South Carolina's Hot-Weather Bucks

EDITOR'S NOTE: You can start hunting deer in parts of South Carolina right now. South Carolina deer season in the southern half of the state always begins on August 15th each year, unless that date falls on a Sunday. Then the season starts on August 14th. The good news doesn't stop there. You can take as many deer as you like per day because there's no daily limit. To learn more about one of the longest deer-hunting seasons in the nation and the most liberal bag limit, we'll talk with Hayward Simmons, the owner and operator of Lakeview Plantation and Cedar Knoll Lodge, this week.

Question: Why does South Carolina's deer season start on August 14th or 15th?

Answer: Only the southern half of the state (from Columbia southward) opens in August. Historically, the season has always started in August, beginning in the 1940's. Before the state established the August 15 to January 1 season, deer hunting was allowed all year long.

Question: What is hunting deer like in August?

Answer: Despite the hot weather, the hunting can really be interesting. During the first few weeks of the season, you'll often may see five or six bucks in bachelor groups. However, hunters may see from 15 to 20 bucks running together.

Question: How do you hunt in hot weather?

Answer: If the weather is 100 degrees or more in South Carolina during August, the deer still will move throughout the day. We have learned that the hotter the weather, the more the deer move. Apparently, in really hot weather, the deer get uncomfortable bedding for long periods of time. Since no rutting behavior goes on during this time, the deer move strictly when they want to feed. As you may suspect, our best hunting is in the late afternoon. We situate all our stands in feeding areas or places where we supplementally feed the deer. We try to keep walking to a minimum, because of the heat. Since we don't want hunters to put out too many odors and spook the deer, we drive hunters right to their stands to leave almost no human scent on the ground.

For more information on August and September deer hunting, contact Hayward Simmons at 875 Cedar Knoll Road, Fairfax, South Carolina, 29827, or by phone at 803-584-0689 or email at lakeviewplantation@barnwellsc.com.

Tomorrow: South Carolina's Generous Bag Limit for Bucks and Does