After a couple years of being asked and not being able to go, I finally made it to Salkehatchie Farms for their annual deer count. This private deer preserve near Smoaks, SC was purchased four years ago by George Fennell and with his son Scott, today their 600 acres have some of the largest deer in the state. Their secret? A 12-foot fence surrounding the property.
When shopping for a property in 2005, they looked at six locations with fenced enclosures. State regulations “grandfathered” these fences, allowing for improvements and repairs when no additional property is added to an enclosure. A full-time caretaker ensures the needs of the deer, and the hunters, are met. Prime woodlands, large food plots and roomy, weather-protected stands make Salkehatchie a big buck paradise.
Actually hunting there is a whole different matter, so just being able to count the deer was fine with me. It’s not often we see bucks with the inches these bucks offer, this far South. In the two hours we were in the stand, we counted, in addition to 13 turkeys:
- 10 does
- 3 fawns
- 1 4-point buck
- 6 (very nice) 8-point bucks
- 1 10-point bucks
- 1 11-point buck
And that was just one stand out at least a dozen that were occupied that evening. The weekend before, Scott counted 53 deer in one evening sit!
The goal of these counts is to ensure a proper doe-buck ratio and get an idea of the size of the deer roaming the property. It’s also a great way to share a beautiful piece of property with family and friends. They’ll do it again in the spring when everyone is invited to wander the woods in search of antler sheds.
I don’t know if there’s a preference point system in place or what, but any chance I get, I’ll be at Salkehatchie Farms. Who knows, perhaps one day they’ll tell me to bring my gun.
Thanks to Pete Paulatos for the invitation.
Deer, Featured, Sightings
photography, scouting, South Carolina
