Members Comments
Cedar Ridge may be South Carolina’s best kept secret. Carefully cultivated as a classic Southern hunting preserve, Cedar Ridge comprises thousands of acres of carefully-managed habitats, including fields, cutovers, pine plantations, and food plots. Habitat management has become an obsession for the Lewis family and members alike, and is intensively intertwined with quality deer management and sound agricultural practices, promoting the harvest of quality and mature deer. Members enjoy nearly 100 tree stands, cedar stands, ground blinds, and tripods – ensuring that no two hunts are the same. Cedar Ridge also offers exceptional dove, quail and turkey hunting. Most importantly, Cedar Ridge takes pride in providing a unrivaled experience to all members and their families. From its 5 star accommodations to its member lockers, dining and entertainment areas, outdoor kitchen, and fire pits, Cedar Ridge remains one of the finest facilities in the South. The experiences I’ve shared at Cedar Ridge with friends and family have brought us together like we’ve never imagined, creating memories that we will forever cherish. We’ve discovered what is increasingly rare and profoundly compelling in today’s hustle and bustle: camaraderie borne from shared experience. Cedar Ridge is a place where I can step away from the world and enjoy a simple, uncomplicated experience with no sacrifice of comfort. I’ve truly found my home away from home.
Timothy M. McKissock
I have been a member of Cedar Ridge Plantation for going on 5 years now. If having an opportunity to harvest a mature Whitetail Buck is your goal, I am fully convinced that there is not another club in the area that gives the hunter a better opportunity to do so. I’ve been a member of many hunting clubs over my past 30 plus years of hunting and Cedar Ridge is by far the best club I have had the privilege of being a part of. It is professionally managed and has unbelievable property and food plots. Cedar Ridge has a great variety of terrain including beautiful hardwood bottoms, clear-cuts, creeks, fields and various age groups of pine forests. The camaraderie shared between members is unbelievable and the facilities are as nice as they come. I have kids that also love hunting and a lot of the stands on the property are set up to accommodate 2 people which works out great for myself and my 11 year old daughter. Because of the limited number of members, pressure on the property is minimal which translates into being able to see a lot of deer throughout the season. Something that a lot of other clubs in this area complain about is once the first couple weeks of October are over, deer on their property seem to disappear. That’s definitely not the case on Cedar Ridge property.
In addition to Deer, the Dove club is second to none. I am proud to say that my 11 year old daughter harvested her first dove on opening day of dove season this year at Cedar Ridge.
John Haynes
“Every time I hunt at Cedar Ridge, I know there is a real chance that I will see a mature buck and that if I harvest that buck, the entire membership will celebrate my success.”
Dave Guynn
Certified Wildlife Biologist
National Board Member of the Quality Deer Management Assoc.
As the State President of the South Carolina QDMA, I have been fortunate to visit some of the finest hunting tracts around the southeast. With this backdrop, I firmly believe that Cedar Ridge provides its members everything these clubs have to offer and much more. First, I know of no other club in South Carolina that offers both plush accommodations that even the most discerning wife would enjoy when accompanying their husband to the field, and also consistently produces record-book whitetails like the three taken at CRP last season alone. Second, I’ve never set foot on another property that adheres to the tenets of deer management propounded by the QDMA as strictly as Cedar Ridge – many clubs give lip service to QDM, but it is actually practiced on our 4,000+ acres. This come as no surprise considering that the property is managed by one of the first Level III Deer Stewards in the country and recipient of the Al Brothers Deer Manager of the Year award, Stu Lewis. Finally, the opportunities for harvesting trophy-class game at Cedar Ridge rival that of any other property in the region. In my years of membership, have taken mature whitetails, longbeard gobblers, limits of doves, and experienced the finest quail hunting the upstate has to offer – all in an environment that promotes ethical hunting and places safety and enjoyment of the hunt above all else. In sum, Cedar Ridge is not the least expensive club in South Carolina, but I truly believe it is the best overall value of any facility in our state.
Sincerely,
Everett & Elizabeth McMillian, Platinum Members
Everett E. McMillian, Attorney at Law
I have been a member of Cedar Ridge for over seven years. During that time I have enjoyed the hunting, facilities and most importantly the friendships I have made. After having run several hunt clubs myself, I am constantly amazed by the level of cooperation extended by the members toward getting all the work done. Which includes planting and maintaining food plots, tree stand maintenance, equipment maintenance, heard monitoring and structural repairs and upgrades. Cedar Ridge Plantation is a great place to shoot a mature buck and it is a great place to relax.
Mike Kellar
Life Member QDMA
Robert Kellar
Deer Steward III
Cedar Ridge Plantation has become one of the premier Hunting Clubs in the Southeast. It didn’t happen overnight, nor did it happen without “trial and error”. Almost 20 years in the making, through a lot of blood, sweat and tears, the caliber of the facilities, the members and not to mention the Bucks have become second to none. In my ten years of hunting at Cedar Ridge, I have seen most of the changes first hand and can honestly say, it gets better every year.
Cedar Ridge offers some top notch hunting, but it is the members that make it all work. This select group is as special as the properties are themselves. As with all clubs, we have had some growing pains with memberships (both quality and quantity) but somehow we have ALWAYS made it happen. It is through this sheer dedication that Cedar Ridge has become the success it is and will continue to be for years to come.
A home away from home and people that I absolutely consider family, Cedar Ridge Plantation is truly one of the most special places on earth.
Karman Bedenbaugh
Deer Steward II
VP Lakelands QDMA Branch
Stu
My 10yo daughter watched your aging video with me months ago and it apparently stuck.
We saw a young buck in a neighbors back yard (suburban Atlanta) and she pulled out “well that deer is young….see how you can see the difference between his neck and shoulder….and see how his legs are long and his body looks short…” to which she was asked “so would you harvest that deer”….and she said “nope….we should let him get bigger”.
I’ve spent too much money traveling to hunt and haven’t been able to spend enough time coming over to SC and my kids are definitely more city kids than country kids, but I do appreciate that your club is not an average club (or the Orvis Ritz of hunting that is more style than content). Even though I only get the girls in the woods a couple times a season, it leaves a big impression……and unfortunately too few kids get that.
Thanks
Ian
It is my opinion that cedar ridge plantation offers a great value for a sportsman. I have been a member since 2008. Each year the habitat, quality of bucks harvested, facilities, and membership have consistently improved.
Robert Cox
This has been my first year as a member of Cedar Ridge Plantation. I can now say, “I’m sure glad I joined”. The members are all helpful, friendly and a pleasure to be around. There is a true dedication to provide a quality whitetail hunting experience that I have not experienced at other “clubs”. Quality food plots, controlled hunting pressure, herd quality surveys, excellent property maps, protected sanctuaries, are just a few of the many details that making sitting in a stand at Cedar Ridge exciting. And from what I seen so far, I’m already looking forward to next year!
Bruce Ayers