[Narrator] On this week’s Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine Bob goes to South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Public Shooting Complex, to look at their new rifle and pistol range, at the Wateree Shooting Complex outside of Columbia, South Carolina. Plus we’ll also show you some new public property for South Carolina residents as well. And on the sportsman’s table, we feature another great certified South Carolina seafood recipe. All this, and a whole lot more. And it all begins right now.
Oh baby. Gosh it’s been a great day. We shot this hog. Look at that! Wow, let me hold that for a minute. Nice.
All right. Range is no longer hot. I am clear. I’m done. Well folks, welcome to our show this week. I am in, well actually, just outside of Columbia, South Carolina. At a wonderful range facility here that is owned by the public of South Carolina, but it’s managed and started by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources here at Wateree. It’s called the Wateree Range Complex, as well as the Shooting Sports Facility here. Just off of Garner’s Ferry Highway, not far from Sumpter, South Carolina. But, joining me today on the range, and I’ll tell you what, this is a beautiful facility is the guy that’s responsible for the shooting sports programs here with the Department of Natural Resources and that’s Captain Steve Simpson. So I’ve got to welcome you,
Thank you, much
Steve to the show this week and, you know, I will tell you, this facility… We did a show down here just after y’all opened the facility several years ago, because I wanted the public to see what their hard earned dollars are earning here, especially with the department. And you guys have really topped it with this facility. Tell me about this phase of the range complex.
Well this is just one part. This is our pistol and rifle range. This was opened up in 2019, early in the year. And we have a 16 station rifle range. And we have a 14 station piston range that we opened up. We hired Kyle Betterly as a range manager.
Kyle, man welcome.
Kyle’s a prior military officer, and he’s, uh… We hired him to run the range for us here. We’re open nine to five, Tuesday through Saturday. Open to the public. When we did this, we did it at R.A. Specs. We’ve got eight foot side berms. We’ve got 25 foot berms in the back of the range. So, totally safe range. Love to have the public come out. Response has been really, really good. We’ve had a lot of people come to shoot, use the facility. And Kyle’s done a real good job keeping it up here. And you can see it stays clean. And having somebody, having an officer here, we can maintain safety and the cleanliness of the range.
Kyle, I want to thank you for what you do my friend.
Thank you, sir. Thank you. Okay, I know folks, once they see this show they’re going to be out here just… Matter of fact, you better make sure there’s plenty of free space in the parking lot out there.
Yes sir.
But thank you guys so much for what you do. And with that folks,
Thank you.
I’ll tell you what. When we come back, well, we’re going to be doing a little shotgun plinking here in just a minute, down here at the Wateree Complex. But, stay tuned, we’re going to have more great action right here on Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine.
[Narrator] Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine is being brought to you today by Chevrolet, the official vehicle of Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine. By the South Carolina Agriculture Department. It’s a matter of taste. By Browning. Browning, the best there is. By South Carolina Embroidery and Screenprinting. And by the Wacca Wache Marina and Deck 383, located on the Waccamaw River in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.
Well folks, welcome back to the show. Before we get out to some of the special shotgun stations here at the Wateree Range Complex, I’ve got to ask Steve Simpson to introduce the members of his team that are here, and folks that you’ll see around the state not only on TV, but you’ll also see them out on the ground. And Steve, I just want to thank you for all that you guys do.
Thank you, Bob
And you head up such a great team. But there’s one guy that you added in here today that everybody’s going to see here sometime down the road. Let’s start with this guy, right here, and introduce everybody.
Okay, on the right here is Corporal Steven Bryant and Steven was our state law enforcement officer of the year in South Carolina this year.
[Bob Redfern] And folks, you’ll see that guy behind quail dogs here soon, okay. Because we’re going to take him on a hunt, all right. Who we got else?
[Simpson] Okay, Corporal Mark Farrell. Next to him… Mark is in charge of all our TOMO hunts and he’s got two regions of the state that he’s responsible for all the TOMO programs. Next to him is Sergeant Charlotte McKee. Charlotte is over our NASP Program, our archery in the schools program. She’s done a fantastic job with that, and really increased our numbers. And we’re watching that program just continue to grow. Next to her is Sergeant Scott Stevens. Scott is over our shooting sports programs. He handles all our skeet, trap, and sporting clays programs and done a great job with that. Continuing to grow it there also. Lieutenant Danetta Dawson, next to him. Danetta’s my right hand man, per se. She does a great job, keeps me straight, helps with oversee all these programs. We’ve got a great group of people, but she keeps me in line and makes sure that everything continues to roll like it should. Next to her is Sergeant Ray Lewis. Ray is our NASBLA boating instructor of the year. Or boating officer of the year, excuse me. He did a lot of work on the water this summer to earn that award. He’s continued to be an asset to us and he’s one of our hunter and boater education coordinators now that teaches hunter and boater education throughout the state. Next to him is First Sergeant Ken Cope. Ken is over our TOMO and series four program. He’s the first Sergeant over those areas. Maintains those programs and makes sure that they continue to run smoothly. So great group of people. I really appreciate all the hard work they do. It’s a team effort.
Steve, I will tell you, you do. You have such a great folk, and that’s what makes it such a unique agency here in this state. You guys do great, great job, and I can’t say enough about it, and I appreciate you bringing them all today. But I’m going to have the chance, folks, to shoot with a couple of them. And I’m going to go back out to one of the stations that I shot out here a couple of years ago, just after the range opened. It’s kind of a challenge. Let’s go back and see if I can do any better on that one. Okay, so stay tuned for more of Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine. Well folks, we’re now going to do a little shotgunning this morning on the show. And I’m at the infamous station number four. The high tower. Never seen another station like it. I didn’t do well the last time. We’ll see how we do this time. But before we shoot, we’d like some other officers to shoot with us. I want Steve to introduce the guys at the range down here that you’ll see all across the state. But not only there, but as well as at the Wateree complex here. Steve, introduce the guys here that make this all go.
Okay, on the right here is Richie Boykin. Richie runs our facility here, and works in the shotgun and sporting clays area. Dean Williams helps him there. He’s been working for us for a couple of years now. Does a fine job helping out here. And then Brian Damron we just hire, recently. And Brian is over all of our ranges. He’s what we call our range manager now. Or our program coordinator. And he is over all the ranges in the state now. So, looking for good things from him. He’s just getting his feet wet, but he’s going to figure everything out, and help us move forward with these ranges.
Well, Steve, you know you guys have got some of the finest ranges across the country, here, and more to come. So with that I know you’re going to become one with the gun. I’m going to let you shoot the Browning 725 12 gauge, okay.
Sounds good
Okay and I’m going to mash the .410. But, we’ve got some other folks. Steve Bryant, the law enforcement officer of the year. Steve, let’s get on with it, brother. Give it all you got. Shoot them up.
Pull
Pull
[Bob Redfern] Dead bird, all right. Who’s next? Who we got coming up next, Steve?
[Simpson] This is Charlotte McKee.
[Bob Redfern] Okay.
[Simpson] Charlotte’s over our NASP program. Our archery in schools program.
Pull
[Bob Redfern] All right, who’s coming up next?
[Simpson] Oh, sorry, this is Ray Lewis. Ray’s a hunter and boater education coordinator in region one.
Pull
[Bob Redfern] I’ll tell you what. Tower four, this is a tough station. All right, you want me to go or you want to go?
You go first.
Hell, you’re killing me man. Oh my goodness, all right, let’s do this. Scott, now be easy on me, okay.
Yes sir I will.
All right man. This thing made me talk to myself the last time I was here.
It’ll do it.
Pull it. Pull it. Woo! Two out of two.
Yes sir.
You’re my lucky charm, my man. All right, Steve. It’s all about you, brother.
Alrighty.
.410, remember.
.410 versus 12.
Matter fact, you get it with the 12, I’ll let you shoot the .410 just to top that.
Pull
Pull
Woo, there we go, all right.
Good shooting.
That’s what I’m talking about my friend. Well listen, I want to tell you. And I promised earlier in the show that we had a special announcement in this next segment. And so, with that folks, I’ll tell you what. We’re going to head off to the sportsman’s table. We got a great recipe for you this week. But when we come back, actually, we’re going to have Steve’s boss is going to have a very, very good announcement, for not only the youth hunters across the state, but for also some of the adults. And so, I think that’s a very noteworthy thing. And I just can’t thank you enough for hosting us today down here, Steve.
Well thank you for coming. We’re glad to have you.
You bet, man.
Always.
Well folks, listen, I want to take time this week to put in a good plug for my folks at Browning. Browning.com, log on, check out a dealer near you. I fired today on the range, because again, when you come down to the range, it’s getting ready for deer season. Or if you’re blessed like we are in the southeast, and in South Carolina, you actually can hut hogs and coyotes year round. So, with that, I’ve got a .308 BAR. It’s an MK3 and the camo pattern version. You saw me with my ATN. You guys have seen that before. This is my day-night sight, which has the 1080i HD video. I use that quite a bit, because, again, sometimes that adds to the TV show perspective. It just adds another dimension to the video that you guys see. So, with that, that’s a great combination. But I also want to show you the BAR MK3. This is something new that Browning just came out with. It is a beautiful gun. I’ve got it in .308 here. As a matter of fact, it just came in. I don’t even have a sight on it yet. But I wanted to take the opportunity to show it to you today and show you the other side. It’s just… It’s the model with great, beautiful wood in it. Some folks don’t like camo. So, I try to utilize both. And with that, again, log on. BAR MK3, you can check that out at Browning as well. And then for shotguns, today, on the show I utilized the 725 .410 sporting model. Which you guys have seen me do, well, I guess, many of the shows that I’ve done over the past couple of years, I’ve shot a lot of quail and upland birds with the .410. 32 inch length. Again, 725 Browning, the best there is. Go and fire one of these on your own, because you can’t regret it. And as well as that, what you also have to check out if you love the 12 gauge version. This is the 725 sporting. It’s ported and back bored. It actually has vented barrels up here. It’s just a great option here, an all around great gun,. Okay, beautiful wood. Again, if you like sporting clays. Whatever you like to do out in the outdoors, Browning has something especially for you. And with that, Browning, the best there is. Log on to Browning.com and find a dealer near you for all of these great products, as well as all their great apparel. And you’ll see me wearing it each and every week on the show.
[Narrator] The Sportsman’s Table is brought to you by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture. Whether you live in South Carolina or out of state, be sure to buy South Carolina grown meats, vegetable and fruits. Make sure your food is South Carolina certified. It’s a matter of taste.
Folks, welcome to this week’s Sportsman’s Table. We’re back here at Deck 383, beautiful Murrell’s Inlet at Wacca Wacha Marina here. Look at this setting behind us, okay. And joining me today is our guest chef, Henry Ford, and he is with Seven Seas Seafood. You want to know certified seafood right here in South Carolina, right here in Murrell’s Inlet. And he’s got a great fish recipe for us today. Henry.
How are you?
Brother, it’s great to see you.
Yes sir, thanks for having me.
I need to get you and your boss there behind reels, huh?
Absolutely
We need to catch some fish.
We try, yes sir.
Well, man, well tell me what we got going on.
Today, we got some fresh, local Wreckfish.
Okay.
Yes sir.
Now, how far out are you guys going to catch these?
You can go anywhere from 50 to 60 miles offshore.
No kidding. So you’re going to the gulf stream?
Yes sir, yeah.
Oh, wow! Now is this pretty much a bottom fish?
It’s a bottom fish, yes sir.
There you go, okay. Low them down, wind them up. I get it
That’s it, that’s it.
All right, man, let me shut up and let’s get cooking.
All right, so I’ve got some of our house blackening seasoning.
Okay.
We’re just going to coat this on both sides.
Oh, wow, that stuff smells great.
And we make this in house at Seven Seas.
Mmmm, okay. You know you guys, over here on the coast just have such, I don’t know. All the things that you make of certified South Carolina products for all the folks. It’s such a pleasure, okay. And folks don’t really understand it until they come here as tourists or whatever.
That’s it, yes sir.
All right.
All right, so we’ve got a little olive oil here, heated up in the pan. And we’re going to get it good and hot. And we’re just going to blacken it for about, maybe three to four minutes on each side.
Okay
Yes sir.
All right, Henry, now the fish is, man, looking good.
Oh yeah, it’s delicious.
Okay.
That’s our finished product there.
Okay.
And we’re just going to sit that on the plate.
Ah, now what’s next? I know you always got stuff next.
Yes sir, we’re going to make a cheese sauce with everything, the oil and everything. So what we’ve got here is some half and half.
Ah, heavy cream, huh?
Yes sir. We’re going to go with some shredded cheddar cheese.
Oh, wow.
Yes sir.
There ain’t a soul that doesn’t like cheese.
No, not at all.
There you go.
All right, and then we’re going to give that a stir around, and it clicking up real good.
Mmm
Yes sir, we got some of our in house fish stock we make there.
Oh really, wow.
We’ll add a little of that. Seven Seas, we make that in stock.
Okay, here let me see that.
It’s good stuff.
Seafood Market, Murrell’s Inlet, Seven Seas, really good.
You want a shot of it?
No, no, that’s okay. I’ll taste it in the cheese.
Tomatoes, a little color for the tomatoes. Lemon juice.
Oh, okay.
Squirt of lemon juice.
Yeah, man, add a little sour to it.
Yep, and we’re going just give it another stir. Let it thicken up.
Wreckfish caught at 1,400 feet out in the gulf stream.
Yes sir.
Wow, that’s fantastic. And brought all the way back?
All the way back. That’s a haul.
The Seven sea’s at Murrell’s… Now we’ve got what looks like mashed potatoes.
Yep.
Asparagus.
Yep. Got some fresh asparagus. We’re going to add our cheese sauce on top.
Oh, wow.
This right here we’re going to drizzle that on top like so.
You know, there is not a fool alive that wouldn’t like cheese sauce on fresh fish.
Yep, and mashed potatoes and asparagus. That compliments it very well.
Oh my goodness, yeah.
All right, from there, we’re going to just add a little bit of color. We’ve got some more fresh vegetables, some more tomatoes.
Oh yes, certified.
We’ve got carrots we’re just going to place on there. A little bit of fresh squash there. We’ve got some parsley to, kind of, give it a little bit of color.
Oh, yeah, there you go. Listen.
Lemons.
Man.
And I like to get a little fancy sometimes, so we’re going to go back with the cheese and we’re just going to.
Ah, there you go. I call that the trail of tears.
That’s it.
Because, by the time you get done eating, you going to be crying.
That’s it.
Because it’s so good.
Yes sir.
Henry, thank you so much, for being our guest chef.
Yes sir, thank you for having me.
At Seven Seas, you guys just keep up being certified South Carolina, okay?
Yes sir.
Folks, listen, right from Deck 383 in beautiful Murrell’s Inlet on Wacca Wacha Marina. I’ll tell you what, we’re going to come right back again next week. Certifiedscgrown.com. Log on, check and see what’s fresh on the menu. But we’ll see next week right here on the Sportsman’s Table.
[Narrator] To find out more information on food that’s fresher and tastier, go online at certifiedscgrown.com Buy certified South Carolina grown products. It’s a matter of taste. Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine is being brought to you today by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Life’s just better outdoors. Abu Garcia. Abu Garcia, for life. By Ranger Boats. Still building legends one at a time. By Browning ammunition. Browning, the best there is. And by Southern Woods Plantation. Voted as one of the top quail hunting destinations in America.
Well folks, welcome back to this week’s show. I tell you what, I always am amazed at the things that our wildlife department here in South Carolina are able to do for the public of this great state and nationally. And joining me in is a great friend of mind, and a guy I’ve known for a good number of years. He’s now a Major, okay. It’s Billy Downer.
Good to see you.
Billy, congratulations,
Thank you.
On your promotion here, and you know it’s always great because you’re one of those key guys within a department that does so much for the hunters and fishermen of our great state. And not only just within the state, but nationally. So, you’ve done it again, okay. You and all the great team. And I just could not leave this week’s show without having you back on here to talk about something that I know you’re really giddy about.
I am
Because it is a great acquisition for Sumpter’s future. Tell all the folks about this beautiful track that we’re looking at here.
Sure, so I am excited, again. Another win for team DNR, for our state. This beautiful track we’re on, about 700 acres, the Love farm that was sold to our state by Michael Love and his family. Very thankful for the opportunity to be able to take this piece of property from them, and continue the work that he and his dad put so much of their heart and soul into. This 700 acre track here in Eastover has waterfowl, dove, deer, and opportunities for our shooting sports. We’re going to have a new skeet field off this way. Our new skeet and trap facility for the state. Eight skeet and trap fields side by side. We’ll launch our youth shooting programs for DNR, for SCTP, for 4-H, for adults across the state to be able to host a large skeet event here. It will be the largest venue in the state. We’re excited about that. But at the same time, we’ve got 400 acres of bottomland hardwood’s back here that will continue our take one, make one, program. Taking young people… And again this is the heart of where Michael was. Taking young people on their first hunt. First deer hunt. And this is going to be a great opportunity for that down there. And then the waterfowl ponds will be added to our draw system here in the state. So the public will get to enjoy that. And then the dove field here will be expanded to be a 60 to 80 acre dove field for the public to enjoy as well. In an area of the state we don’t have a public dove field. So again, a win-win for everybody. We’re excited about it.
Well, you know Billy, again, you guys do so much. Not just again for South Carolina, but you’re probably, I would consider, and I’m biased, okay but the premier wildlife agency in this country because of the things that you do. And not only for our young hunters in the youth, but fishermen, youth fishing programs. Everything that you guys do, archery, I mean all of it. You guys have the premier heart of all of the residents of this great state and the public. And it’s just, my hats off to you guys.
Thank you.
I can’t wait to come back and showcase some of these kids. See the smiling faces, not only on the instructors, okay, and handled by the specific division that we’ve showcased today on this show, over at the range. Just all of the folks who come together at South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to make great things like this happen.
True team, and we’re excited about it here at DNR, for this. This is going to be a great opportunity for everybody.
Well, I got to have the opportunity to come back and I know we will, and I appreciate it. And that is our show for this week folks. Beautiful facility down here by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Great folks. Our public employees doing great things for the hunters and the fishermen of our beautiful state here in South Carolina. Join me again next on another great episode. As I always like to say, the outdoors are my passion. I want it to be your’s too. We’ll see you right back here again next week on another episode.