Several Low Country Chapter Members participated in this
year's SCDNR Mobility Impaired Hunt in Clinton. Members Bobby Harrell and
Dean Elsey were among the hunters at the Upstate event. They had worked as
volunteers several weeks earlier at our 1st Annual Wheelchair Hunt at Nemours
Plantation.
Steve Avinger, David Stanton, Rick Edwards & Harry Jennings
were among those chosen to hunt at the Clinton event; they had also hunted with
us at the Nemours Plantation Wheelchair Hunt.
Our thanks to SCDNR Wildlife Biologist, Gerald Moore, one of
the organizers of the Upstate event, who provided the following photos and
story.
Thank you for participating in the 2005 Upstate Mobility Impaired Deer Hunt.
This year was our 11th annual event and it was another great success. We had
the largest number of people apply (65) and our largest attendance ever with
52 hunters attending on Friday afternoon.
Sixteen hosts in four counties accommodated hunters at their properties this
year. I am attaching a few photos of the activities. Please note that one of
the photos illustrates a new and very good idea (small chain link fence
panels) for constructing portable ground blinds that is being utilized by
Cecil Duffie at Mudlick. For additional information about this type of ground
blind, contact Mr. Duffie.
A total of eight (8) deer were harvested during the 2-day hunt. The breakdown
of the harvest results are as follows:
1. John Thomas - Button buck at Quaker Creek Farm
2. Henry Black - 8 point 165 pound buck at the Clinton House Plantation
3. Johnny L. Craven - Doe at the Clinton House Plantation
4. Rick Edwards - Button buck at the Belfast Hunt Club
5. Bobby Harrell - 8 point 135 pound buck at The Scott Place
6. Robbie Hopkins - Button buck at Campbell Property
7. Ruben Lewis - Button buck (piebald) at Campbell Property
8. William A. Shultz - Spike buck at Longbeard Timber Company
The largest buck taken on the hunt was the 165 pound buck harvested by Henry
Black of Orangeburg. Mr. Black will be sent the certificate donated by Bill
Walden from American Outdoorsman Taxidermy to have his deer head mounted
free.
Mr. John Thomas of Converse won the drawing for a deer rifle (caliber of his
choice) that was donated anonymously. There was not any hunt participants who
shot trap or skeet at the Spartanburg Gun Club on Saturday afternoon.
Apparently everyone was too tired after 2 -days of hard deer hunting.
I would like to schedule the 2006 Upstate Mobility Impaired Deer Hunt for the
same general time frame next year which would be November 3-4, 2006. This
date will not conflict with Parents Weekend (Oct. 7) or Homecoming (Oct. 28)
at Presbyterian College in Clinton. Also, it will not conflict with the
NTWF's Wheelin Sportsmen Hunt in and around Greenwood that is scheduled for
Oct. 28. Hopefully the motels in the Clinton area will not all be booked up
during the weekend of our hunt.
If you know of other nearby landowners that might be interested in hosting
some hunters next year, please have them call me or provide me their names and
telephone numbers and I will talk with them about it. You can contact me by
telephone at 864 427-5140 (O) or email at
mooreg@dnr.sc.gov.
Thanks again for your interest, involvement and support of this special event.
Gerald Moore
Wildlife Biologist, DNR
