The S.C. Department of Natural Resources’ Heritage Trust Program recently conducted prescribed burns on about 125 acres of Forty Acre Rock Heritage Preserve/Wildlife Management Area in Lancaster County.
Brushy ditch banks and weedy field borders may not be attractive to some people, but many of South Carolina’s favored farm wildlife and game species depend on these areas for their very survival.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division (GAWRD) and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) will hold two public meetings in March to discuss the Lake Chatuge sport fishery. Fisheries biologists from both agencies will provide management updates and will also give the public an opportunity to comment on proposed hybrid striped bass stocking in Lake Chatuge. Those interested are encouraged to bring these meetings to the attention of others that also may be interested in participating.
The 13th Annual Johannes Kolb Archaeology and Education Project will be March 8-13 and March 15-19 at Great Pee Dee Heritage Preserve, a 2,725-acre preserve in Darlington County owned and managed by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.
Twelve youth hunters from the S.C. Department of Natural Resources’ Take One Make One program, with the help of club members from Sandhill Hunting Club and members of the QDMA Coastal Branch, enjoyed a sunny day of squirrel hunting with dogs, some delicious southern cooking, and a lot of camaraderie on Feb. 20 near Cottageville.
Bonneau Ferry Wildlife Management Area, located near Cordesville in Berkeley County, opens to adult/youth public fishing March 3.
Aiken County’s Crackerneck Wildlife Management Area and Ecological Reserve will be open to the public on selected Saturdays (6, 13 and 20) during the month of March. Scouting, some non-consumptive uses, and fishing will be allowed. No weapons will be permitted during March.
A 9-year-old angler from Tigerville recently caught a brook trout that tied a 31-year-old South Carolina state record for the species.
Antlers will abound throughout the Palmetto State as the search for new state record deer antlers gets underway during the S.C. Department of Natural Resources’ annual series of scoring sessions.
The deadline to turn in trout tags is approaching – so anglers fishing the 15-mile stretch of the Toccoa River (between Blue Ridge Dam and the Tennessee state line) should get busy and make sure all tags removed from tagged trout are sent in by April 9, 2010. Why? Because thanks to the Blue Ridge Mountain Chapter of Trout Unlimited, one lucky person will win a lifetime license at the drawing to be held on Sat. April 10!
The Coastal Explorations Series, hosted by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, is once again being offered for the public this spring in the Lowcountry.
Duck hunters finished the season on S.C. Department of Natural Resources public hunting lands, with a total harvest of 3,643 birds, an average of two birds per hunter, identical to the per hunter average reported last year.
Planning a day on the water is now easier than ever with a new search feature at the S.C. Department of Natural Resources Web site.
The new 2010 Georgia Sport Fishing Regulations are now available. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division recently distributed printed versions of the regulations to all Division offices and facilities, a number of State Parks and fishing license retailers statewide. An online version of the new regulations currently is available at http://www.gofishgeorgia.com.
Angler Earnest Timpson of Edison (Calhoun County) reeled in the new state record blue catfish from Lake Walter F. George on February 2, 2010. According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division (WRD), this 80 lbs., 4 oz., 49-inch catch beats the former state record by more than five pounds. The previous record weighed in at 75 pounds and was caught in 2008 from a private pond near Carrollton by Tyler Dodson.
Weston DeWolff, a high school student from North Charleston’s School of the Arts, won “Best of Show” in South Carolina’s 15th annual (2009-2010) Junior Duck Stamp Contest with his color pencil drawing of a Redhead Duck.
The use of prescribed fire as a land management tool has deep and ancient roots in South Carolina’s heritage, but conducting prescribed burns is becoming increasingly challenging because of a variety of factors, according to Johnny Stowe, S.C. Department of Natural Resources representative to the South Carolina Prescribed Fire Council.
South Carolina Wildlife’s Twenty-Sixth Annual Outdoor Photography Competition and Print Exhibition is open to anyone interested in photography. The magazine’s award-winning photography staff will serve as judges for the contest and winning prints will be displayed at the 2010 Palmetto Sportsmen’s Classic to be held March 26-28 at the State Fairgrounds in Columbia.
The public is invited to review and provide comments on the Draft 2010 South Carolina Aquatic Plant Management Plan through the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.
From Feb. 12-15, the 13th annual Great Backyard Bird Count will give everyone a chance to discover the birds in their neighborhood.
