Beat the pressure of gun season on Brunswick, Suggs Mill Pond tracts
Since it is so far off the beaten path, a smaller and lesser-known public-hunting area like the Brunswick County Game Land can be difficult for a first-time visitor to find. You have to take a ride down Funston Road, one of the few unpaved stretches of highway that the N.C. Department of Transportation maintains in one of the most-crowded counties on the coast.
But soon after passing over Rice Creek Bridge, double bands of maroon paint on trees gave away one of the tract’s corners, and a short distance further, a metal N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission gate opened wide.
A system of grassy roads beckoned, their names marked with signs. Near the end of one of them, Monroe Cooke parked his SUV. Walking 200 yards, he climbed into his ladder stand. A few hours later, he saw a buck, cocked the hammer of his muzzleloading rifle and fired.
Cooke is ordained Baptist minister with North Carolina Baptist Ministries who lives in Winnabow. He is part Cherokee and was once a surveyor, an occupation that helped him find the narrow band of hardwoods that resulted in his success.
“I killed a 4-point,” said Cooke, an ordained Baptist minister who lives in Winnabow.
Once a surveyor, the talents he learned in that occupation had helped him find a narrow band of hardwoods where he set up his stand.
“It was not anything great big, but I always thank God for the meat and for the hunt. It had been a long time since I had killed a pretty 4-point,” he said. “I pray a lot on my stand, and I was just praying about that when he walked out through the reeds. I have always killed a buck or two there and have let some does walk. I don’t mind shooting does, but it just seems to work out that way.”
Cooke has been hunting 1,114-acre Brunswick County Game Land for seven years and has never gone through a season without taking at least one buck. He applies for the lottery permits required for the game land’s regular firearms hunts and usually receives a permit for at least one of the 3-day hunts. However, he also buys a $5 over-the-counter permit because there is no limit on the number of hunters for the muzzleloader season, which runs from Oct. 4-17 in his area.
“After moving from Spruce Pine eight years ago, it took a while to figure out where to hunt,” he said. “Friends taking me hunting on private farms would tell me to go up on a ridge. My ancestors once owned part of Roan Mountain, so I hadn’t seen anything I would consider a ridge.
“Brunswick County Game Land has plenty of deer, and they eat crops on surrounding farmland. They often swim the creek and come back to the game land. I hunt the swamps and the sandy bluffs local hunters call ridges by finding areas that create funnels. Since I was a surveyor, I can look at a map and locate potential game funnels before I scout the area on the ground. It is the same technique I used in the mountains.”
Cooke has taken all of his deer on the game land from an area of a few acres. He moves his ladder stand to take advantage of travel lanes that may change slightly each season.
“Most of the bucks and the wary, older does use the funnels and don’t come into the open,” he said. “I set up a ladder stand before the season, locking it to a tree. I make mental and written notes of things I see, including any deer and other wildlife. I set my stand overlooking a good funnel and always face it north. That keeps the sun at my back so I see deer without them seeing me.
Cooke also hides his stands with artificial Christmas trees, which are easier to use than natural trees and never turn brown.
“I weave them together, leaving a flip-up door entering the stand,” he said. “Christmas trees last years and hide the stand perfectly. I had an 8-pointer walk right under the stand without seeing me.”
Mosquitoes are a problem in coastal area that border creeks. Deer hunters must develop strategies for defeating them.
“I once shot a buck that ran and fell against a palmetto,” he said. “So many mosquitoes swarmed the buck I had to move my face net up to cover my eyes, but they were still so thick I could not see through them. I always hang a ThermaCELL on my stand, so I went back and got it to put it near the deer to chase away the mosquitoes. If I am setting up my stand and scent is not an issue, I use Skin So Soft Expedition to keep them away.”
Cooke never sees other hunters during the muzzleloader season; he heads into the woods before dawn and never leaves until after dark, unless he takes a deer.
“In a natural sneak area where a buck goes from his food source to his bedding cover, he feels safe,” Cooke said. “Every deer I killed on the game land was taken between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.”
Another hunter who takes advantage of the nearby opportunity is Chris House, who lives in Wilmington. He usually obtains permission to hunt small, private properties; therefore, Brunswick County Game Land fit into his modus operandi.
“I had heard about it, but had not hunted there in the past,” he said. “I have had bad experiences hunting with large clubs and game lands, so I try to find smaller, isolated places. Every piece of property in southeastern North Carolina has deer. All you have to do is find a place to hunt and learn their habits.”
House said several factors have made the game lands a viable option for his hunting time.
“It’s more the extra hunting days than a desire to hunt with a primitive weapon that get me into the woods during the muzzleloader season,” House said. “I’m trying to take a deer before the crowds of hunters and hounds arrive during regular gun season and I want to give myself the best chance of doing that, so I use a scope.”
House scouted the game land by walking the extensive system of roads and trails looking for deer tracks. He saw deer and deer sign.
“I saw lots of trails, rubs and scrapes,” he said. “Wherever you see concentrated sign, they are probably feeding on acorns. I use a climbing stand to get up a tree where I can cover several deer crossings. I usually hunt in the evenings, when the deer are most likely to be come out of the cover to feed in the open.”
Suggs Mill Pond Game Land is a 45-minute drive away from Brunswick County Game Land and it, too, is a permit-only hunting area during gun season. However, the same muzzleloader permit allows hunting on both game lands. Tommy Hughes, a biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, said combining the two appeared appropriate.
“They are fairly close together,” he said. “Combining them for the muzzleloader permit increased the available area and may have saved a little money for hunters who want to hunt at both. But most hunters are going to focus their efforts one or the other, probably the one closest to home.”
Steve Skrydlinski is one of those. He lives in Hope Mills, which is close to Suggs Mill Pond Game Land, and he hunts there. He’s a dedicated deer hunter who had killed more than 100 deer, including at least a half-dozen at 10.838-acre Suggs Mill Pond. Retired from the U.S. Army, he works at Fort Bragg and also hunts on the posts.
“I like hunting here because it is less crowded and less of a hassle than Fort Bragg,” said Skyrdlinski, who took his 19-year-old son, Scott, on his first deer hunt last muzzleloader season at Suggs Mill Pond. “At Fort Bragg, you have check in and check out, and some areas are either-sex but others are buck-only.
“I usually draw a lottery permit for the regular gun season at Suggs Mill Pond and have been lucky enough to receive permits for two 3-day gun hunts later this year. But, I also went online and paid for our muzzleloader permits. We haven’t seen anybody else today, and beating the crowds is what I like best about the muzzleloader season. It’s a chance to get in some still-hunting before the regular gun season opens. Once the hound hunting starts, it gets harder to see deer during the daytime. During the muzzleloader season, I might see a deer, anytime.
“I use a modern (in-line, blackpowder) rifle with a scope because shots can be long on these open pine ridges,” he said. “They burn the ridge areas, which makes them very open. The deer come out of the thick cover to feed on the ridges. I found a good place for us to hunt today. There is a lot of good sign and some nice bucks if you get back away from the main roads. Mostly, I look for tracks in the sand and found a great spot. We are getting ready to head in.”
DESTINATION INFORMATION
HOW TO GET THERE — Suggs Mill Pond is east of NC 53 between Fayetteville and Elizabethtown and has entrances off NC 53, Live Oak Church Road, West Road, Braxton Edge Road and NC 242. Brunswick County Game Land is off Funston Road, which can be reached by heading east from Winnabow on US 17/NC 87. Muzzleloader season opens Oct. 4 and closes on Oct. 17. Permits for the two game lands allow hunting every day during the muzzleloader season except Sundays.
EQUIPMENT — Climbing stands or metal ladders that can break down and move easily are tremendous helps when hunting on game lands. Insect repellent is a must; ThermaCELL units can be particular effective in cutting down on the mosquito factor. Advances in blackpowder rifles have made in-line weapons almost the norm. Bullet and powder preferences are personal, but most hunters shoot .50-caliber rifles. Scopes are commonly mounted on blackpowder guns, especially when long shots are possible.
ACCOMMODATIONS — Suggs Mill Pond has a primitive campground. Traveling hunters can overnight at Days Inn Elizabethtown, 910-862-7344. Brunswick County Game Land attracts mostly local hunters. The closest hotel is in nearby Leland, the Best Western Plus Wingate Inn, 910-371-2858, www.bestwesternleland.com.
MAPS — DeLorme North Carolina Atlas and Gazetteer, 800-452-5931 or www.delorme.com. Maps of game lands maps are available online at www.ncwildlife.org.
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