Southern Pines Hunt Club is a private hunting club operating in Bamberg County, S.C., that has been organized for more than 12 years. This section of the Lowcountry is well known to sustain top harvests each and every year. The average harvest statewide is 10.6 deer per square mile, and Bamberg County tops the list most years, with well over double the statewide harvest — 24.1 deer per square mile in 2011.
Southern Pine provides a wide variety of hunting opportunities, with more than 1,800 acres of pinelands, swamplands, hardwood forest, fields and a wealth of food plots planted for both small and large game.
Bruce Compton, Southern Pines’ club president, is dedicated to the club 12 months out of the year.
“Providing lots of year-round food plots is the ticket to drawing wildlife from adjacent properties,” he said. “Over the years, we have invested significant time and money back into the land, and we are reaping the benefits.”
Each time a club member pays his annual dues; part of the money goes straight into the food-plot budget for purchasing seed, tractor fuel, lime, fertilizer and herbicides.
Compton has also negotiated with the landowners a multi-year lease program to allow a comprehensive, year-round food-plot plan. Also, a long-term lease agreement ensures that Southern Pines’ wildlife-management strategies have ample time to develop before the lease expires.
“The longer leases allow us to provide deeper investments in the property, and it lets us have something to look forward to over the next few years,” he said.
In May, spring plot plantings are underway, with mixtures of soybeans, clay peas, sorghum and corn, depending on the location of the plot. Power-line right-of-ways and wide-open spots are planted with sorghum and corn in the center to provide security cover for the deer while they feed. Additionally, open plots near public roadways and within full view are planted at a 30-degree angle to reduce visibility from passersby.
To add depth to their plots, small-game seeds, including sesame, prosso millet and brown-top millet are planted along plot edges and within center strips to provide more food for quail, turkey and rabbits. The wide variety of game foods produce forage and seed at variable intervals, allowing season-long availability for both small and large game species.
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