South Carolina hunting opportunities

[FirstTimer]

I was born and raised in upstate SC. Military took me overseas for a few years and spit me out in CO. It looks like I'm probably headed back to SC (Columbia) for law school next year. I'd never hunted in my life before moving out west so idk much about what hunting's like back home. I hunt public here in CO and I'm willing to do the hard work to find deer on public in SC if it's actually tenable. From what I've gathered it seems like it is, but I'm also willing to drive a bit to get to the good stuff or to a reasonably priced hunt club. So my main question is basically this:

At what price point does a hunt club membership get you a better space than what a diligent hunter could find on public land in SC?

I'd also appreciate any other advice on getting myself set up to hunt out there. Thanks in advance.

 

[Spoonbill]

Typically in the more densely packed/not a lot of public states, hunting clubs let you get away from the crowds and hunt less pressured animals. I’ve hunted South Carolina a couple times but it was on my buddy’s farm so I have no clue about public opportunities.

As a current law student, I know how time consuming school can be, so doing a paid weekend hunt may be the best bet to get some meat in the freezer.

 

[SteveCNJ]

I've lived in northern NJ most of my life and have mostly hunted public land in NJ and NY. I've been on a couple of western hunts and fell for that. Moving to Summerville, SC this weekend. I haven't seen a lot of SC bit what I have seen is the woods look very dense. I will be searching for a club to join to hunt deer and hopefully feral pigs. Need to find some trout streams as well.

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[CJohnson]

Depending on which side of Columbia you land on you could be to some good spots in Sumter NF in less than an hour.

When looking at clubs, I would try to find a good group of guys first and then sort out costs. If it were me, I’d pal up with some of the guys wearing crayon colored shorts in your law school classes. I’m sure some of them probably have access to great hunting through private clubs or family lands. That’s what I did during college.

 

[ncstatehunter]

From what I’ve seen, club land is more pressured than public land where I hunt there. I personally feel joining a club there is a waste unless just for wanting a place with pre-hung stands/blinds and to be able to bait or for pigs. I’ve told my three closest hunting buddies to not waste their money on a club when that same money can be put towards Midwest/Western hunts and they can have their “own” public land lease/hunt club and hardly run into anyone else and not be stuck to just a few places to hunt. Everyone else’s mileage may vary, so no one should believe me and just hunt clubs, public is so over hunted .

 

[KHNC]

Hunt clubs are convenient, with a healthy deer population usually. However, i found the deer immediately go nocturnal as soon as rifle opens , whereas on public, they still seem to move in daylight. It does seem easier to find deer on vast public land vs condensed club land. The club members seem to hunt all the time keeping the deer visible on a trail cam mostly.

 

[CJohnson]

I guess the definition of a “club” is interesting. I’ve never been a part of one with a bunch of pre-hung stands/blinds. I have been a part of a group of guys who pooled money to get a couple hundred acres of timber company land.

 

[FirstTimer]

Yea, I guess the notion of a club I have in mind is only really based on the few things I've read about them and the descriptions a friend of mine's dad gave me when I was younger. I had in mind a spot that several guys manage together and pay dues to keep up, and where there might be some management rules in place about what size deer you can take. I can't afford to pay 1K a year for it, so I'm really just trying to get a bead on how cheap I can go before I might as well just hunt public. But the more I think about it, the more I think the public's where I'll probably wind up unless I get permission somewhere like one of you suggested above. Really appreciate all the info.

 

[FirstTimer]

If it were me, I’d pal up with some of the guys wearing crayon colored shorts in your law school classes.

The "crayon colored shorts" gave me a chuckle man. Very apt description there lol