The signs are here, and the mornings and evenings start to carry a cooler breeze. The dove fields cool down both in temperature and action. The days are still warm, but the cycle of Autumn is upon us. Soon, there will be a changing of the leaves along the plateaus and mountains and a cooling of the south. The waters around us are cooling, stirring some of us to chase fish that are now places they were not before and without the heat of summer. The hues from the leaves burst from green into a sea of yellows, reds, and oranges, reminding us time is marching on in its beautiful symphony. As we transition from summer, many look to the woods, the fields, and the bottomlands that hold the Southeastern Whitetail Deer. The first opportunity to hunt the most traditional large game in the south starts with bow season and primitive weapons such as muzzleloader. The bow-hunting traditionalist can be almost fanatical this time of year; the leaves are still green, and they have prepped for an opportunity to hit their precise planning for an up close and personal experience.
Joe Miles is an avid bow hunter and President and CEO of ASIO hunting gear:
With the South Carolina deer season approaching, it is time to switch gears and get back in the game. Since January, it has been constant gear testing, scouting, learning new properties, training, trying to develop new relationships, and gaining access to new big buck hideouts. Now, however, it's almost time to go! This time of year, the anticipation starts to really hit…a couple of good bucks found that you can't hunt yet, and strategizing on how to kill them all while keeping the fingers crossed they don't change up their patterns between now and the opener…it's actually a little stressful right now because you can't actually hunt. It will be here soon enough, and the time to grind will be here in the blink of an eye! Couple more weeks of glassing, prep, and moving a few cameras to fine-tune, and we will be hunting… it's what we live for!
The planting is done for waterfowl season. Now we wait for the rain, but not too much rain. As farmers, we pray often in the Southeast for everything to line up for every season. We watch the progress of the corn, millet, and beans. The season also brings some of the best fishing—the mountain streams pickup for trout and smallmouth. The coast is more enjoyable, and chasing redfish and speckled trout in the brackish water brings back a lifetime of memories. The lakes and ocean see fewer crowds and better angling.
