Hunting South Carolina

[Brandon Hoffman]

Most of our land is private but deer hunting is very popular. The best thing you can do is talk to some of the locals wherever you moved to and ask where a good place to hunt. There's a good chance you'll get invited to go out or they'll share some good spots with you.

You could also join a club or lease the hunt rights to property that someone else owns.

[bullrider1064]

I moved here from Kansas, the deer are smaller. Most of the land here is taken up with hunting clubs. If you run across any good public land that isn't taken up, let me know.

[southernmeltdown]

check out the laws because they change from county to county also you either know someone with land who will let you hunt or join a club the only public hunting land is WMA land and it is pretty overhunted..if you are not an established resident the you license is gonna cost you plenty and don't forget your doe tags...there are certain days you can shoot does without one but they are far between ...SRS has a lottery to hunt the goverment land but i know people who have been waiting years for the chance but there are Huge Bucks out there...i think you can hunt hogs year round .. there really are no boars here mostly ferral hogs...but there are lots of them down in the swamps...

[burr]

Originally Posted by sophialee

The deer down here are tiny, i'll tell you that much! Nothing like the deer in Northern Ohio.

The deer may be 'tiny', compared to the corn-fed midwest, but the season is from August to January, no limit. Actually, this applies to lower state laws, where dogs are legal, and most hunting is on private club property. Rented hunts are available, as is joining a club. Lower state hunting means ticks, rattlers, moccasins, chiggers, no seeums, and much sweating, even sitting still in the stand.

Upstate hunting (basically above a line at Aiken / Edgefield County)is 'only' October thru January, five buck limit, either sex on most every weekend (Friday, Sat). Game management lands are accessable by obtaining a game management permint ($25 in state resident), and some good hunting after the opening day weekend, when it thins out to the hunter, not the novice. No Sunday hunting on GMA.

A smaller kill means an easier drag out; what would I do with a 250lb buck, a mile from the truck, thru swamp ?

[burr]

Opening Day tomorrow !! I probably won't get much sleep tonight - like a kid on Christmas eve !

[schunter33]

I also have another buddy that came from Wyoming to SC. He was wondering the same thing but he loves it. He has killed several deer now that I have introduced him around and have showed him where to hunt and how to hunt (much different terrain requires way different tactics).

Contrary to what the guy from Ohio says we do have nice bucks but you have to know where to look and how to hunt here. They don't have the 300lb plus body weight but the racks are nice and you can easily get one in the 200lb range.

I live in the lowcountry in Berkeley County now and the hunting is great. There is a huge national forest that is almost 500,000 acres. My buddy just killed one yesterday morning that was a nice 10 point with a 20" outside spread in the national forest that he grunted in.

I am actually moving to the upstate next week near Greenville and I will then have to find new places to hunt and I don't know anything about that part of the state but I got a better paying job so I will have to make due.

The best way is to network and try to meet some local farmers or try to find a national forest nearby or join a hunting club that practices quality management and just doesn't kill everything in sight. Many clubs have an 8 point outside the ears or better rules and that would be where I would look for bigger nicer deer!

[schunter33]

Hey Burr, let me know how you did and where to hunt the upstate if that is where you live. I know the rut is in full force in the lower part of the state and is starting in Barnwell where I also have land. Good Luck!

[burr]

schunter, I hunt Edgefield Cty and it was no deerhunting this weekend - 20mph constant winds, and rain, on & off. I did get some good lookin' around though. Waitin' on it to still out.

[Arkel23]

Someone said that deer season starts in Oct in the upper state, it starts in August for bows and Sept 15th for guns.