2011-12 WMA Forecast

Find South Carolina’s best public hunting opportunities.

South Carolina hunters have a lot of reasons for being thankful. First, the diversity of land available to hunt, from rugged mountains to coastal marsh and swamp is among the most-productive and diverse found anywhere. Second, there are hundreds of thousands of acres of public land available to hunters. These areas are designated as Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs); all you need is a WMA permit, specific guidelines for specific species on specific tracts and the desire to go hunting.

Charles Ruth, the supervisor for the S.C. Department of Natural Resources’ deer and turkey programs, phrased it simply and succinctly. While primarily discussing deer resources on WMAs, he added that his statement encompassed all other game species as well.

“There is a vast acreage of land in the WMA system available to hunters,” Ruth said. “With the huge tracts of land in the Sumter National Forest and the Francis Marion National Forest, along with the many, diverse smaller WMA tracts of all shapes and sizes scattered throughout the state, hunters in South Carolina have a great resource. With a little legwork and effort, hunters can enjoy prime hunting throughout the state for multiple species of game. And with that effort, they can literally enjoy hunting at a level close to that found on private lands — perhaps not quite the same, but close enough to offer excellent opportunities to be highly successful.”

With inputs from Ruth on deer, small-game biologist Billy Dukes on squirrels, rabbits, quail and doves, and waterfowl biologist Dean Harrigal on ducks and geese, here’s a look at some of the very best WMA opportunities for the 2011-2012 seasons.

DEER
Upstate

Best bet: Sumter National Forest
According to Ruth, the big-ticket hunting area is the Sumter National Forest, which is comprised of three separate areas located in the Upstate as well as Piedmont areas, but there are differences in hunting success rates.

“In the Mountain Hunt Unit in the Upstate, the data on deer harvested per square mile in the Sumter National Forest is not as high as found in the central and western Piedmont areas,” Ruth said. “However, that does not mean hunters cannot be successful here, and also I see some very positive intangible benefits from hunting the mountains. With appropriate effort, which is required anywhere you hunt deer, hunters can be successful. Plus they have the opportunity to enjoy a type of hunting unlike any other place in the state. The mountain area can be rugged, but it offers a unique big woods environment which can be a great pleasure to hunt.”

Editor’s note: This article is part of the 2011-12 WMA Forecast in the September issue of South Carolina Sportsman. To find out the rest of the WMA opportunities, you can download a digital edition of the magazine right to your computer or smartphone.

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