SC has some new turkey hunting regulations for 2025

Notable turkey regulations are for private land and WMAs

South Carolina hunters will have two new hunting regulations when the 2025 season begins.

Perhaps the most notable of the new regulations is that hunters can no longer shoot jakes, which are defined as a male wild turkey with a beard less than 6 inches long, and a tail fan that is not fully developed. During past turkey hunting seasons in South Carolina, hunters could shoot either jakes or longbeards.

Another notable regulation is new on South Carolina’s private properties, but was already the case on WMAs. That new law states that no fanning or reaping is allowed on private lands beginning with the 2025 season. Fanning or reaping is the practice of stalking a wild turkey while hiding behind a decoy or tail fan, or an image or likeness of a tail fan applied to any material.

Here’s a full list of turkey hunting laws and regulations for South Carolina’s private and WMA properties, from the SCDNR regulations booklet:

• NEW Unlawful to harvest a “Jake” defined as a male wild turkey with a beard less than six inches and a tail fan that is not fully developed with the central tail feathers being longer than the rest (50-11-500).
• NEW On private lands statewide it is unlawful to stalk a wild turkey while behind a decoy or tail fan. Tail fans include those made of real or synthetic feathers or an image or likeness of a tail fan applied to any material. Commonly referred to as fanning or reaping (50-11-500).
• Sunday hunting allowed on private lands (SC 50-11-555). No Sunday hunting allowed on WMA land (Reg. 123-51).
• Statewide limit of 2 gobblers for residents and 2 for nonresidents, no more than 1 per day (SC Code 50-11-580). Bearded hens are not legal.
• All hunters, including hunters younger than 16 or those who are calling or guiding must possess a valid set of turkey tags except on designated youth days. Except on designated youth days, all harvested turkeys must be tagged and validated as prescribed on the tag form before being moved from the point of kill. No person may possess more than one set of turkey tags (SC 50-11-544).
• Hunters who have used all their tags may call or guide for other hunters provided they possess their tag form.
• Legal weapons – shotguns, muzzleloading shotguns, bows and crossbows. All other weapons or methods are prohibited including rifles, pistols, slugs, and buckshot (SC 50-11-500, Reg. 123-51).
• Turkeys may not be hunted with dogs, live decoys or electronic calls (SC 50-11-40, Reg. 123-51).
• Unlawful to shoot any turkey between 30 minutes after official sunset and 30 minutes before official sunrise. Unlawful to take or attempt to take a wild turkey from a vehicle on a public road. Unlawful to trap or snare a wild turkey. Unlawful to take wild turkey from a watercraft (SC 50-11-500).
• Unlawful to hunt or take a wild turkey by means of bait or on or over any baited area (SC 50-11-510). Bait means placing, depositing, exposing, distributing, or scattering of salt, corn, wheat, or other grain, or foodstuffs to constitute a lure or attraction for wild turkeys. An area remains a baited area for ten days following the complete removal of all bait. NOTE: The following activities can result in a baited area if done prior to or during turkey season: planting, discing or manipulating chufa to expose the tubers; mowing or manipulating standing grain crops where grain is scattered or exposed; top sowing of any grains; bait or feed intended for other species.
• On WMA lands the practice of fanning or reaping is prohibited. Fanning/reaping is defined as hunting or stalking wild turkeys while holding or using for hunter concealment any of the following items: a tail fan, a partial or full decoy with a tail fan, or a tail fan mounted to a firearm. Tail fans include those made of real or synthetic feathers or an image or likeness of a tail fan applied to any material (Reg. 123-51). This regulation does not apply on private land.

Season dates

Youth hunters 17-years-old and younger get a jumpstart on the regular season. Then they get a bonus weekend after the regular season is over. The first youth days are March 29-30, and the last are May 10-11.

Statewide, South Carolina’s 2025 turkey season runs April 3 – May 3. Hunters are allowed to kill two gobbler per season, no more than one per day, and no more than one prior to April 10. Some WMA properties are more restrictive than statewide regulations. Those additional restrictions can be seen by clicking here.