2024 Deer Season

[HankBuck]

Altitude, do you remember what County you were hunting in?

That was pretty typical of the 80's.
Back then the biologists from SCDNR would survey the land and issue doe tags per density, we got hundreds of tags every year, you had to fill the quota or you would lose tags the following year. I had a couple of years that I shot over 30 does.
We had a deal set up with a processor and a local food bank and soup kitchen, we donated tons of meat.

Shooting that many deer I got to use many different rifles and calibers, pretty good experience. Some we had at the lodge some borrowed from clients.

We are still allowed to kill around 13 a year i believe . They issue you a certain amount of buck and doe tags free with your license and you can order more.

For those who don't know...
The lower part of SC's deer season opens August 15- January 1rst, rifle , primitive, whatever. It's one of the few places that you can shoot a buck in velvet with a rifle.
My part of the state, the upper coast is August 15 primitive weapons, September 1rst rifle- January 1rst, doe shooting starts September 15th both zones.
The Upstate starts a little later for everything.

@Field28 - can you still shoot deer in South Carolina until “ONE HOUR AFTER SUNSET”? When I last hunted there 1998 that was the law - even though 45 minutes after sunset was the longest I could “see” good enough to shoot. The only State I know where you can shoot later is Alaska - I think anytime day/night is ok — as long as you didn’t fly in the same day

 

[Altitude sickness]

They also allowed 15 year olds in school to drive the school buses while I was there.

 

[WAB]

@Field28 - can you still shoot deer in South Carolina until “ONE HOUR AFTER SUNSET”? When I last hunted there 1998 that was the law - even though 45 minutes after sunset was the longest I could “see” good enough to shoot. The only State I know where you can shoot later is Alaska - I think anytime day/night is ok — as long as you didn’t fly in the same day

Wyoming used to be an hour. I once shot a buck at about 50 minutes. When I got up to walk to him I realized that it was pitch dark! They have subsequently changed to 30 minutes.

Alaska is a different beast altogether. Hunting in the brooks in August you basically have shooting light or close to it all night.

 

[Field28]

Yes, one hour before legal sunrise and one after legal sunset. I always hunt by first and last light.

My Zeiss scopes come in quite handy on those later sits.

 

[mdwest]

Yes, one hour before legal sunrise and one after legal sunset. I always hunt by first and last light.

My Zeiss scopes come in quite handy on those later sits.

Wow! an hour!

We get 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after legal light here... which is about all I can see anyway even with swaro and zeiss glass on my rifles..

My wife bagged her doe on Saturday with 3 minutes of legal light left (27 minutes after sundown).. I was concerned she wasnt going to be able to see it well enough to shoot.. or that I was going to be out searching for a deer in the dark... but she dropped her in her tracks.. I was thankfully able to pull the UTV up right next to her and get her loaded in a matter of just a few minutes..

 

[Field28]

Both deer that I've shot this year have been well over an hour before sunset.
I could have easily sat longer and shot another. It was nice to load them in the truck with daylight and beat the rush to the processor.

It does pay to have good optics, I find that my Leopolds and Zeiss give me about 10 more minutes than some of the guys that I hunt with that have older optics.

 

[Josh P]

Traded a headlight assembly for one earlier, but hope to get a couple on purpose over the holiday break from work.

 

[Schmidty]

West Central - Minnesota
220 Savage Bolt Action Slug Gun - Hornady SST 2.75" 250 gr slugs

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Factory loaded Federal premiums with 225 grain TBBCs. That’s 2 deer with that load this season. Real pleased with the rifle/cartridge combo and I’ve got enough of them to last me many years.

@Fatback
If you have a Whelen and use it you are instantly happy.
Bob

 

[Field28]

Colleton and Orangeburg counties I think. Long time ago.

It’s funny. The story of my brother-in-law killing two bucks on one stand. I still had not even killed a deer yet on those clubs let alone a buck.

I was not very lucky at the dog deer hunting. I just remembered the deer down there being very spooky, especially when I would go out and hunt from a tree stand with my bow.

I think the most I killed down there in one year was nine

I know it's been awhile, but do you remember if the club you hunted with was either Ridge or Buckhead? They are down towards the Orangeburg Colleton county line.

Good genetics in Orangeburg County, some of our largest deer come from there. I hunted Oburg a good bit along with the neighboring counties... Bamberg, Allendale and Hampton. That part of the state has lots of farms and swamps. Great deer, turkey and dove hunting in that part of the state.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Sorry, I do not remember the name. I do remember the land owned by the club was on a river and it was a huge peice of private land. A lot of it being swamps. And we had portions left for not hound hunting. Left for tree stand hunting.

I would occasionally hunt the famous plantations for deer and hog. Usually only when hunting with a celebrity friend of mine. I also took him to hunt with Owen and Tom Jeffery on their hunt club. And also some hound hog hunts. We hunted Fla, GA, and the Carolina’s

 

[Certus]

Had another crack yesterday. Saw a Buck but he didn’t present a shot. I’ll have a go another year

 

[280AI]

My son's Utah buck

My WA buck

 

[Field28]

Speaking of dog drives. Got behind a load of beagles on the way to work this morning!

 

[Wyfox]

Flew to Michigan for the rifle opener on Nov 15 with my oldman. This guy stepped out into the foodplot at noon and ate a 200gr Hornady from the Henry 360 Buckhammer.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Traditional Mackinaw looking coat also

 

[Ragman]

I was holding off on posting the rest of my family’s 2024 until my stepson’s girlfriend got one this weekend but she got called to work. So I guess my season is over.
My wife had a mule deer tag this season and only a couple days to hunt. We were after a different buck that she had already missed once when we ran into this one. She thought it was the one we were looking for and as I was saying that it wasn’t him, she shot. Didn’t miss this time.

Then it was my brother’s turn. He is not really a hunter but he likes sausage. So every once in a while he decides to get a deer.

Finally my 82 year old father decided that he needed a sausage deer as well. As usual he put his little .243 to good use.

 

[Philip Glass]

I am just culling this year. I'll let family take a big one or two hopefully this weekend.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

West Central - Minnesota
220 Savage Bolt Action Slug Gun - Hornady SST 2.75" 250 gr slugs
View attachment 649666View attachment 649667

@Schmidty very nice buck! You're lucky Tim Walz didn't bag that bad boy before you got it.

 

[Red Leg]

Finally pulled the trigger on one on our place evening before last. Thank goodness for great optics (Leica) - I probably did not study my watch too closely before the shot, but it was cloudy so I am confident we were still within that last half hour. He is no monster, but about as good as I have seen on our place for several years. Judging by tooth wear, he was also quite old, and I believe is antlers were starting to regress. In any case, he will make his way to the freezer.

Bit of poke as well. 185 yards off the sticks (Blaser quads).