Yes, the time has come – summer on the water! I’ve been fishing a fair amount this summer, and was super excited to get a new Jimmy Styks board at the end of June – just in time for a long Independence Day weekend in Georgetown. You might have seen on Instagram that I recently partnered with Women’s Outdoor News as one of their columnists – woohoo! I was previously on their Featured Blogger list (and was beyond delighted to be included), but now an actual columnist for them??
TGIT, friends! Who’s ready for the weekend? Its looking like a good one! This past weekend was the Georgetown Tarpon Tournament (remember this video?), and although I wasn’t able to fish it (Thanks, guys… Just kidding!), I was able to spend plenty of time on the water… Yep, you guessed it – fishing from the paddle board. Can you tell yet that I’m hooked?
a stone crab claw I spotted in the pluff mud
Happy Monday, friends! So, this post may come as a little bit of a shock – a random “shopping” post, if you will. But, I just couldn’t resist passing along some of the great hunting, fishing, and general outdoor apparel/gear sales going on around the interweb. Got a travel bug? Got you covered. Need an update to your well-word duck hunting gear? Look no further. Heading out for a fun fall skeet shoot? It can be 85* or 55* on a fall day around here – Layer up! Girls – there is some great stuff out there for hunters AND non-hunters alike! So, just what am I looking for this year?
Hello, friends! I sat down to finish this post last night and realized how long it has been since I have posted. This summer is doing 2 things – passing so quickly that I don’t realize how much time is flying, and dragging on until the next hunting season. This has really been such a busy summer that even leisurely fishing opportunities seem far and few between. Ahh, such is life. I guess it could be worse!
It’s almost here. Well, for some, it’s already here! Whether your county opened on the 15th, or you’ve got to wait until April 1st, let’s make sure we’re all prepared for turkey season. Last season was fairly slow on the turkey hunting front, but we have some great hunts lined up for this spring. Now, we all know I am a list maker to the extreme, and I always want to be prepared ahead of time for whatever is coming my way (at least when it comes to this sort of thing!). So, let’s get prepared for our adventures!
The time has come! While shed hunting “season” might not be on DNR’s calendar, it is certainly on mine. Didn’t bag a buck last season? Guess what – you still have a chance to come home with some nice antlers to add to your collection. Bucks drop their antlers every winter (more on that here), so now is a great time to look for their sheds. Finding sheds is always fun, and they can be very educational. Stumble upon one side of a nice 8 point’s rack? Then you know that buck made it through the hunting season and will {hopefully} be around next year. I am admittedly a fairly recent convert, but shed hunting is my new favorite activity between seasons or when hunting one day isn’t an option. So, here is my rundown of how to prepare for and carry out a successful shed hunting mission. That sounded really militaristic for some reason… Anyways – Time to get prepped.
Trailing a wounded deer (or hog), that is. I can definitely recall quite a few hunts where I just knew that I was not going to be able to find my animal, only to follow a few simple steps and wind up just feet away from that tell-tale white belly or that giant {motionless} black mound atop crunchy brown leaves. Of course we’d all prefer the “drop it where it stands” kind of success, but that can’t always be the case!
Even though duck season doesn’t officially get started until November around here, I figured this would be as good a time as any to give you your essentials list for those fun-filled months. October 1 has brought with it the most glorious reprieve from South Carolina summer heat, and I know the next few months will be fantastic. What about early teal season, you ask? I had plenty of questions, as you know. To answer yours, no, I did not participate in teal hunting that weekend. Why? A casual afternoon 4-wheeler ride (more on that later… eeeeek!) down to the duck ponds to scout where we were going to hunt the next morning left me with one image. Well, 3, really. Alligators. Three of them. Right. Where. We’d. Hunt. I am talking like right where we would be standing in the water, trying to hide amongst the phragmite. I will admit it, I am that big of a wuss when it comes to large-ish alligators. A little small one? I have no problem holding him in my hands like a new pet. BUT WHERE IS HIS MOMMA? Exactly.
Now gear yourself up before November, friends, and enjoy!
Snakes. How could I forget about snakes this time of year? I am not a snake person, and I will gladly admit it. A tiny little green snake? Perfectly fine. I am talking about rattlesnakes and copperheads and lions and tigers and bears, oh my. Yesterday, my dad told me that one of his buddies was scouting deer at our property, and while he didn’t see any deer, noticed some movement out of the corner of his eye near his stand as he was climbing down. Ohh, hello 6 ft rattlesnake, how are you today? Thankfully he had a pistol with snake shot in it… Needless to say, the snake is no longer with us and probably feeding some alligator in the river. Hey, circle of life, right?
This morning, I stumbled across this video on Field & Stream, and it hit me that I didn’t even include snake boots on my lists of essentials – deer or dove. If a dead snake will bite his own body, you know your leg is an even tastier treat. They make a good point in the article below the video, too – if you kill a snake, make sure you’re not putting someone else in danger by leaving that venomous head just hanging around! I have these boots, pictured below, but there are plenty of options out there!
So I know the guy filming isn’t exactly going to win an Academy Award for filming/narration, but you get the idea. Snakes are no joke! While you may not always need to wear them, it is a good idea to rock them when you can. Talk about things that make you say “bbbbbbllllhhhh.” (No? You get what I mean…)
I hope everyone is staying dry on this rainy, rainy Thursday… What a way to open deer season! If you’re lucky enough to be a bow hunter, or a gun hunter in a Game Zone that allows it, today is officially the day! In honor, I decided to do a little combo with the essentials of deer hunting and a photo or two as a little still-hunting throwback for #tbt. I don’t typically take a lot of action shots when still hunting, but I guess that is pretty self-explanatory. “Hey! There’s an 8 pt. I am going to take him. Here, hold my phone/camera and take a picture of me while I… Ohh.. Nevermind… He ran off.”
Exactly.