Deer season starts Aug. 15 in most of South Carolina

Archery-only in Game Zone 4, all weapons in Game Zone 3

Aug. 15 is the beginning of deer season on private land for 28 counties in South Carolina, for all weapons in Game Zone 3, and for archery only in Game Zone 4.

This makes up more than half of the Palmetto State’s 46 counties, so it’s a significant day for the state.

In Game Zone 3, which includes Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Hampton, Jasper, Lexington, Orangeburg and Richland counties, hunters can use any legal weapon from opening day through the last day of the season.

Game Zone 4 includes Chesterfield, Clarendon, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Kershaw, Lee, Marion, Marlboro, Sumter and Williamsburg counties, where hunters may use archery only gear (including crossbows) from Aug. 15 through Sept. 1, then all legal weapons beginning Sept. 1 through the end of the season.

The state’s WMAs however, even those located within Game Zones 3 and 4, remain closed until at least Sept. 15. Some WMAs open later than that.

This early start date gives hunters a realistic shot at killing a deer in full velvet, although plenty of deer in these regions have either partially shed or completely shed by the middle of August.