East coast hunting (SC area)

[Jauwater]

Yup, it certainly does get hot, muggy and buggy down here. But you can take a short ride to hit the hills to beat the heat. Or hit the coast for some sun. Summers are rough but I feel it's easy enough to make a living around here and there is so much to see! NC has got the highest mountains east of the Mississippi and there are alot of them. You got "Toughest Trail East of Mississippi" on the Black Mountain Crest Trail Pisgah National Forest offers alot of gameland to hunt. Alot of rivers, but none of it easily accessed. You got Congaree National Park in SC, which it's almost like seeing that place for the first time very time. You can ride up to the Cape Lookout National Park, which I love camping on the beach to fish the surf. Every time I've been there the water has a more tropical look to it. Its gorgeous out there. When I was younger my friends Dad took us on Canoe fishing trips down the Santee, and man you wanna talk about buggy, it was hell. But looking back I miss them days, camping on the river. I'll take the bugs, sticky weather, and snakes. Bring in the memories, haha. Man I could go on about the Carolinas for days. I love the Southeast.

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[Mike Islander]

Excellent deer and turkey hunting. Decent waterfowl. Private clubs have nothing to do with fenced game out here. Just a chunk of land that you are allowed to hunt on. Many of us are members of a "hunt club" that we pay $500 - $1000 a year for. There is a wide range of club culture, from those that run dogs to no dogs allowed and only trophy size bucks can be taken. Plenty of hogs. Deer season lasts five months. Yep, five months. I guarantee there are 50 hunt clubs less than an hour from Hilton Head. Bear hunting is within three hours of HH. A decent amount of national forest and wildlife management areas to hunt for a reasonable annual state license fee. Check out SC DNR website for the rules, regs, and information. We can catch salt or freshwater fish year round. Everyone owns a boat or two, or more. Overall just a great place to fish and hunt with people who smile a lot.

If you have never lived in the South, be prepared for some culture shock. There is still a lot of Southern pride here. Contrary to popular belief, while there is segregation in where people tend to live (due to land allocated after the civil war), blacks and whites get along very well here, nothing like the militancy of Atlanta or the outright black disdain I experienced in the North and Midwest, especially where there was very few black people. We tend to go with the flow, relaxed atmosphere. Hell, we live in paradise. Come here and start voting in stupid laws and you will be despised, and rightly so. Be a busy body and you will be despised, and rightly so. Act rude and you will be ignored and excluded, utterly. Be a nice person and plant roots in the community and you will find a welcoming home.

For context, I was born in raised in San Diego, but I did spend two years in Louisiana when I was 10-11, so I had a very good feel for the South. At 19 I chose to move here to Charleston and have been here ever since 1981.

 

[Dunndm]

S.C. has 3 animals that are considered good hunting. Deer, hog, Turkey. All require at a minimum $1500 lease fee. Where you will hunt with 10-30 other members. Good leases are $3000 and goes up substantially.
Deer are thick as fleas. Good bucks 140” are not very common. A 125” will probably get taken to the Taxi man by a lot of S.C. hunters.
waterfowling is awful.
bugs, snakes and humidity are beyond horrible.
Cost of living low, crime high. Food fantastic.

Hmmm sounds like you don’t like any part of it unless you got money haha


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[Dunndm]

Yup, it certainly does get hot, muggy and buggy down here. But you can take a short ride to hit the hills to beat the heat. Or hit the coast for some sun. Summers are rough but I feel it's easy enough to make a living around here and there is so much to see! NC has got the highest mountains east of the Mississippi and there are alot of them. You got "Toughest Trail East of Mississippi" on the Black Mountain Crest Trail Pisgah National Forest offers alot of gameland to hunt. Alot of rivers, but none of it easily accessed. You got Congaree National Park in SC, which it's almost like seeing that place for the first time very time. You can ride up to the Cape Lookout National Park, which I love camping on the beach to fish the surf. Every time I've been there the water has a more tropical look to it. Its gorgeous out there. When I was younger my friends Dad took us on Canoe fishing trips down the Santee, and man you wanna talk about buggy, it was hell. But looking back I miss them days, camping on the river. I'll take the bugs, sticky weather, and snakes. Bring in the memories, haha. Man I could go on about the Carolinas for days. I love the Southeast.

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I mean it sounds like anywhere else.. it is what you make of it. I don’t mind bugs. I have been into Costa Rica a lot, bugs don’t bother me.. snakes freak me the hell out, not a fan. I mean right now i drive 5-8 hours to hunt for 3-4 days out of my truck, usually in rain or hail or cold. Maybe... MAYBE see 3-5 deer and hopefully get a poke at one. The hunting out by me is far from easy. If I want to hunt on private it cost 650 for a pig (1 night stay is an extra 50$ for a mental roof over your head) 800+ for ram and deer.... I have no idea. Out of my price range. Fishing is only good for 4-5 months out of the year when the tuna are running but you need a boat. Which I don’t have. So I spear fish from shore a lot, which is nice. I don’t have any 4 wheelers or 4x4 trucks so I’d be doing a lot of walking like I am already. Last hunt was 3 days 22 miles.


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[Dunndm]

I live in NC and I think the hunting and fishing is great. There are white tail and black bear all over the place, not always easy to find. Trout fishing can be good at times of the year. The Carolina coast is beautiful with all kinds of fishing, and places to explore. Now the population is what gets me, but you being from Cali that might not be that bad. In SC there are plenty of places to get away from people. I stay more in the mountains then I do the coast, but you can reach the mountains pretty easy through I-26(I believe). According to where you are looking. The Rock Hill, Tega Cay, Fort Mill area is nice with Charlotte near by, but traffic can be nuts. I stayed on a farm for a few months years ago near Kiawah Island, which I though was gorgeous out there. Charleston can be nice, but dirty too. Taxes are low I'm told.

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I mean I’m in Orange County (hour south of La) so dirty to me and dirty to you are probably 2 different things. I work in LA and there’s needles, piss or poop on the ground. It’s nasty.

I’m not much of bear hunter ( I would do it once or twice but not a lot)
I’m trying to get out of CA because I mostly want to start a family out there. The cost of living is less... much less and the wether is fairly similar to here.


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[Jauwater]

I mean it sounds like anywhere else.. it is what you make of it. I don’t mind bugs. I have been into Costa Rica a lot, bugs don’t bother me.. snakes freak me the hell out, not a fan. I mean right now i drive 5-8 hours to hunt for 3-4 days out of my truck, usually in rain or hail or cold. Maybe... MAYBE see 3-5 deer and hopefully get a poke at one. The hunting out by me is far from easy. If I want to hunt on private it cost 650 for a pig (1 night stay is an extra 50$ for a mental roof over your head) 800+ for ram and deer.... I have no idea. Out of my price range. Fishing is only good for 4-5 months out of the year when the tuna are running but you need a boat. Which I don’t have. So I spear fish from shore a lot, which is nice. I don’t have any 4 wheelers or 4x4 trucks so I’d be doing a lot of walking like I am already. Last hunt was 3 days 22 miles.


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I think youd fit right in. I dont spend any money on land or clubs or any of that. I use gamelands, that's it. I dont have any fancy ATV or UTV. I do it all on foot. I hate snakes too. And they are sneaky bastards. I dont usually run into snakes unless I'm on an river or creek. Some days you wont see any. Other days they are everywhere. Cotton mouths seem to be common. You wont have to drive nearly that far to hunt. You could, but you wouldn't need too.

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[Dunndm]

Excellent deer and turkey hunting. Decent waterfowl. Private clubs have nothing to do with fenced game out here. Just a chunk of land that you are allowed to hunt on. Many of us are members of a "hunt club" that we pay $500 - $1000 a year for. There is a wide range of club culture, from those that run dogs to no dogs allowed and only trophy size bucks can be taken. Plenty of hogs. Deer season lasts five months. Yep, five months. I guarantee there are 50 hunt clubs less than an hour from Hilton Head. Bear hunting is within three hours of HH. A decent amount of national forest and wildlife management areas to hunt for a reasonable annual state license fee. Check out SC DNR website for the rules, regs, and information. We can catch salt or freshwater fish year round. Everyone owns a boat or two, or more. Overall just a great place to fish and hunt with people who smile a lot.

If you have never lived in the South, be prepared for some culture shock. There is still a lot of Southern pride here. Contrary to popular belief, while there is segregation in where people tend to live (due to land allocated after the civil war), blacks and whites get along very well here, nothing like the militancy of Atlanta or the outright black disdain I experienced in the North and Midwest, especially where there was very few black people. We tend to go with the flow, relaxed atmosphere. Hell, we live in paradise. Come here and start voting in stupid laws and you will be despised, and rightly so. Be a busy body and you will be despised, and rightly so. Act rude and you will be ignored and excluded, utterly. Be a nice person and plant roots in the community and you will find a welcoming home.

For context, I was born in raised in San Diego, but I did spend two years in Louisiana when I was 10-11, so I had a very good feel for the South. At 19 I chose to move here to Charleston and have been here ever since 1981.
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This, is a perfect write up. I appreciate this.
It sounds like what I’m exactly looking for, I’m not a “typical” California person... at least I don’t think so.
I’m looking for a homey feel that people ask “how you doing” and actually mean it. Not just a filler because they don’t want it to be quiet. The constant buzz around here to “make an extra buck” gets really old. I take a vacation and come back looked down on because I’m not putting in over time. To me it’s not life, there’s no enjoyment in constantly trying for the next shiny toy.
Nice pictures by the way! Looks like you’ve gotten it all down there


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[Dunndm]

I think youd fit right in. I dont spend any money on land or clubs or any of that. I use gamelands, that's it. I dont have any fancy ATV or UTV. I do it all on foot. I hate snakes too. And they are sneaky bastards. I dont usually run into snakes unless I'm on an river or creek. Some days you wont see any. Other days they are everywhere. Cotton mouths seem to be common. You wont have to drive nearly that far to hunt. You could, but you wouldn't need too.

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I think I’d like it, a lot. My fiancé is from Ohio and she talks about it daily... maybe every other day if I’m lucky.
I mean I’ve started hunting when I was 14? Self taught, no one to help me. So for me, it’ll be something new and fun. I mean would I join a 500-1000$ a year hunt club to meet guys. Absolutely, but I’m not going to spend X amount per hunt just to have someone cart me from stand to stand or spot to spot to shoot it and he does all the work. That’s killing, not hunting.


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[Oregon]

Hmmm sounds like you don’t like any part of it unless you got money haha


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Even with money I liked no part of it except the fishing

 

[Mike Islander]

Been in the woods every year since 1981. Saw exactly ONE rattlesnake (canebrake). Saw a gigantic cottonmouth and a few smaller ones. All gave me plenty of warning.

Not true that you have to hunt on a club for deer, turkey, or hogs. In fact, you can hunt all three on the off road motorcycle trails that I frequent, and I see all three of those animals on many rides. These are in state and national forests.

It is hotter than nuclear hell in summer, so there is that. Also bugs will eat you alive during early deer season and spring turkey hunting if you don't cover up or bring a Thermacell. I wear army fatigues, an old SAS jacket, and a face net for turkey. After 10 minutes the Thermacell eliminates all skeeters and I can take off the gloves and net.

 

[FLS]

I live about an hour west of Myrtle Beach SC. Anyone that tells you you have to have a lot of money to hunt SC is misminformed or just lazy. Within two hours of my house is almost 100,000 acres of public land. If you can’t find a place to hunt you aren’t trying. I hunt public and private and do a couple of trips out west every year. When we could, I killed double digits in deer, multiple turkeys and as many hogs as I could give away.
If you want to set in a big box blind and shoot a deer over crops or bait that is available. It’s not free and the better the hunting the more it costs. I’ve done lots of it.
I’ve also killed a lot of game on public. A few years ago I hunted a public deer control hunt near on a NWR Hilton Head. I killed 5 by 830 AM 2 bucks and 3 does.
57 hunters killed over 100 deer by noon. Access was via foot or bike and you had to use a shotgun and slugs. There’s lots of opportunity if you’re willing to look for it.
The farther you get away from Charleston, Columbia or Greenville the better the quality of life and hunting gets.
Its hot and the bugs are bad.Lots of snakes and gators too. Buy a thermacell and watch where you put your hands and feet. Just Fact of life down here.
Our, deer aren’t small, most people just shoot the first year and a half old buck they see. The state record non typical is 160” and was killed about 3 miles from my house. I’ve deer hunted all over the US and that class of deer isn’t common anywhere.
If you do move here, realize we don’t care how you did it up north or out west. Leave that shit there. Things are slower down south and we like it that way.
I think it’s a great place to live.

 

[FLAK]

Great fishing on the Chattooga River, where they filmed Deliverance.

 

[Mike Islander]

Great fishing on the Chattooga River, where they filmed Deliverance.

And rafting. And free camping. And excellent deer and turkey and bear hunting. Etc. I lived on an 11 acre mini farm minutes away from the Chattooga while doing my undergrad at Clemson. Living on $13k a year for two people, we took full advantage of the myriad free activities in that area.

 

[Dunndm]

Been in the woods every year since 1981. Saw exactly ONE rattlesnake (canebrake). Saw a gigantic cottonmouth and a few smaller ones. All gave me plenty of warning.

Not true that you have to hunt on a club for deer, turkey, or hogs. In fact, you can hunt all three on the off road motorcycle trails that I frequent, and I see all three of those animals on many rides. These are in state and national forests.

It is hotter than nuclear hell in summer, so there is that. Also bugs will eat you alive during early deer season and spring turkey hunting if you don't cover up or bring a Thermacell. I wear army fatigues, an old SAS jacket, and a face net for turkey. After 10 minutes the Thermacell eliminates all skeeters and I can take off the gloves and net.

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To me... I’d trade 3-4 months of nuclear heat for 1/2 the cost of living. It’s either heat or snow, I’ll choose heat for 4 months.

A house in a decent area around me is 8-825k.
Out there where I’ve been looking is 4-525 and the cost of everything else is around 25% cheaper. I just don’t want the constant work work work for 3 days of vacation a year. It’s not my kind of life.


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[Jauwater]

undergrad at Clemson.

Cant believe I forgot Clemson!

So you got Clemson as well in SC. Go Tigers!

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[Mike Islander]

Many businesses around here accept the fact that they will lose you a good bit come deer season, or even encourage it. Of course there are many places like that around the country.

 

[Dunndm]

I live about an hour west of Myrtle Beach SC. Anyone that tells you you have to have a lot of money to hunt SC is misminformed or just lazy. Within two hours of my house is almost 100,000 acres of public land. If you can’t find a place to hunt you aren’t trying. I hunt public and private and do a couple of trips out west every year. When we could, I killed double digits in deer, multiple turkeys and as many hogs as I could give away.
If you want to set in a big box blind and shoot a deer over crops or bait that is available. It’s not free and the better the hunting the more it costs. I’ve done lots of it.
I’ve also killed a lot of game on public. A few years ago I hunted a public deer control hunt near on a NWR Hilton Head. I killed 5 by 830 AM 2 bucks and 3 does.
57 hunters killed over 100 deer by noon. Access was via foot or bike and you had to use a shotgun and slugs. There’s lots of opportunity if you’re willing to look for it.
The farther you get away from Charleston, Columbia or Greenville the better the quality of life and hunting gets.
Its hot and the bugs are bad.Lots of snakes and gators too. Buy a thermacell and watch where you put your hands and feet. Just Fact of life down here.
Our, deer aren’t small, most people just shoot the first year and a half old buck they see. The state record non typical is 160” and was killed about 3 miles from my house. I’ve deer hunted all over the US and that class of deer isn’t common anywhere.
If you do move here, realize we don’t care how you did it up north or out west. Leave that shit there. Things are slower down south and we like it that way.
I think it’s a great place to live.

Your last sentence is what I’m trying to get into and why I’m trying to leave CA. The pace of life is to much here. It’s a rat race and you’ll get shanked in your back by your best friend for a few thousand bucks. It’s a joke. It sounds like it’s a perfect fit for me to be honest.


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[Sccritterkiller]

Been here 20 yrs...SC is like any were else it's what you make of it. Lots of deer tags, 3 turkey tags, pigs 24/7, some of the best duck hunting on the east coast in the ACE drawing a blind can be tough. Long seasons...and you can fish something in either fresh or salt pretty much all year long..plus shrimp season...NC is about the same just add great opportunities for black bear and Tundra Swan. Access is like any where else on the east coast. Not a lot public so it can be crowded, a lease on private can be expensive. It's what you make of it.

The comments above about moving here and fitting in are true. Luckily most folks I run into are willing slow down ease into the community and the ones that dont are in the minority and are pretty easy to ignore.

My biggest advice if you move here make sure house has a large room for gear and a big freezer. Between the offshore/inshore/surf/lake/trout fishing plus hunting gear you need all the space you can get...plus somewhere to store the boat/kayaks/ 4 wheeler and whatever else your into. YMMV

Good Luck!

 

[WannabeHunter]

I've lived here my whole life. Spent about 2 years working on HHI, lived in Bluffton. Beautiful area, but can be expensive to live. And tourist season can be straight nuts.
I echo all the positives that the above have mentioned. Lots of deer and hogs.

The Heat is Hot and Humid. From beginning of May to late Sept, be ready to sweat. But a 25ft pontoon slow rolling on the lake helps.

 

[Dunndm]

I've lived here my whole life. Spent about 2 years working on HHI, lived in Bluffton. Beautiful area, but can be expensive to live. And tourist season can be straight nuts.
I echo all the positives that the above have mentioned. Lots of deer and hogs.

The Heat is Hot and Humid. From beginning of May to late Sept, be ready to sweat. But a 25ft pontoon slow rolling on the lake helps.

I’m excited to move, I’m not moving into the island I want to be just close ish to it. Within 30min. Any areas you’d recommend looking at for houses? I’ll be going there hopefully in August to look for homes


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