Two WMAs involved in draw-only hunts — Santee Delta West and Bear Island West — require hunters to provide their own transportation. This means they’ll have to have some type of boat to get either to the hunting area or out to the blind.
“I’d suggest not bringing a large boat to Bear Island,” said biologist Dean Harrigal. “The launch locations into our ponds are primitive — makeshift dirt ramps — and it would be real easy to get a big, trailered boat stuck either putting in or taking out.”
The Santee Delta West unit offers a better, paved ramp to access the hunt area, but similar to Bear Island, the boat is used more for transportation than hunting.
“Don’t bring a blind to the west unit. Boats are used to run the ditch that connects our fields. Once you make your way around the ditch to the pond you’ve drawn, it’s better to tie the boat up and wade in to hunt,” said Lynch.
A trolling motor or small outboard motor is plenty to navigate the Santee Delta ditch access; there’s no public water to be crossed. Hunters who bring larger boats are better served by raising the outboard and using the trolling motor to get to their spot.
Editor’s note: This article is part of the Draw Down on Ducks feature in the November issue of South Carolina Sportsman. Digital editions can be downloaded right to your computer or smartphone.
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