Hunting – Carolina Fish and Hunt

Reported Tyler Doyle sightings prompt SLED to investigate

Almost a year after duck hunter Tyler Doyle of Loris, SC went missing during a duck hunt, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division has joined the investigation.

Doyle went missing on Jan. 26, 2023 in his hunting boat after dropping a friend off for the hunt. His friend reportedly watched Doyle’s boat sinking and called 911 as the boat disappeared around some rocks. Doyle was not seen again.

An extensive investigation involving numerous agencies lasted several days. SCDNR reported that no foul play was suspected, and ruled the incident a hunting accident. But since then, numerous sightings of Doyle have been called in to authorities.

SCDNR spokesperson Stephen Fastenau said DNR remains the lead agency on the case. But he said because of numerous reported possible sightings of Doyle, they have asked SLED to review the file and to assist with missing person inquiries.

Have you or someone you know seen Tyler Doyle? If so, call SLED at 803-896-7133.

Click here to read more information about Tyler Doyle’s case.

24-year-old dies in NC mountains hunting accident

An accidental gunshot lead to the death of Ethan Hahn on Nov. 20, 2023.

Ethan Hahn, a 24-year-old hunter from Hildebran, NC died on Nov. 20, 2023 when he accidentally fired a shot from his own gun into his upper right arm. The incident took place in the mountainous region of Burke County, about 75 miles northwest of Charlotte in the Pisgah National Forest.

NCWRC and the Burke County Sheriff’s Office have ruled the death an accident and said no foul play is suspected.

Hahn was deer hunting with his dad, Mark Hahn, and apparently slipped while walking along a trail that was littered with piles of leaves. The two were walking some distance away from each other when the elder Hahn found his son on a steep hill with leaves on the ground, which seemingly created slick footing and resulted in Hahn falling and accidentally firing his CVA Scout .243.

Mark Hahn performed first aid and CPR on his son and called 911. When officials arrived, the 24-yard-old was pronounced dead at the scene.

Ethan was the valedictorian of East Burke High School’s class of 2017, and graduated from Appalachian State University in Boone. He was working for a software company, was deeply religious, and had recently written a devotional. He wanted to travel across the country, spreading his faith to others.

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Click here to read about another Carolina hunting accident in November, which led to the death of 6-year-old Avery Davis.

6-year-old killed in SC hunting accident

Avery Davis was an accomplished sportsman

Six-year-old Avery Davis was killed in a hunting accident in Orangeburg County, SC on Friday Nov. 24, 2023, according to the SC Dept. of Natural Resources.

Officials said the young hunter was sitting in an elevated stand when a stray shotgun pellet from another hunter on the ground hit and killed him. They have rules the death an accident.

“We continue to investigate the death of a 6-year-old boy killed in a hunting accident Friday morning in Orangeburg County. Though the investigation is still active, we have determined that this was an accident. The boy was in an elevated stand and appears to have been struck by a stray shotgun pellet from a shooter on the ground. Investigators are awaiting more information from the coroner’s report. Our sympathy remains with the child’s family and loved ones,” said SCDNR through their social media pages.

An honor walk on Avery’s behalf was conducted at Prisma Children’s Hospital on Monday.

Jeremy Davis, Avery’s dad, said his son was an organ donor, and the family is praying this will result in saving as many lives of other children as possible.

“Avery is an organ donor and we are praying that he can save as many children as possible and I’m honored that his legacy can live on through others,” said his dad. “I couldn’t be prouder of my son and rest assured he will never be forgotten.”

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Click here to read of another Carolina November hunting accident, which resulted in the death of 24-year-old Ethan Hahn.

Sumter County hunters find dead body

Body was wrapped in a tarp

The sleepy town of Borden, SC, located near the Sumter County/Lee County border, was abuzz this past Sunday morning, Nov. 26, after a group of deer hunters found human remains wrapped in a tarp in a wooded area just off of Cimmaron Road.

According to Sumter County Coroner Robbie Baker, the hunters noticed a strong odor, then discovered the tarp. When they pulled the tarp back, they saw what they believed to be the remains of a human body, so they called the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.

Officials confirmed the discovery was, in fact, a dead body. Baker said an autopsy will be performed Tuesday to determine the sex, approximate age and race of the person.

The hunters were walking along a trail they had apparently not used in two or three weeks. Baker said it appears the remains had been there for at least a week, and possibly two weeks.

It’s being treated as a suspicious death.

“It’s not normal to find a body wrapped in a tarp in a wooded area,” Baker said. “Somebody took that body and put it in that wooded area.”

Authorities are asking anyone with information about the case to call the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office at 803-436-2000.

SC hunter kills wide-racked, 181-pound buck

Samuel John Goins of McColl, SC killed a big 6-point, 181-pound buck on Nov. 14, 2023.

Samuel John Goins of McColl, SC killed a big 6-point, wide-racked, 181-pound buck on Nov. 14, 2023 during an evening hunt.

Goins was plenty familiar with this buck. He’d been pursuing the deer for 3 years, finally closing the chapter on the chase at about 5:30 p.m. that day. The buck had an inside spread of 20 inches.

Throughout the 3-year hunt, the buck underwent obvious changes in the width and size of its antlers.

Blair Wiggins kills 13-point Richmond County brute

Blair Wiggins killed a unique 13-point brute in Richmond County, NC on Nov. 19, 2023.

Blair Wiggins killed a Richmond County, NC brute of a buck on Nov. 19, 2023 during a quick afternoon hunt. The deer had a unique 13-point rack, and her taxidermist estimated the buck at about 5 1/2-years-old.

“I shot this buck exactly 1 year to the day that I shot my first nice buck, and 8-pointer,” said Wiggins. “I’m still in shock myself.”

And she completed this hunt the old-fashioned way.

“Good ol’ Mother Nature brought him to me! No corn, no call, just him and me,” she said.

The deer was already in the field when Wiggins made it to her stand.

“I got lucky. He was in the field as I was climbing in my stand around 4 p.m. I really couldn’t do too much but keep climbing and get situated to get him in my scope,” she said. “By that time, he had walked across back into the woods.”

But it wasn’t long before the buck made another appearance.

“Around 4:30, he just happened to pop back out from the side of the woods about 60 yards in front of my stand just walking the wood line towards me,” she said.

She didn’t want to shoot the buck straight on, so she waited a few seconds, realizing that time was crucial.

“He acted like he was about to walk back into the woods, and I made a sound so he would stop. He turned his body and looked towards me, so I fired. He ran about 50 yards or so into the woods and dropped,” she said. “It’s one of the quickest deer hunts I’ve ever had to get this big boy!”

Wiggins has only been hunting for 3 years, and said she appreciates this hunt, and this buck.

“I feel so blessed to have harvested this deer in my third year of deer hunting!” she said.

9-year-old kills wide-racked NC buck

Briyer Mabe killed a wide-racked buck in Richmond County, NC in mid-November.

Briyer Mabe, 9-years-old was hunting on the ground during a mid-November evening when he killed a buck that sported a 22-inch inside spread. The young sportsman was hunting with his dad when the deer showed up.

“We went hunting where I’ve killed a nice one this year, and have seen some other good deer. But we had not ever seen this deer,” said his dad, Tyler Mabe.

“It all happened so fast, it’s crazy. We’d been sitting on the ground about an hour, and that’s when things changed. I heard a buck off in the distance working a scrape. I told Briyer to get ready,” he said.

The deer appeared, and the young hunter was ready.

“The deer stepped out and I knew it was big, but didn’t know how big. I asked him if he could see it. He said ‘yeah’ and then boom! Deer dropped in its tracks. It measured 22 1/8-inches outside, 22 inside. Deer of a lifetime,” he said.

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Knives make great Christmas gifts.

NC youth hunter downs 8-point buck

Nine-year-old Selby “Eugene” Bass IV was hunting near his family’s farm in Black Creek, NC with his dad on Nov. 3, 2023 when the young hunter killed an 8-point buck.

Bass was hunting from a tripod stand, and allowed another deer to pass as he patiently waited on this Wilson County deer. He shot the buck with a Savage 6.5 Creedmoor.

Dawson Evans kills big 7-point NC buck

Dawson Evans killed a nice 7-point, wide-racked buck on Nov. 5, 2023 in Franklin County, NC. It was a buck he had been watching for some time. And the hunt was over in just a matter of minutes.

“God aligned the stars yesterday evening. At 2:15 p.m., I sat down in the stand. At 2:19, I took the shot,” said Evans.

But his pursuit of this deer lasted much longer than that day’s hunt.

“We have been watching him since early September,” he said.

Evans was so familiar with the buck that he even had a nickname for the animal. He called the deer “Empire.”

And while many hunters may not consider a 7-pointer anything to get excited about, this one was special.

“Empire was a big-rack 7-pointer, around 20 inches wide,” he said. “He was top 3 on the hit list.”

The deer started off playing hide-and-seek from Evans.

“He stepped out in broad daylight. Then he stepped behind a tree and laid down around 40 yards. I grunted a few times, and he got back up and started walking. Once I stopped him, it was game over,” he said.

It’s the biggest buck Evans has killed so far, and he said it’s a hunt he’ll never forget.

“The best deer hunt of my lifetime. Beyond blessed to take the biggest buck of my life so far,” he said.

Click here to follow along on more of Dawson Evans’ outdoor pursuits.