2021 Rabbit Hunt - Small Game Season Finale

Happy hunters with a nice rabbit harvest.

 A group of Lowcountry rabbit hunting enthusiasts gathered on the last Saturday of February for a small game season sendoff. The winter months allow for small game hunting of dove, duck, squirrel, rabbit, quail, woodcock and snipe - but each season closes in succession during January and February. While there will  be hunting in late March and April for the wild turkey, that is considered to be a large game category. 

Beagles and hunters between rabbit chases.

Even though the calendar read February 27, the thermometer read 80-degrees after lunch time, and so the beagle pack and the hunting party that follows them were feeling the heat. A game plan of beginning the hunt at 7:30 a.m. was essential to the success of our hunt. The first rabbit of the day completely broke cover and ran down the side of a greenfield, causing two standers to whirl and shoot. Five shots rang out, and the rabbit completed its perfectly-planned semi-circle escape route around the hunters and back into the safety of thick cover. The first rabbit chase of the day was in the books, lifting everyone's spirits.

2021 Small Game Season Finale

I have visited duck ponds after duck season in the past to hunt snipe, and to watch shorebirds, but this time it was to rabbit hunt along the ditch system that drains waterfowl impoundments. Brambles and briars are the chief components of rabbit habitat, and the ditches and areas in-between grow thick with them. The rabbit master and his pack of beagles must penetrate these thick areas in order to rouse the rabbit. Thick brush pants guard the hunter, while the beagle can successfully navigate the cover by going underneath. When a beagle cries out, everyone knows that a rabbit is now on the move. By our lunch break at noon, ten rabbits had been harvested, giving all a feeling of accomplishment.

To view past blog entries about rabbit hunting click on 2017 - 2016 - 2012 - 2009 

2021 Wood Duck Box - Spring Maintenance

A close call from a fallen oak tree

 Wood ducks are among the first creatures to pair up in order to begin nesting, and they often getting a jump start on Spring by setting up shop in February. All veteran gamekeepers and landowners that are in the habit of maintaining wood duck boxes understand that these annual chores begin almost right after duck season ends. The commitment to keep the wood duck boxes in a clean condition is a way of helping woodies maintain a sustainable population. Also, these hands on chores often produce memorable encounters with other wildlife species that are memorable and 2021 was no different.

I finished the spring maintenance on seven wood ducks boxes by February 5. This is accomplished by purchasing pine chips for nest box bedding, donning hip boots, and wading out into the swamp with a step ladder to access the top of the box which opens. At my first stop I found a dead and dried up wood duck hen inside the wood duck box. It was a startling find, and its a mystery to me how she ended up deceased inside a box with a predator guard on it, but that it part of the mystery of nature. I cleaned out the bedding and found three unhatched eggs too, and it is very common to find a few eggs to remove. 

A dead wood duck hen I found inside box

The last box I cleaned out seems to be full of pine straw, which is not uncommon as birds may nest in these boxes after the wood ducks vacate them in early Spring. However, another surprise crawled out from under the straw when a Southern flying squirrel emerged and hurled himself towards a nearby tree. This nocturnal creature looked sluggish but I deemed it to be in no danger, and decided to shut the box lid and did not disturb the contents anymore. At then end of these chores it was time to head to the house and change clothes since my pants were muddy and a little wet too from the slogging through the swamp in the name of wildlife stewardship.

To view past blog entries on wood duck boxes click 2020 - 2016 - 2015 - 2014 

Fresh Bedding applied inside box

Typical wood duck box maintenance set up

Field Notes and Photos - January 2021

Possible Vireo Nest I Found in Bottomland

 My Field Notes and Photos observations used to publish in newsprint, but a lack of demand for nature photography and diminished editorial space changed that equation over time. Now when I have a fresh batch of observations I share them via Lowcountry Outdoors.

Wonderful woven nest I found in hardwoods

My first observation for January 2021 is that the weather was colder, which is really another way to say that it was normal or seasonal for January. Our warm fall in 2020, and our trend of warmer weather in general, means that the colder temps of January are welcome. After deer season is concluded on New Year's Day, the first couple of months of winter offers great conditions for rambling through the woods, whether upland or bottomland. Another observation is that while rainfall rates in January were not excessive, the pattern of light rain each week and a heavier than normal dose of cloudy weather has kept the woodlands very moist and in some places downright swampy.

Pine Cone illustrates size of this mushroom

While walking in a hardwood bottom associated with a creek I found a birds nest dangling from a brach about 6-feet off the ground. This nest was weaved with strong strands of black fiber and it was feathered with brown leaves and pieces of what looks like fresh green resurrection fern. The nest was in great shape, and I left it untouched in case it is reusable in the future. I'm not sure what bird would have built such a nest but Internet research suggests it could be a vireo. Another day I was walking in a hardwood flat that is not associated with a water source, and I found a different woven nest that was in great shape. I enjoy birding, so I guess my curiosity about these bird nests shouldn't be too surprising. The damp weather also allows fungus and mushrooms to thrive on hardwood that is either damp or dead and in decay. They each bring their own unique identity in terms of size and pattern and some are more striking than others.

Neat stacking pattern to this fungus

To view past Field Notes and Photos click on July 2020 -  June 2020 -  March 2020 - June 2019 - July 2018 - February 2018 -  December 2017 - September 2017 - January 2017- December 2016 - June 2016 - February 2016- December 2015 - October 2015 - September 2015 - August 2015 - July 2015 - June 2015 - February 2105 - October 2014 -  September 2014 - August 2014 - June 2014 - March 2012 - February 2012 - October 2011 - September 2011 

2021 Late Season Woodcock and Waterfowl Hunt

Last Day Hunt for wood duck, woodcock and Canada goose 

 The last Saturday in January of 2021 marks the conclusion of duck season, goose season and woodcock season. I planned to try for all three species during three different hunts on the morning of January 30. My day started in a backwater swamp looking for wood ducks. Shooting time began at 6:48 and the temperature was 28-degrees. The first group of seven ducks came in and pitched away from me, offering no shot. A second group of three flew towards me but flared off and never landed. My errant shots at this group flushed out the woodies that were already on the water. Then another group of six ducks circled the hole and dropped behind me using the proverbial back door, and I was fortunate to cut out one drake. When I looked at my watch again it was 7 a.m. and the hunt was over. 

The next phase of the hunt included a change in footwear, from hip boots to regular hiking boots. A change in shot size for targeting the larger Canada goose was also required. I set up on a low area next to a likely location, and waited for a late morning flight of geese. The ice on a nearby barbed wire fence was a testament that it was still a cold morning, and I stayed bundles up and grateful for some sunshine. A light breeze began to blow and not long after that a group of 16 honkers appeared on the horizon. As they got closer I could tell a smaller bird was flying with them. I kept my eyes on that bird out of curiosity and when it set its wings to land I could see it was a female mallard duck. I shunned the shot on that duck and peeled off a Canada goose, and it fell to the ground in a heap. The flock of geese circled and then left out, and I gathered my gear and goose and sent out for my next hunt.

Walking up a woodcock is one thing, but being able to draw down on the swerving timber doodle and make a kill shot is an entirely different discipline. Walking in a grid pattern in order to be sure and cover every square foot of terrain in an area full of leafy litter which woodcock prefer, I jumped up a bird. He flew straight away from me and landed past a pine thicket. I switched my walking patterns to he area where I saw it go, but after thirty minutes I was feeling like I would never see that bird again. Gathering my thoughts and making one more push further than I had thought to go, that same bird got up and I gave it both barrels of my 20-gauge upland shotgun, hitting it twice. It fell into a thick area so I had to crawl to retrieve my bird, and after putting my hands on that woodcock I gave thanks for my hunting success.

To view past blog entries about late season duck hunting click 2020 - 2019 - 2018 - 2017 -  Filming Migration Nation TV Show - 2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009 

2021 Docheno Dove Club - Late Season Hunt

Docheno Dove Club Logo

 The weather in January turned cooler, towards more seasonal winter temps, aided by consistently cloudy weather that keeps the ground from drying out and warming up. In fact, muddy roads and squishy dirt are a big topic of conversation these days, with wet conditions persisting even with only moderate rainfall. The first report I had of an uptick in dove activity came the last week of 2020 with one dove field being swarmed by migratory doves. Slowly, similar reports began to materialize from different outposts around the Lowcountry such as Grover, Edisto, Canadys and Wadmalaw. The Docheno dove club in Green Pond picked up enough migratory birds to hold a late season holiday hunt on January 17.

David Donnell with his limit

After meeting up at 1 p.m. for a hearty meal of grilled chicken leg quarters, green beans and macaroni, the hunters deployed to the dove field. At least 100 doves got up out of the field when the four-wheel drive vehicles dropped hunters off at stands that were spaced out for safety. The morning weather was around 28-degrees and that is a big part of the equation that makes doves have to feed more, and means the birds that got up and flew out were likely to return to the field. Sure enough, the doves came back in groups of five to ten birds for the next three hours and everyone saw plenty of doves fly past their position.

Hunters Going to the Dove Field

Congrats to David Donnell for limiting out on doves, plus two stands also saw dove harvests close to double-digits. Many in the field picked up three to four doves, while executing the teamwork that keeps the birds flying. The blue sky and occasional white clouds was a near-perfect setting for a late season dove hunt, which the veteran hunters in the group immediately recognized. Hunters with less experience now understand what it means to see late season birds fly well, while soaking in winter sunshine on a crisp afternoon. Dove season does not end until January 31, so with more cold weather there is also hope for more late season dove hunt opportunities throughout the Lowcountry.

To view past blog entires on click on 2019 - 2016 -  2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012  

Perry Buckner and Allen Bell after the hunt

2020 Gamekeepers / Winter - Waterfowl Migration

Trying to layout a blueprint for the waterfowl migration during any given year is alot like a meteorologist trying to predict the weather. Some days the forecast will materialize, and other days you'll have 'Waterfowl Whiplash' wondering what happened. Speaking with marsh managers from South Carolina to Oklahoma, I try and relay to Mossy Oak Gamekeepers what those in the field and saying and thinking about the 2020 waterfowl migration. 

 To view past blog entries from Mossy Oak Gamekeepers Magazine click Spring 2020 - Fall 2017- Spring 2016 - Winter 2016 - Fall 2015 - Summer 2015 - Spring 2015 - Winter 2015 - Fall 2014 - Summer 2014 - Spring 2014 - Winter 2013 

2020 Birding Journal Observations - November / December

 This year is the 13th year of the Lowcountry Outdoors blog and the Birding Journal Observations.

Red-Breasted Nuthatch

Tropical Storm Eta rolled through the Lowcountry on November 12 bringing balmy temps and three inches of rain. Backyard birds were common after a flurry of migratory songbirds flew through in late October. Pine warbler, yellow-bellied sapsucker, downy woodpecker, white-breasted nuthatch, mockingbird, brown thrasher, dove, blue jay, chipping sparrow and Carolina wren.

Two special sightings include the red-breasted nuthatch on November 8, and since then has been a regular at the peanut feeder. This is a year when birding forecasters predicted red-breasted nuthatches to filter into our flyway due to a lack of food sources in their usual range. I have seen this same scenario play out in the past, and the years we have red-breasted nuthatches are special. And on December 7, I had seven Northern Shoveler ducks stop by the farm pond for one day during their southward migration, joining some resident Canada geese. While I have recorded casual migratory waterfowl sightings before, this was the first time for shovelers to visit Snipe Hill in Colleton County just West of Walterboro.

To view past Birding Journal Observations from Nov. / Dec. click on 2018 -  2017 - 2016 -2015 - 2014 - 2013- 2012 - 2011 - 2010 

Brown Thrasher on Suet Feeder