Cold Crappie

I am not the best crappie fisherman. Quite frankly I just haven't done it enough to get very proficient at it. However recently I learned a lifetime of knowledge on one trip out of Blacks Camp with Kevin Davis. Finding deep water brush piles, and dropping minnows just above these brush piles allowed us to load up the cooler with a fine stringer of slab crappie.

Some guides will say that while they get a lot of business in the spring for crappie fishing the fall and winter is perhaps the best time to catch consistently large fish. If you get a break, find some of the DNR brush piles that are in every lake and their GPS coordinates are on their website (www.dnr.sc.gov) Finding these are relatively easy and they are severely under-fished.

Anchor over them, drop a lively minnow and hang on. Nothing spells action like the crappie bite.

Kevin Davis of Blacks Camp with a fine stringer of Winter Crappie

A good week on the Trapline

Trapping season opened Dec. 1 and it was a few days before I was able to get some traps out.

It seemed like when I did, I couldn't catch anything. Days went by and nothing. A raccoon here, and there. One on a Bobcat set, and one on a high ground set. Nothing in my water sets - which is frustrating. Raccoon tracks all around my sets, and no raccoon's in them yet. But I know they will come in time.

My land access for coyotes, fox and bobcats is limited this year. But I am trying to make the most of it. At one location, there was a coyote messing with me. Its like he knew there was a trap there. He would leave a paw print right in the middle of my set. Steal the bait a

nd urinate all over the whole set.

After some consideration I decided to give him the "fake set" set. I put traps back where he was stealing the bait. knowing he wouldn't step in them. But thirty feet away, I made a small dirt hole set with a trap that was set shallow, soft trip-pan tension and a s

ubtle bait. (I made it myself).

The next morning I was greeted to this.

The "fake-set" set worked again. It is a good plan when there

is a skittish coyote in the area. Make subtle sets that will get their

attention without spooking. Also, what I did was funnel him into

the set. placing the trap at about a 60 degree angle to the dirt hole.

The next day, I checked the set that was remade and caught the coyote. There was nothing in it, but when I got to my bobcat sets. Made deep in the woods, along a faint trail. I placed two sets. One big dirt-hole with a tried and true bait- and a few feet away, a set with a loud call lure.

I walked up to the set, and there was a good bobcat waiting for me.

So it was a pretty good week. I had to pull everything in this area,

and will set in new places next week. Giving this area a rest. Hopefully I can get a few more raccoon's. I know one place I will be is loaded with them So I am really going to try and hit them hard.

A good start to the season. lets hope it continues. - I am planning a trapping trip the week after Christmas - going to our property and really hit the coyotes and bobcats hard. There is a good population of coyotes, so I am hopeful I will be able to hook up a few while I'm there.

Squirrel Hunting

This past weekend I went squirrel hunting. I like a lot of sportsmen cut my teeth in the outdoors chasing squirrels through the oak ridges near our homes. I for one have never outgrown the love of hunting squirrels. Unfortunately I haven't done it enough in the past years like I should.

But now I have a reason to hunt squirrels more often. My son has taken to the idea of hunting squirrels. So I have taken him a few times this year. The last time I decided that I wasn't going to take my gun, just my camera and help him really learn to hunt. Well, he still hasn't gotten one, but he is getting better and getting more patient. I know that when he does get his first squirrel it will be a moment he will always remember.

So hopefully, by next week, he will have his first squirrel in the bag. Until then.......

Trapping season Opens

Dec. 1 marked the opening of Trapping season in my home state of South Carolina. That day saw me throwing steel out in as many places as I could after work. It didn't leave me with much time since it gets dark so early. But I managed to get a few out there. Saturday saw the most action when i put out 28 traps.

First check on some of these places showed why trapping is such a challenge. Bait stolen by raccoons, and perhaps the most frustrating - Paw prints on one of my coyote traps and it didn't fire! Now that's frustrating. But I re-baited and left it and we will see.

This site was a new set - I use the hip bone from a horse, and set it about fifteen feet from the wood line in a field. Placed a small amount of bait beneath the bone and some lure on the bone. Then I placed a trap on both sides of the bone in case he came in from the rear. and I added some coyote scat from another property as an additional visual.

When I get some catches - I will post on here. Focusing mostly

on Raccoon and coyote now. I do have a few bobcat sets out and a few fox as well. I am ready to see some tight chains!