December 2013 Archives - Carolina Sportsman

Food plots surrounded by thick cover are prime areas to hunt late in the season.

Think thick and gnarly cover late in season

Bill Cline of Ridgeway said it’s difficult for most hunters to stop thinking in terms of the rut because of the success rate and seeing lots of deer during that time. […]

Guide Maynard Edwards believes a lower creel limit and higher minimum size will help High Rock Lake’s striper population.

The Rock: A lake too tough to die

Craig Holt

Guide Maynard Edwards believes that High Rock’s striped bass don’t reach trophy sizes because of a liberal creel limit and heavy fishing pressure. […]

When he trolls artificials, Maynard Edwards likes to use small umbrella or “Alabama” rigs featuring multiple soft-plastic baits.

Is company that controls High Rock helping or hurting fishing?

Craig Holt

If somewhere in the offices of Yadkin Inc. — the division of aluminum giant Alcoa that operates hydroelectric plants on reservoirs along the Yadkin system — there exists a dartboard with Maynard Edwards’ picture on it, the veteran fishing guide won’t be surprised. […]

Don’t put up your boots when deer season ends; there are squirrels to be killed.

Sell your tails

Jeff Burleson

Squirrel hunting is one of America’s favorite past-times, being abundant and from the soggy bottomlands of Mississippi to the high country of West Virginia. […]

Removing the skin from a squirrel is best done soon after it is killed and by two people. Cut through the skin — but not the muscle — all the way around the animal, and have two people pull in different directions against each other.

Top tips for cleaning squirrels

Jeff Burleson

Not only can squirrel hunting be exciting and challenging, the animal’s meat is one-of-a-kind and tastes nothing like chicken — it’s definitely not a white meat. […]

Staying hidden is much more important on late-season hunts, so building a blind from natural sources is often a good idea.

Late-season dove tips

Jason Hawkins

Andy Pope and Lowrie Beacham have developed habits in their pursuit of late-season doves that are worth sharing: […]

A shooting vest, snake gaiters and shotgun shells are great Christmas gifts for the upland game hunter in South Carolina.

Sportsman’s stocking stuffers

John Gribb

If you are looking for a gift for a hunter in the family but really haven’t a clue, here are a few ideas. […]

Hunters Jefferson Boaz, Folger Boaz, Chase Harris, Jeremy Johnson and Frank Harris took these tundra swans hunting with guides Charles Haywood and Karl Helmkamp of Albemarle Outfitters.

Swan Hunting Permits

Jerry Dilsaver

Tundra swans do a tremendous amount of damage to winter field crops, in northeast North Carolina, so the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission issues 5,000 permits to hunt tundra swans each year. […]

Make your own Santee rig

Phillip Gentry

Trolling over heavy cover is a recipe for breakoffs. To combat this, anglers on Santee Cooper designed a special rig employing a slinky weight and crappie float to keep the weight on the bottom but the hook out of cover. […]

Much of Lake Marion’s dead forest is now under the surface, but blue catfish will still orient to the trees that border old creek channels.

Fixing the catfish decline

Phillip Gentry

In recent years, the Santee Cooper lakes’ population of blue catfish has experienced a decline due to almost a decade of poor reproduction. […]