2011 Tall Timbers Fall Field Day / Groton Plantation

Groton's Wes Smith, Bill Palmer is
Director of Tall Timbers and Jerald Sholar 

Quite a crowd turned out for the 2011 Field Day

Groton Planation in Allendale County hosted the Tall Timbers event that drew a large crowd of upland hunting enthusiasts. Land owners and habitat managers gathered to hear an update on the ongoing recovery of bobwhite quail, and to take a field trip of Groton's extensive wild bird woods. Fire has played a role in the management of Groton since Herbert Stoddard visited with the Winthrop family and advised them to 'Light it Up,' said family representative Rob Winthrop. Today, manager Wes Smith uses 'thermal pruning' as one method to control hardwood encroachment, which occurs so slowly over time that only constant vigilance can stop it. Practices like flat-mowing and sometimes even herbicide applications must accompany a regular regime of prescribed fire. Field trips stops included a look at the T185 stump grinder used to quickly convert woody areas into ready to plant openings that quail will utilize, and a talk by a Eukanuba nutritionist about what it takes to keep a kennel of bird dogs healthy throughout hunting season. Tall Timbers is based out of Florida but has recently begun its S.C. Quail Project to bring their upland habitat research to the Palmetto state in hopes of restoring the population of bobwhite quail to a sustainable level.


To view past blog entries about the SCQP Fall field day click 2013 or 2010. (related 2014)

VideoByJeffDennis: Wes Smith addresses the field day crowd

Erik Altom with Eukanuba visits with 
pointing dog owner Andrea Clark

A pickup truck caravan winds through Groton Land Co.

2011 Jasper County dog drive

Rev. Dave Copeland stopped this nice 8-point buck

Kevin Griffin and Heyward Horton from Colleton County

Mickey sharpens knives for everyone

Grateful for the invitation to join a large-acreage dog hunting club for the second year, hopes were high after seeing plenty of deer just the year before. However, with the drought in effect the property did not seem to be holding as many deer, and despite some great weather to hunt in I did not see any deer during my visit. A grand supper was served up and some custom knives were on display for the hunters to admire. Good Times!

A typical deer dog on the trail

To view past blog entries about deer hunting in Jasper County click here.

2011 Polo for the Point

Polo action at Limehouse Field

Chip caption chooses a mallet

The Artisan Center proved deft at the art of food display

The Lowcountry Hunt came to give a fox hunting demonstration and I caught these spectators watching the polo match!

The Colleton Center is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide for the preservation and renovation of the historic Hampton Street Elementary School as a center for the arts for all Colletonians to enjoy. Proceeds from the 3rd Polo for the Point will be used to restore and renovate the performing arts auditorium, which continues to bring touring musicians and actors to Walterboro.

           Mr. and Mrs. H.B. Limehouse served as the honorary co-chairs for the Raise the Point Capital Campaign. “My wife Frankie and her brother George went to school at Hampton Street and we think putting a performance arts center in that building is the right thing for our small town,” said Buck Limehouse.
           “Colleton County has always been associated with horses, and this is a great way to continue that tradition,” said Limehouse. “In the past Colletonians used horses to drive cattle and to pull logs from the woods. The tradition of hunting from horseback continues today for deer hunters, upland quail hunters and foxhunters. We might need to see about having some horse races again too.”


To view past blog entries for Polo for the Point click here.

2011 Berkeley County conference

Black's Camp in Cross has a boat ramp on the lake and a hotel lodging facility on the premises, plus a small restaurant. Hunting is done at the Black Briar property, which is a partner to Black's Camp landing. This is all known as Santee Cooper country, and it is also known as a good place to go gator hunting. Guide Kevin Davis is your contact to enjoy the outdoors out of Black's Camp, and he is both friendly and experienced.

To view past blog entries from outdoor conferences click here.

Lowcountry Fishing Report - 11/3/11

Here's my latest Fishing Report for the Coastal Lowcountry in the Charleston Mercury.

Mark your calendar for the Nov. 10 banquet of the Sea Island Chapter of CCA!!!
For more information contact John Barham at 843-452-5785.

To view past fishing reports click here.

This sunlit red drum was caught AND released - a popular practice these days

Inaugural Coastal Bear Hunt Season is set to go

S.C. coastal black bear in a fire break / Trailcam by SCDNR

Deanna Ruth is the SCDNR coastal bear biologist

Come December 1, three coastal counties will be open for hunting of our coastal black bear population. SCDNR's coastal bear biologist Deanna Ruth has worked on the black bear management plan that will allow a limited harvest for those who apply and receive SCDRN tags. For my feature article with ALL of the details in the Charleston Mercury click here.

Birding Journal Observations / Sept. - Oct. 2011

Immature male rufous hummingbird in first fall flight plumage

Two sightings, one large and one very small, made the latest birding observation period memorable. On September 4 a mature bald eagle flew right across the house on his course to some waypoint in the ACE Basin. Then on October 18 I saw my FIRST EVER Rufous Hummingbird come to a feeder and I was in full panic mode trying to I.D. the hummer using three birding books I keep on hand for such occasions. What made it tough to I.D. was that this was an immature rufous and he was in his first fall flight plumage which is drab. Searching the Internet I was able to find the image by Phil Jeffrey that was an exact match for what I had seen. My ruby-throated hummingbirds had arrived on April 20 and then departed on October 9 - so I knew when I saw the solo hummer on Oct. 18th that it was likely a Rufous. Now I have added the Rufous to my Life List of bird sightings, and can remind birders to remember to leave your hummingbird feeder up a while after the ruby-throated birds leave, because the more cold-hearty rufous hummingbirds may yet migrate through. Other observations include white-breasted nuthatch, dove, tufted titmouse, cardinal, a male Norther parula warbler, female summer tanager, indigo bunting, first-year male summer tanager, red-bellied woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, carolina chickadee, red-headed woodpecker, blue grosbeak, brown thrasher, mockingbird, brown thrasher, bluebird, female American redstart, bluejay, lark sparrow, grey catbird, downy woodpecker, Northern flicker, Canada goose, turkey vulture, yellow-rumped warbler and pileated woodpecker.

To view past birding journal blog entries click here.