Deer Hunting in South Carolina

[North-Woods]

Does anyone Deer Hunt in South Carolina. I know its me but, I'm having a hard time with their regulations. Do they not have hunting on National Forest like we do in Georgia? Is everything a WMA or Private lands? Do you need a Hunting + Big Game + Wma pass? Thanks

 

[longbearded1]

Yes, to questions 1, 3 and 4.

 

[Armyhunter17]

Used to hunt in SC when stationed at Ft. Jackson. They have a BUNCH of deer on that post and there are some areas that hold some 120" deer. They are few and hard to get to but they are there! You can get access to hunt, not sure of cost but for year round "hunt club" on Sat and Sun there i think it is around $400 you would have to call and check.

 

[dux-n-dawgs]

1. Yes, I do
2. Yes, we have National Forest, but not all of it is huntable. You can only hunt National Forest land if it is enrolled in SC DNR's WMA program/lands.
3. Thus everything huntable is basically WMA or private ..... not sure about the military bases but I do know military people hunt on the various bases from what I'm told.
4. Yes, you'll need a non-res hunt license, big game, and WMA permit if you are hunting WMA land for deer. Same thing for turkeys + turkey tags.

But I do find this funny ....... most people in Carolina want to go elsewhere to hunt due to the small bucks and large doe population in the state on average.

 

[CPiper]

Personally, SC is THE ONLY place I want to hunt - and is THE ONLY place I do hunt.

SC has some HUGE bucks. I will post some pics of deer taken on leases I hunt that will make any hunter anywhere in the USA smile.

And what is meant by "large doe population"? Me no understand. What do you mean by that? LOTS of deer, or LOTS of doe deer, as in an unbalanced sex ratio?? Is that what you mean?
The overall deer density in SC has declined 30-35% in the past 5 years or so. So, SC no longer has MILLIONS of deer.
The SCDNR has kept records and data and the worst the "sex ratio" has ever gotten in SC is 1 buck for every 2.7 to 2.9 doe deer.
So, I have a hard time understanding the last post - please clarify.

SC has ALOT of public land - LOTS of it, and and there is some of it that is very underutilized and unpressured. But, most of SC lands are under private lease.
To hunt big game (deer, turkeys, bear) on private lands in SC you need a SC state hunting license and a big game permit.
To hunt big game on public lands you need the same AND a WMA permit.
SC is divided up into "Game Zones". The rules and regs can differ from zone to zone, so you will need to know which zone you are in and see which rules and regs apply to your situation .
For example - I have land in one game zone where gun deer season comes in on 08/15, I can run dogs, I can bait and there is no limit on buck deer. I have land in another zone that does not allow bait or dogs, gun season comes in on 10/11 and there is a limit of 5 on bucks.
You have to know the rules and regs for your specific zone. It can be confusing for a rookie, but you quickly learn - the easy or hard way, LOL!!

Yes, SC has National Forests .... The Francis Marion, The Sumter National Forest in the Piedmont ....
There is 828969 acres of public land in SC to hunt - osme of that is SCDNR lands (state owned) and some of it is National Forest lands.
A search on SCDNR's site will yield alot of information.

SC must have something ... NC and FL hunters flock to SC to hunt!!
The 08/15 opener and no limit and BIG bucks are the draw!!

I'll post some pics later. Im goin turkey hunting in the AM and Iv got to go to bed ... nite ya'll!!

 

[SWbowhunter]

Cpiper- is the 30-35% density reduction anecdotal or is that a real state wide number? I would love to see the data. That would be a huge decline in a relatively short time.

 

[godogs57]

Cpiper, you ain't got all the FL hunters over there...I'll leave it at that!

 

[gahunter70]

I have to agree on the regulations, I have wished for something similar to GA for the years. I makes me sick to talk to some one at the processor who is bragging about the 23 deer he has killed so far this year and has two yearling bucks laying on the floor. I make sure to ask him what he plans to kill next year.
I don't think we will see any changes until they do away with dog hunting. There are just too many politicians that dog hunt or own large tracks of land in the low country and lease it to rich folks from Fl. for that law to pass. Also how do they keep track of the deer populations I for one have never seen any one out counting or anyone checking deer in at a check point. Take the biologist at the Savannah River Site they claimed for years that the coyote's were not affecting the deer population but now are saying we may have been wrong. The deer hunts there used to turn in kill numbers by the hundreds weekly and now it's in the teens some weeks.
As for small deer, they have always killed record deer there I have seen sheds from there with bases as big as your wrist and many pictures of 140+ class bucks with coke bottle size bases. Just go to the sportsman classic this weekend in Columbia. SC and you will see that SC has big bucks. I believe that many many more go unreported due to most of the low country being leased by FL. hunters. I also believe GA beats us hands down on buck size, much better soil quality over all plus trophy management program(may not be much but better than what we have). I would love to see an overhaul of our state management program but until then I will try to do my part and be selective in the deer I harvest.

 

[SELFBOW]

No need to change anything in SC. . Leave it alone. If you don't like it travel elsewhere to hunt. Once you've done that you'll rethink your position.

 

[gahunter70]

No need to change anything in SC. . Leave it alone. If you don't like it travel elsewhere to hunt. Once you've done that you'll rethink your position.

have hunted elswhere,Fl.,GA,SC,AL. liked them all and I like SC just wish they had more regulations on bag limits and buck size

 

[SELFBOW]

have hunted elswhere,Fl.,GA,SC,AL. liked them all and I like SC just wish they had more regulations on bag limits and buck size

Thats what private property and clubs are for. Why do you need the state to regulate everyone for your personal reasons. You can do that on your own property.
You can set your own bag limits.
I have seen 4,000 acre properties kill over 100 deer a year consistently, Why would they want or need to reduce their take? I have also seen 5,000 acres take 35 and 2700 take 29.

 

[8pointduck]

All I can say is that I miss hunting back home. As for the lowcrountry being gobbled up by non residence,that needs to be addressed. As for size, I'll argue with you all day long about the quality deer in S.C.. As for soil quality, if you think you can grow something better in Georgia red clay better than black dirt of the coast your crazy. I wonder then why the islands have all those vegetable packing houses on them.

Buckbacks, some limits would still be a good thing. I understand what you are saying but overharvest can happen before you know it. No one wants that to happen.

 

[SELFBOW]

I dont see over harvest anywhere. I hunt the lowcountry Jasper, Beaufort and Hampton Counties. Our population is Strong..

 

[gahunter70]

I do hunt private property exclusively but also care about the deer heard as a whole. Large tracts are hard to come by and just think about this if everyone let bucks of 3yrs old and younger walk for just yrs how many mature bucks would there be to choose from by then and for yrs after. I'm sure you could say that you and most everyone else you know would rather shoot a score able trophy than a young pencil thin rack. I for one would, I pass on lots of bucks and will shoot does for meat. As you stated that is my personal preference
and I have not started some political campaign to change the states rules I was merely like everyone else sharing my thoughts that does not make them right and I realize that.
As for big bucks the one in my avatar was killed just outside the city of Aiken SC so I know we have them and yes they farm here in SC but GA still has us beat on average for soil quality, that GA red clay definitely has more minerals. Where I live it's good right along the river but everywhere else it's poor sand but they still kill good bucks.

 

[North-Woods]

South Carolina Hunting

CPiper, Thanks for the information. I'm looking for public land near Hwy 76 just out side of Clayton Georgia. I think this is in zone 1 and there is a WMA in zone 1. The regulations look as to only give a person around two weeks of hunting, but as I said they are a little hard to understand for someone who has never hunting in South Carolina. But that said I am going to try this year.

 

[SELFBOW]

I do hunt private property exclusively but also care about the deer heard as a whole. Large tracts are hard to come by and just think about this if everyone let bucks of 3yrs old and younger walk for just yrs how many mature bucks would there be to choose from by then and for yrs after.

There are enough states for horn porn hunters out there already.
Let SC be.....

 

[gahunter70]

There are enough states for horn porn hunters out there already.
Let SC be.....

I guess you have found a way to make those smaller horns taste good. You'll have to share your secrets, they always come out on the dry and brittle side for me.

 

[SELFBOW]

I guess you have found a way to make those smaller horns taste good. You'll have to share your secrets, they always come out on the dry and brittle side for me.

I don't eat the horns. Just don't need any restrictions on anything I hunt based on what someone else wants. It's easy to go out of state for bigger horns. SC has great hunting the way it is, the population is good in the areas I hunt and horns should not be the only reason to hunt. Killing a buck like your avatar is great in SC. Be proud of him. In my area a 130 is a monster with lots of 115's to 125's killed. I'm happy with that.

 

[gahunter70]

no harm meant just trying to add a little humor and not be so serious I agree to disagree and realize that my priorities are not shared by everyone. Happy Hunting.
I didn't make it to the palmetto sportsman classic this weekend, had to work but maybe next year and if you're there maybe we can tell a few stories together.

 

[CPiper]

Here is the state's report from 2007 on deer in SC

http://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/deer/2007DeerHarvestReport.html

This makes for an interesting read, and I am sure hunters in other areas, such as Georgia, can make use some of this info to explain changes in their areas as well.
When the deer herd in SC peaked there was WAY over 1million deer in the state. Keep in mind, SC is one of the smaller states, I think it is ranked 32nd in size. So, our overall deer density was CRUNK WAY UP!!
We have counties exceeding 30 dpsm for the HARVEST - that is 1 deer HARVESTED per 20 or less acres. Them numbers are unprecedented in the entire nation.
The deer herd had room to decrease, and in actuality NEEDED to decrease. The report in the supplied link spells out the why and hows this decrease has happened - and the decrease is real!!

Over all though, SC has alot of deer, and the harvest trends still continue to be "STRONG" when compared to dpsm harvested to other states in America.

SC is NOT producing Booner bucks like mad, and I for one am VERY happy it is not.
Hunting has gotten expensive enough, and if/when SC started putting 20+ bucks in the B&C book per season the lease costs would SOAR putting the average hunter out of reach for many leases.

It takes 3 things to make BIG mature bucks: Genetics, Nutrition and AGE. THE MOST important being AGE. SC does have the genetics and nutrition to make/produce/grow BIG bucks, BUT, many bucks get shot well before they reach even 1/2 of their true potential.
In many counties, the harvest of 18 and 24 months old bucks makes up 50+% of the harvest.
The QDMA has complied a "deer report" and there is some data in that report of how many youngs bucks are taken in each state.

With that being said, SC is VERY capable of growing some HUGE MOSTER STUD bucks that will rival any deer grown in other parts of America.
I know not every FL or NC hunter comes to SC, but SC has a fair share of N.R. hunters. I for one am not knocking it, and welcome my fellow hunters from the N and S to come to the wonderful state of SC and share in what SC has to offer.