WEST ASHLEY FLASHBACK — Hunting In West Ashley

If it was closer to the turn of the century one might be sitting in a deer stand or walking the banks of the Ashley River looking for deer tracks in roughly the place where I sit in a comfortable chair listening to Oscar N. Vick III talk about an earlier time of hunting on this land in St. Andrew’s Parish.
The comfortable chair is in the front parlor of Oscar and Nancy Vick’s home in the neighborhood of Moreland. The land that is now Moreland only passed through a few hands before becoming this neighborhood. During the time Joe Harrison farmed the area, Vick’s grandfather, Oscar N. Vick, and father, Oscar N. Vick Jr. had permission to hunt on the land. In reality though, his father was “more the hunter” and the grandfather was “more the eater.”
Oscar N. Vick III must have acquired a little from both affections since he is not only an avid hunter but also a bit of a culinary expert when it comes to preparing venison and other Lowcountry delights. He has published several cookbooks and manuscripts with titles like: Oscar Vick Cooks Venison, Charleston Cookery: Soups, Salads, and Sauces, Cooking with Mustard, and Oscar Vick Cooks Rice.
The Lowcountry of South Carolina has a hunting culture and tradition that is feathery, furry, and waders deep. Hunting clubs go back for generations with specific protocols and hunting agendas that were strictly followed. Some of these clubs’ names include: Long Savannah, Bradley Pasture, Middleton Plantation, Millbrook and Tea Farm. Club members’ lives revolved around the season — deer, duck, turkey, fox, quail and dove. Questions like “Have you seen tracks?” “Heard a gobble?” or “Do you feel the weather changing?” would dominate the conversations of these hunters.
A certain anxiety would set in if there wasn’t enough mud on the boots symbolizing not enough time in the woods. And one rarely missed opening day. Oscar learned the protocols, agendas, the importance of silence, respect for the environment and joy of hunting at the feet of his father. Vick Jr. was well known among the various hunting groups and hunted on every plantation in the area.
A typical Saturday morning during the combined hunting season, Thanksgiving day until Feb. 1, would begin at 5:30 a.m. and proceed as follows: sit in the duck blind, return to the club house to eat breakfast, deer hunt (Aug. 15-Jan. 2), return for lunch, dove hunt. This classic hunting style ended in the 1960s when the weapons changed from a shotgun to a rifle. Instead of a large group of men with dogs and deer drivers gathering for an organized hunt, it became a “one man/one rifle” hunting situation. And in Vick III’s opinion this change came with a loss of camaraderie, protocol and generational heritage for the hunt.
There is notable affection in Vick III’s voice as he describes many a hunt at the Tea Farm — several thousand acres of amazing land at the confluences of the upper reaches of Rantowles Creek and the Wallace River. Vick III was a member of numerous hunting clubs, but one quickly gets the feeling that this one holds his hunting soul. He recounts that in the post World War II era, the membership dues of the Tea Farm Hunting Club were $100 annually, paid in quarterly installments of $25. In addition to the seasonal hunts, there were monthly dinners held at the Tea Farm. And the gatekeeper fees … 10 cents.
One of his earliest hunting memories associated with the Tea Farm was of a hunt organized for the returning World War II soldiers. Later, he would write in his cookbook Oscar Vick Cooks Venison: Collector’s Edition about his 50th deer season and reflect back to Aug. 15, 1949 when at the age of four years old he got his first instructions from his father about being quiet while on a hunt. His father took an eight-point buck and the day is forever etched in Vick III’s memory.
Oscar Napoleon Vick III passed away just three weeks ago. It was a privilege to have the opportunity to hear his hunting stories. One of his many books on the preparation of Lowcountry game is: Oscar Vick Cooks Venison where you can learn how to prepare any number of recipes like “Venison Cajun Sausage Brown Rice”.
Author Donna Jacobs is always on the hunt for stories about St. Andrew’s Parish. If you have a story to tell, contact Donna at westashleybook@gmail.com.