Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Yes, I am fully aware that I misspelled Duke in the title of this blog.  As a life-long Tar Heel, that’s my right to spell Dook anyway I want.  This is it!  After 37 years of being on this earth, I’m finally getting a chance to see a UNC basketball game against the hated rival Duke. The game is scheduled for 9 p.m. in Chapel Hill Wednesday night. I have press passes and will have a really good seat for one of the best rivalries in all of sports.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Wow!  What a week it is for being in the outdoors!  Are you ready?  I am!  Let’s list some of the wonderful things going on this week. 

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Da Bears! That’s a famous line from a Saturday Night Live skit where some Chicago Bears fans, dressed like Mike Ditka, sit around in a bar and brag about how great the football team is and how no one can stop “Da Bears”.  Well here in the real world and in particular Horry County, people are having a hard time stopping the Black Bear population from creeping into area neighborhoods.  We had several stories this spring and summer of bears being outside of homes, golf courses, and businesses.  Can you imagine walking outside to pick up the paper and there’s real-life Black Bear standing at the mail box?  I can’t remember exactly where I read it, but I do remember what I read and according to the article, the Eastern Carolinas has more Black Bears than anywhere else in the country!  WOW! 

Thursday, November 08, 2007

Two weeks from today, the land-fowl season opens!  What? You’ve never heard of land-fowl?  Well, unless we get some much needed rain soon, that’s what waterfowl hunters will be doing Thanksgiving morning.  A happy tradition that started long ago around here could be a very disappointing one this year.  As I’ve stated many times in my blog, I love to hunt, but duck hunting is my absolute favorite!  I spoke with SC Department of Natural Resources spokesman Mike Willis earlier this week about the upcoming duck season in SC.  According to Mike, his Chief Waterfowl Biologist says “the lack of water in some locations could lead to an alternate distribution of ducks and other waterfowl this season.” In other words for us non-scientists, duck hunting in the Pee Dee and Grand Strand area could be bad this year.  No water, no food, NO DUCKS!

Thursday, November 01, 2007

I thought Blogging the Outdoors would be a great opportunity for me to share with you readers some of my experiences, thoughts, and advice on everything outdoors.  You know, like hunting, fishing, camping, etc.  Well.........I’m still going to write about all those things but now I need to write about something else that happens outdoors and has totally taken up all of my late season fishing and early season hunting time!  Fast-pitch softball and flag football are very time consuming.  I volunteered to coach my 11 year old daughter’s softball team this fall and my 6 year old son is enjoying his first year of flag football.  Between softball practice/games and flag football practice/games, I sometimes don’t know if I am coming or going!  Not to mention the fact I have an 8 year old daughter who needs daddy’s attention too. Uh, and the wife! 

Friday, September 28, 2007

I love my family and worry about their safety when they’re riding along SC roads.  There’s so much to contend with when driving these days.  Drunk drivers, people talking on cell phones, road rage, reckless people who have no business with a license are all things to deal with while driving in the Eastern Carolinas.  Another hazard motorists have to dodge is deer.  They are everywhere!  I remember last year when someone hit a deer on Irby Street in downtown Florence!

I’ve been noticing recently the number of car vs. deer reports on the South Carolina Highway Patrol’s website.  As a matter of fact there’ve been 3 reports this morning!  One of those collisions involved a News 13 staff member.  It happened around 2:15am in Marion County as she was driving to Florence from Myrtle Beach to edit tapes for our Morning show.  Luckily for her, she was not hurt.  She is still shaken up though!  The deer came out of the woods, jumped onto the highway and hit the News 13 Jeep.  The car suffered major damage to the front end.  The deer is dead.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Deer meat?  YUCK!  That’s what many of my non-hunting friends say when I mention cooking some fine meals with the tasty portions of venison.  When it’s properly prepared, it’s hard to find a better tasting food.  Apparently some others, including hunters, are having concerns this year when it comes to deer meat.  According the SC Department of Natural Resources (SC DNR) website, they have received some calls already this hunting season with concerns about the safety of eating deer meat.  They claim the concerns come from “the recent news that a significant hemorrhagic disease (HD) outbreak in deer being reported in many southeastern states.” The SC DNR says HD can cause sickness in deer, but does NOT affect people.  “Hunters should not be concerned about the safety of eating venison”, says DNR.  The SC DNR also says HD appears about every 3 to 5 years.  They say the last time there was a significant flare-up of HD in SC was in 2002. 

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

I just returned from the Traces Golf course in Florence after visiting with the fine folks out there putting on a charity golf tournament.  Troop 5 of the South Carolina Highway Patrol was hosting their 13th Annual Make-A-Wish golf tourney.  What a GREAT tournament!  Unlike in years past, I wasn’t able to play this year for various reasons.  Usually my team consists of three other wanna-be golfers John Martin, Cecil Chandler, and former SC State Rep. Jim McGee.  We’re terrible, but we have a great time and those around us do as well.  Someone has to provide the comic relief!

Monday, September 17, 2007

Blogging the outdoors?  If you told me this time last year that I would be writing a “blog”, I would’ve said “You’re crazy”!  Are you kidding me?  People want to read the random thoughts of Eric Walters?  My boss David Hart asked (told) me I would soon be blogging several months ago.  I kind of let it go in one ear and out the other.  Then I started thinking about it and even got a little bit nervous about it.  I am the Managing Editor at News 13, and to most in the community, I’m the news guy.  You know, the person you talk to when you want something covered by the TV station.  Then I asked myself, Big E, what do you want to write about?  We have plenty of folks from the News department writing blogs , how can you be different?