CLEMSON — The forest was peaceful as Denzel Johnson strolled through it on a late October morning. All was quiet aside from the faint chirping of birds in very tall trees and the crunching of leaves underneath his feet.

But as the former Clemson safety ventured down a trail just four miles south of Memorial Stadium , Johnson saw beyond nature’s serenity.

“It’s a war zone out there,” said the 28-year-old, sporting brown overalls and a GoPro strapped around his winter cap. An orange and purple bat was in his hand.

In an instant, Johnson took off. “ Ho-ho-ho! Ho-ho-ho! ” he yelled as he chased a squirrel behind a bush. He beat his bat against the ground, hoping to scare the rodent up a tree but also alert his hunting partner to its location.

The soft jingle of bells, strapped to Dra

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