September 2018

With an estimated population of 275 million in North America, the mourning dove is one of the most-abundant and recognizable birds in the land. In the South, Labor Day weekend brings hunters from all walks of life into fields for the opening day of the dove season. 

Finally, after a long layoff, hunters are getting back into the woods, but many who venture into the sweltering deer stands of early archery season are doing so unprepared. 

After another hot Carolina summer, the fall fishing season finally arrives this month in all corners. From slab crappie gulping shiners at Lake Moultrie to gator trout crushing Flukes around Little River, cooling conditions ignite a feeding frenzy in freshwater and saltwater environments. 

Oregon Inlet anglers have access to some of the hottest tuna fishing found anywhere in the Carolinas.

Those hunters in the Carolinas who don’t have access to private land or a club membership have more than three million acres of public land at their fingertips. Here’s the ones you should visit when the time for deer, ducks and doves, arrives.

For those of you who are live-bait fisherman, have you ever been so proud of the job you did catching, storing and presenting the bait that you thought, “That looks so good, I’d eat it myself?”

We have made it through the summer, and it's officially fall, at least according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, which says that fall began Sept. 22 at 9:54 p.m. 

September always turns my thoughts to deer and bow hunting. Archery season is already open in some places and about to open in many others. No matter where you hunt though, game time is imminent. 

Two longtime fishing buddies couldn't keep a good thing to themselves 7 ½ years ago, which was a blessing for bass fishermen who love to catch on quality spinnerbaits.

Using fluorocarbon leaders can mean the difference between catching your limit and not catching anything at all.

One thing I can count on in September — in addition to college football and deer season getting cranked up, is that baitfish will start moving off the main bodies of reservoirs in the Carolinas and into the tributary creeks.

Labor Day arrives this month, with autumn’s cooler weather not far behind, and of course, more serious deer hunting across the Carolinas.

Catching Pee Dee River catfish from kayaks is fun and productive.

September is a transition month from summer to fall patterns on the Santee Cooper lakes, and the fishing is excellent for several species. The key is following fish, as they’re often on the move following forage.

Thunderstorms and showers are as much a part of late summer as huckleberries, fireflies and bobwhites. Although summer storms arrive quickly and usually end just as quickly, even high-gradient mountain streams need a little time to calm down.