Put the dogs on ’em early

Dogs can often push bucks out of heavy cover early in the season when still-hunters can’t get to them.

Bob Matthews of Ladson certainly still hunts during the early season, but he will also use dogs to hunt deer. He said that, early in the season, dogs can be a very effective way to hunt deer in the lush cover of the Lowcountry.

“The cover is very thick in many of areas we hunt, and sometimes, especially near the rivers and big swamps, the use of dogs is the best method to get into an area and get the deer out,” he said. “Dogs can get into those thickets and often roust out some big bucks that otherwise we’d have no way to hunting.

“Especially after the first few days when they are still-hunted, some of the biggest bucks will begin to stay in that very heavy cover, at least until the rut begins to kick in and they start moving for those reasons. By using dogs, we can get them out and have a chance to take them. Dog hunting is only legal in certain parts of the state, but it is a highly effective tool for early season, Lowcountry hunting.”

About Terry Madewell 802 Articles
Award-winning writer and photographer Terry Madewell of Ridgeway, S.C., has been an outdoors writer for more than 30 years. He has a degree in wildlife and fisheries management and has a long career as a professional wildlife biologist/natural resources manager.

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