Old school hunting from the ground

Going old-school with Joel Boykin

Joel Boykin of Bishopville, SC doesn’t mind hunting from a climbing stand, but what he really loves is hunting on the ground.

And he doesn’t carry a ground blind with him.

“I hunt a lot out of agricultural fields. I’ll just sit, and even lie down, directly on the ground, using the crops or natural vegetation as my blind,” he said.

Adding to what many call “old-school hunting,” Boykin opts for a lever action rifle.

“When you hunt from the ground and are successful, it really feels much more like you won the game,” he said. “To me, it’s very personal and powerful.”

He acknowledges that it can also be dangerous.

Rewarding

“You have to know what’s down range at all times,” he said. “It’s definitely not safe to do unless you have a large section of land to hunt and your shots are in a safe direction.”

Luckily for Boykin, a good chunk of family land has always been available for him to hunt.

“I’m beyond blessed to have access to a lot of hunting land.”

Some of that land was once owned by his “Big Pa,” a man who was larger than life to all who knew him, and who loved this land beyond measure.

Quite a bit younger than his three siblings, Boykin either missed out, or was too young to remember many of the old stories and companionship his family and friends shared with his Big Pa. He’s spent a good portion of his life searching the open fields and woods of Lee County, SC that his Big Pa once roamed. Through that land, he finds a connection, a respect and a deeper understanding with that past in his own way. That connection with the land is one reason he chooses to stay on the ground when hunting.

Hunting from the ground also helps him feel connected to the deer he hunts.

“When I’m hunting from a stand, or even a ground blind, it feels like I’m somewhat of a spectator. In a way, I’m removed from the same environment the deer are in. But when hunting from the ground, and without even a ground blind, you really feel like you’re a part of the same world. It’s one of the reasons I like it so much,” he said. ■