Island WMA / Birding

Cabin 5 on Oct. 1 before the remodeling process

2018 Toyota Tacoma Limited 4X4 Cruises Chesterfield County

Blue Tacoma and Red Caboose in McBee, S.C.

Making the trek from the coastline into the PeeDee of South Carolina, I drove a Blazing Blue Pearl Toyota Tacoma into sandhills country. The 4 X 4 option on this stout and sturdy pick up truck proved useful more than once since this same area received 24-inches of flooding rain from Hurricane Florence. Some roads were under repair still from being washed out, but at no time did I feel like this Limited model Double Cab, loaded with technology, wasn't worthy of any road condition test.

Cheraw Fish Hatchery Lake is beautiful in early Fall

Getting to the trail head was never easier thanks to Tacoma

The 3.5-liter V6 Atkinson cycle engine motored up the Interstate for three hours before I turned off on Highway 52 heading for Cheraw. The fuel economy averages 22 miles per gallon on the highway and was quite economical. Turning around amid longleaf pine trees in the sandhills can be tricky so the rear backup camera and rear parking sonar were truly appreciated. My favorite feature of the cab is the power slide window in the middle of the back glass, great for letting in some fresh air, and the switch is conveniently located right under the EnTune Hi-Res touch screen on the center dashboard. The power moonroof is a close second for my favorite cab feature.

Limited model steering wheel options

Chesterfield County is a part of the Olde English District of South Carolina that is comprised of seven counties. It was eleven years ago when I visited Moree's Sportsman Preserve in this area and purchased my English Setter bird dog named Chester. This visit included going to Cheraw State Park and Cheraw Fish Hatchery, run by the SCDNR, as a part of my SouthEastern Outdoor Press Association (SEOPA) annual meeting in Florence, S.C. My favorite image from Chesterfield County was the red caboose I found in the town of McBee very near to the Sandhills State Forest owned by the S.C. Forestry Commission. Lots of scenic beauty in this area, especially for an upland enthusiast like myself. A legacy of prescribed fire is easy to see in this area too, with lots of open understory that allows songbirds to thrive.

To view past blog entries from the Old English District click on Cheraw State Park - Moree's Quail Hunt - Old McCaskill Farm - Boykin Mill Store - Kershaw County Forest Landowners Meeting

To view past blog entries from SEOPA click 2018 - 2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2009.

Orchard Inn Opens Mountain View Suites and Spa

 View from new Mountainview Suite,
but little color change on the leaves on October 1

Wonderful woodwork inside the Suite

The quiet mountain town of Saluda, North Carolina is home to a historic bed and breakfast that is tucked away on top of a nearby peak.  When visiting this area of Western N.C. searching for autumn leaf viewing remember that The Orchard Inn is raising the bar in terms of luxury and comfort. New construction completed in September of 2018 includes two new mountain view suites and a spa facility for guests to utilize, just in time for the peak of fall foliage season.

            

Innkeeper and owner Marianne Blazer shares that the vision for the brand new facilities took shape over the past few years. “We always offered massage here for guests in their own rooms, but we really wanted a dedicated facility,” said Blazer. “We have a few older cabins on the property that are comfortable and secluded with a history of being booked, so we added two new suites. My husband Marc and I worked with Mill Creek Co. here in Saluda to design the new building and construct it on a sloping hillside for the best mountain viewing possible.”

My favorite feature of the new Mountianview Suite is the back porch, set up for privacy with two vented side walls, and a mountain view worthy of gaze. Two zero gravity recliner chairs are stationed on the porch, and the wire railing on the back porch does not impede the view. A flat board atop the railing is a perfect perch for snacks or other refreshments that can be served while drinking in the mountain splendor. I recommend bringing binoculars to aid the viewing of leaf color, but also to look for colorful migratory warblers like the ones I watched with delight.

The new suites are just steps away from the main Inn 

To view the entire feature story in the newspaper click on Colletonian.

To view past blog entries from Saluda click on Orchard Inn - Coon Dog Day - Green River Games - Tailgate Market - Arts Festival -  Nature Notes - Green River barbecue 

To view past blog entries from the mountains click on Sassafras Mountain / SC - Smoky Mountains / Tenn - ColdwaterTrout / NC - Sky Top Orchard / NC - Lonesome Valley / NC - Ozarks / Missouri  - South Holston River Lodge / Tennessee - Hazel Creek / NC 

Nicely appointed fireplace and livability stations

Massenburg Shade Trees at Lighthouse Venue

Shade Trees at Lighthouse Venue

2018 grape sales were great

A short drive from Walterboro down Highway 63 leads to Sniders crossroads, revealing the rural fabric of western Colleton County. Anyone cruising down Sniders Highway in 2013 noticed the new vineyard grove that popped up in one of the old farm fields along the roadside. An initial plan to make wine from the grapes did not bear fruit, but the business has grown to include a wedding venue, and fresh grapes from the vineyard are now in season and on sale. New for 2018, a commercial shade tree operation is clearly visible on parts of the property, and is sure to grow this diversified business to new heights.

            

Owner Ralph Massenburg is a close friend with the folks in Ravenel who have an older established vineyard and grape sale operation, taking that knowledge and applying it here. Readers of the Colletonian recall that some bottles of wine were created for the initial First Wine Festival complete with live music in September 2013. Since then the Lighthouse Venue has become more wedding oriented, with a picture perfect setting that includes a pecan grove, hay fields and an old farmhouse.

            

“Coming into this venture I had 50 years experience as a landscape contractor,” said Ralph Massenburg. “This is our first year growing the shade trees in a commercial operation selling to customers in garden centers and to local landscapers. Our trees are in 15-gallon and 30-gallon containers now, and we will include 45, 60 and 100-gallon container sizes in the future. We grow magnolias, maples, crepe myrtles, river birch, Leland cypress and bald cypress. Our live oaks and sawtooth oaks can provide the acorns that wildlife watchers appreciate.”

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

To view past blog entries click on New Holland Hay Baling - S.C. Crew / Western Wildfires - Colleton Civic Center - American Surrealist Art