It's time to plan your next deer hunt!

If you are familiar with South Carolina deer hunting you already know Bamberg County is one of the top deer counties in the state. This is something I have known my whole life, and recent articles in "South Carolina Game & Fish" just help prove the point. Ever since I finished Clemson with a degree in Wildlife Biology, I have been focused on improving the quality of our deer. Here are 5 keys that are important in our deer management. The first 3 are: food year round, thick cover, and water. All year long supplemental feeding is available for our deer. Usually this is in the form of peas, soybeans, oats, and mineral blocks. Water and thick cover go hand in hand. We have the Little Salkehatchie River, which borders our property, and several creeks meander through our hunting areas. Where you find these creeks, you will also find some of our thickest cover. The 4th factor is creating sanctuaries for the deer throughout the hunting land. These are areas that are seldom disturbed by people. The deer develop a sense of safeness and are not as spooky as on heavily hunted lands. The final factor is practicing selective harvesting. Our goal is to take 3 does or more for every buck taken off the property. Also, we do not shoot any bucks less than 8 points. Following this final factor may just be the key to any clubs success.

"Two nice 8 points taken during the rut"
"175 lbs. - 8 point"	"201 lbs. - 10 point"

"175 lbs. - 10 point"	"186 lbs. - 8 point"
"205 lbs. - 8 point"	"161 lbs. - 7 point"

E-mail Address: scguidedhunts@yahoo.com