Hunting the reserve

The sky was cloudy and gray, and the morning light was coming slowly to the woods. There was no visible wind. Songbirds were beginning to stir and call softly. Out in the flooded hardwoods I could hear wood ducks squealing on the water. Turkeys yelped in the distance.

To the southwest, I could hear the hum of fans on a grain silo. To the southeast, dogs were barking in the sleepy town. Behind me - civilization. To my front - wildness.

This land is my homeplace. My parents lived here, and I grew up here. I've hunted it very little. Kept it mostly in reserve. I've hunted all over the Midlands and the Lowcountry. Made hunting trips to Arkansas and Texas, but nothing has been as satisfying as hunting my own place.

I've had trouble with trespassers and poachers lately, but law enforcement is working on that. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources has a program available to landowners that provides assistance in enforcement of natural resource laws. It is known as the Property Watch Program.

Participants in the program agree to post the enrolled property with the recommended signs and issue cards to people that are allowed to use the property. The agreement gives the SCDNR Law Enforcement Division authorization to prosecute violations of trespassing in the event of the landowner's absence.

Recent events of theft and trespassing on the property are under investigation by SCDNR and are not yet resolved. I've made an increased effort to keep an eye on the place, and family members in the area are also helping with that effort.

Any day in the woods is a good day, and on this good day my son Clayton and I were sitting in stands about 200 yards apart, looking for a buck. Daylight was illuminating the shadowy woods around us. It is my favorite time of day.

I'm not a very patient person, and after about an hour of squirrel watching, I texted Clayton, "I don't have my wind checker with me, but it seems like it's just swirling." He answered, "It is, but for me it's good. From left to right." A few minutes later I texted again, "Have you seen or heard any ducks?" He answered, "I thought I heard some fly over."

The deer just weren't moving, but we weren't ready to give up yet. I sent another text, "Have you used the grunt call?" He answered, "Yep, I was about to ask if you have heard me." My answer, "I think I heard you a few minutes ago." It just goes on. We discussed the corn and how the stands sit - gunshots we could hear in the distance. Ducks in the flooded woods.

"My legs are getting sore, I think I'll stand up and stretch," I offered. Clayton answered, "I just want to see a deer." My answer was "they must have slept in." We kept it up for a while, but the morning was winding down. When I texted Clayton later that I was getting down, he answered, "Yeah, I'm getting hungry."

We met back at the truck and made a trip to the store for some snacks and a drink. I had some corn to put out on the stands. Clayton was in no hurry and offered to help. We took a bag of cob corn to the stand that I had sat in earlier and spread it in an open lane about 70 yards from the stand. The stand that he had sat in didn't need more corn.

We have two stands at the back of the property that require a long walk to get to. I've been putting shelled corn on those stands. I pour about a quarter of a bag of shelled corn on each. I have a back pack that can hold two quarter-sized bags. That's about as much as you want to carry for a distance. Of course, I let Clayton take the loaded back pack.

We walked in to those stands and spread the shelled corn. It was getting warm, and we had worked up a sweat by the time we got back to the truck. Cooler weather is on us now, and we'll hunt those stands more when we don't work up a sweat just getting to them.

Clayton and I will go to the Lowcountry on some dog drives, but we'll also hunt our land here. It is our special place, our Reserve.

Reach Dan Geddings @cdgeddings@gmail.com.