Deer season starts in 28 counties on Aug. 15

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. 1 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 realstic 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.

Tag and report

One big change for South Carolina’s hunters this season involves the way they tag and report deer harvests.

For a number of years, deer hunters in South Carolina have only had to physically tag their deer kills, but this season, they will need to also electronically report each deer they kill.

This new requirement for deer hunters is designed to help SCDNR get a more accurate count of each season’s deer harvest.

“It’s all about managing the population,” said lawmaker Bill Hixon (R) of Edgefield. “Then you’ll have a very healthy population of animals.”

The new regulation was widely supported, although Hixon said some hunters, especially older ones, were less likely to support it.

The electronic reporting will be done through the SCDNR’s Go Outdoors App, which can be downloaded free of charge through your cell phone’s Play store. Those without cell phones can also report their kills at gooutdoorssouthcarolina.com