Winter Time In The Low-Country

Things I do with my spare time on Daufuskie Island during the cooler months!

When I’m not in my studio hanging out with Alfonso beating on sheets of steel or God forbid sitting in my office paying bills, etc, I love to explore the outdoors.

Winter time is the perfect season to regroup and refocus because there are far fewer visitors on Daufuskie due to the cooler weather. December, January and February our temperatures average a high of 60F and low of 40F. This is perfect weather in my opinion and I have my reasons. First off, our snakes and bugs (ticks, mosquitoes, and “no-see-ums aka sand gnats) get pretty damn active at temps over 60 degrees. So, in the cooler months, I can finally venture into our pristine maritime forrest without fear of being bit to death by bug or serpent.

Walking around in Daufuskie’s forrest is kind of off limits in the warmer months because of the aforementioned nuisances so I really start to miss the sights and sounds by the time winter rolls around. The forrest opens up so many different awesome activities such as forage for wild edible plants and wild edible mushrooms. Just want to mention that mushroom foraging is an incredibly dangerous thing to do so I don’t recommend this to anyone who is not willing to triple check your findings. With that said, I’m very conservative and only eat what I’ve identified with 100% certainty. So far, my “gold” standards are oyster mushrooms, lion’s mane, blewits, and a couple different varieties of boletes. 

Winter also is the season for deer hunting. I like to harvest a deer each year for the meat. I’d have to say that pulling the trigger is my least favorite part of hunting but I LOVE sitting and observing which is what hunting is mostly about, in my opinion. Anyways, venison, if cooked properly, is the most delicious meat imaginable and there’s no way to match it’s organic properties and since we don’t have a grocery store…

As many people know, my year-round favorite thing to do on Daufuskie Island is salt water fishing. Fishing here is amazing year round. I mostly target speckled trout, flounder, black and red drum aka redfish, mullet, and sheepshead using both live and artificial baits. Our winter months force the water temp to dip down in the low 50’s which causes the the fish bite to slow considerably. To be honest, winter and early spring fishing are really the only times catching dinner takes a little skill so I welcome the challenge.

Lastly, I’ve found a new favorite reason to get outdoors in the winter months. My son, now 6 months old, seems to have a very similar natural love for the outdoors. He’s extremely easy going for the most part but when he starts to fuss for no obvious reason, all I have to do is either set him on the porch or pop him in the baby carrier and go for a walk in the woods. As soon as he’s outdoors he seems content and mesmerized. Obviously, there’s something universally soothing about the noises found only outdoors when modernization is drowned out by birdsong and the noise of leaves crushed under footstep. Winters on Daufuskie have been my favorite for years but now, with my little guy attached to me, the sounds and sights seem a bit more beautiful than ever! 

Chase Allen

February 28, 2020