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Wheres the pressure? (Central SC)

ThereWillBeSpuds

ThereWillBeSpuds

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 12, 2019
Messages
648
So this is my first year hunting, and I have seen a lot of hype about how public land is getting hammered and I am just not seeing it. I mean, Im not swimming in deer or anything but I have seen maybe 3 trucks parked on public, run into one person on the road as I was pulling my boots on. Granted, I am hunting mainly Mondays and Tuesdays, but I haven't been seeing any (current, usable) stands or blinds. Haven't been seeing much in the way of boot tracks. Ive seen one camera.

Here is the real question: have I just been picking spots that are so crappy that Im the only person stupid enough to hunt them? I haven't even come close to shooting a deer, so thats what I am assuming.

Only day I have seen any significant hunter presence was thanksgiving morning, and that was all duck hunters.
 
Hi, I hunt in SNF public land also. Hardly ever see anyone and I hunt mostly on weekends Fri &Sat. I've been to many spots just off of 26 to deeper into SNF. If someone beats me to an area I just go to another. Even much less pressure during bow season. Haven't seen many deer this year. I heard that the processors ar 30% off of normal volumes. Was told that the acorns were to plentiful for them to move around much. I'm a relatively new hunter and not very successful either. I enjoy the hiking and climbing and looking for signs, trying to figure out where they are.

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SC has a really long season, especially in the low country. I always thought that was why there were so few hunters on public. That and I’m sure a lot of Gamecock fans are ashamed to show their faces.
 
Ckwilli said:
SC has a really long season, especially in the low country. I always thought that was why there were so few hunters on public. That and I’m sure a lot of Gamecock fans are ashamed to show their faces.
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Man, if you have access to private around me you can GUN hunt starting August 15 and running until January 1. Thats one hell of a long season.
 
Come to SE WI, trucks and people EVERYWHERE this year. Even in places i’ve never seen people before after decades of hunting them.

It’s been tough finding an umolested spot this year. Id count your blessings if i were you.

That being said, if you’re in “overlooked crappy spots” those just may pay off big as the deer eventually find those spots devoid of human traffic.

One of my biggest Bucks came from a spot 75 yards from a heavily used parking lot. It was about 15 acres across the road from the main public property and i think almost everyone overlooked it and headed into the main 1200 acre property. I actually let him lay and came back after dark so i wouldn’t attract attention hauling him out.

Good luck.
 
It just depends on the piece of public you are hunting! Around me nobody hunts public but to be fair there is not many, if any good public spots to hunt around me so that might explain something! Now if we were in a state or part of the state that had alot of good public grounds to hunt they might be crowded but sounds like you have had similar experiences as I have no people but no deer either!!! Or maybe we just suck LOL!!!!
 
swampdonkey said:
One of my biggest Bucks came from a spot 75 yards from a heavily used parking lot. It was about 15 acres across the road from the main public property and i think almost everyone overlooked it and headed into the main 1200 acre property. I actually let him lay and came back after dark so i wouldn’t attract attention hauling him out.
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It happens. My biggest buck was shot literally a stones throw from the camp, actually listening to a conversation on the porch. Right behind the camp was super thick and deer sign everywhere, either nobody had looked around down there or felt silly hunting that close :D
 
Some parts of Sumter are packed. This year more than ever. You need to find somewhere that doesn’t look good from sat images. Talking to people every time I see em they say they’re just hunting there cause it “looked good on google”. There’s great spots that look like just normal woods
 
And Due West makes the news again.....

K.T. Oslin died.I was listening to an interview with her a loooooong time ago and she told the story of her band playing at a small college in Due West, South Carolina and saw “I ain’t never gonna love no one but Cornell Crawford” written on the bathroom stall. Said she couldn’t remember the name of the school (Erskine College) but that she would never forget Due West, SC

 
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