Research and legwork are key to finding quality whitetails in South Carolina. (Shutterstock)
October 12, 2024
By Darron McDougal
This whitetail hunting forecast for the state of South Carolina is part of Game & Fish’s “Great States" project identifying the best deer-hunting states in the country. Read more: America's Top Whitetail States South Carolina Hunters Should Be Happy This Season Famous for hot sauces, pimento cheese, historic sites and world-class beaches such as Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is a gateway to a truly southern experience. No, it doesn’t produce monster bucks with the regularity of the Midwest, but plenty of deer roam the Palmetto State. And EHD hasn’t waged any serious mortality against South Carolina’s deer herd in the last 30 years. Also, it boasts a stunningly high hunter success rate of 70 percent (5-year-average), and nonresident license fees are also quite reasonable with the option to take up to eight deer.
Nonresident hunters must first obtain a nonresident hunting license. “There are three options,” Charles Ruth, certified wildlife biologist and Big Game Program Coordinator with South Carolina’s Department of Natural Resources, said. “The three-day option costs $40, the 10-day is $75, and the annual is $125. Then, you’ll need a $100 big-game permit, which is valid for one year from the purchase date. You’ll also need a $76 annual WMA permit to hunt on public lands.
DID YOU KNOW?
SUNDAY FUNDAY Sunday hunting is only allowed from October 15 to January 31.
“From there, deer tags are a la carte,” he continued. “The first buck tag is a $50 unrestricted (any buck) antlered deer tag. The second unrestricted antlered deer tag is $20. After that, you can purchase two more restricted (at least four points on one side or a 12-inch inside spread) antlered tags for $20 apiece. Up to four antlerless deer tags can be purchased for $10 apiece.”
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Although approximately 1.1 million acres of public land are distributed across the state, Ruth noted a couple of worthwhile options to get hunters started with their research. “We have a pretty substantial lottery hunts program,” Ruth detailed. “One particular high-quality lottery hunt is at the Webb Wildlife Center. It will take several years of building preference points to draw the hunt. The archery hunt is a typical DIY hunt, but the firearms hunts are all-inclusive with lodging, meals, guiding, game retrieval, etc. I call it a ‘poor man’s outfitted hunt.’ Most of the other lottery hunts we offer only give successful applicants hunting privileges with no other bells and whistles, so the Webb hunt is pretty unique.”
South Carolina lottery firearm hunts are all-inclusive with lodging, meals, guiding and game retrieval. (Shutterstock) The Webb Wildlife Center is situated in Hampton County along the Savannah River, which forms much of the Georgia/South Carolina border. Ruth said the Webb is about 6,000 acres of mixed bottomland with approximately 15 miles of frontage along the Savannah River. The floodplain gives way to some uplands with pines and mixed hardwood drainages. It is one of South Carolina’s oldest WMAs and has been actively managed for 70 years. Ruth also detailed that the Webb has an antler restriction that’s been in place for about 10 years to protect most 1 1/2-year-old bucks. Bucks must have four points on one side or a 12-inch minimum inside spread.
“If folks want to just come and hunt,” Ruth said, “they might consider the Sumter National Forest, which is located in the Piedmont Region. It’s a very large forest consisting of a few hundred thousand acres. It intermingles with private lands, so hunters must be attentive to where they are so they don’t wander onto private lands while hunting the Sumter. Also, Sunday hunting is only allowed from October 15 to January 31.
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THAT’S A FACT
KILLER NUMBERS South Carolina boasts hunter success of 70 percent over the five-year average.
“The Sumter sprawls across something like 12-14 different counties,” he added. “The habitat is diverse. You’ll find hardwood creek bottoms and pine uplands with pines of various age classes. There are lots of areas with older age classes of pines, which typically aren’t as productive for deer hunting due to the lack of understory. That said, folks can be successful on the Sumter with research and legwork.”