South Carolina Hunting License: Cost & Deer Tags (2026)

South Carolina's hunting license year runs July 1 through June 30. The Resident Hunting license costs $12; add the Resident Big Game Permit ($6) for deer, bear, and turkey, or buy the combined Resident Statewide Hunting license ($25) that bundles both. The Resident Sportsman license ($50) adds freshwater fishing and WMA access. Non-residents pay $125 for annual hunting plus $100 for the Big Game Permit ($225 total), or short-term options: 10-day ($75) or 3-day ($40). A WMA Permit ($30.50 resident / $76 NR) is required for hunting on public Wildlife Management Areas.

South Carolina residents age 64 and older receive a free Gratis hunting and fishing license with full privileges. Youth under 16 need no license but must purchase deer and turkey tags where required. Resident deer tags work on a set system: each resident deer-tag allocation starts with 3 unrestricted antlered and 2 antlerless tags, and additional deer tags can change the antler rule. Non-resident deer costs start with the $50 first antlered buck tag, with additional antlered buck tags at $20 each and antlerless tags at $10 each after the hunting license and big game permit.

Hunter education is required for anyone born on or after July 1, 1979. The free online course requires a mandatory in-person field day. An apprentice program allows supervised hunting before certification. All deer, bear, and turkey harvest must be reported via SC GAME CHECK within 24 hours of harvest — mobile app or phone. This mandatory reporting system replaced the traditional check station requirement and provides near-real-time population data. Disabled veterans receive free hunting licenses. Active duty military stationed in South Carolina pay resident rates.

South Carolina divides the state into 4 Game Zones with dramatically different season dates reflecting the state's geographic diversity from the Blue Ridge foothills to the Atlantic coast. Zone 3 (Savannah River coastal plain) opens firearms deer season August 15 — one of the earliest firearms openers in the entire country. Zone 4 (coastal lowcountry) opens September 1. Zone 2 (midlands and Pee Dee) begins archery September 15 and firearms October 11. Zone 1 (mountain/upper piedmont) opens with primitive weapons October 1 then firearms October 11 through January 15. Daily limit is 2 deer; season structure varies by zone.

Dog hunting for deer is a deeply embedded tradition in the South Carolina lowcountry and coastal plain — it is legal in parts of Game Zones 3 and 4 only. In Zone 1 (mountains) and Zone 2 (midlands/Pee Dee), dog hunting for deer is prohibited. The coastal lowcountry's dense titi swamps, pocosins, and bay heads are particularly suited to traditional drive hunting with dogs. Participating hunters must have individual dog registration and follow specific dog hunt regulations regarding stand boundaries and road crossings. South Carolina's dog hunting tradition dates back centuries and remains an important cultural hunting practice.

In Zones 3 and 4, archery opens before the firearms season and creates an early bow-only planning window. Zone 1 and 2 archery begins September 15. Crossbows are legal throughout archery season. Feral hog hunting has no season and no bag limit where legal access exists. South Carolina has not listed a confirmed in-state CWD detection in this planning layer, but SCDNR still uses carcass-import restrictions that matter for hunters traveling from affected states.

South Carolina turkey hunting is available without a draw — tags are purchased OTC at $5 resident (set of 3) or $100 NR (set of 2) and are valid for gobblers only during the spring season. The spring turkey season typically runs late March through May. Fall turkey archery is available in limited areas. South Carolina's turkey population is estimated at approximately 100,000 birds. The coastal plain pine forests and hardwood bottomlands of the Pee Dee and ACE Basin regions produce particularly strong turkey harvests. Youth Turkey Weekend provides an exclusive early-access day for hunters 17 and under.

Black bear hunting is limited to Game Zones 1 (mountain counties: Oconee, Pickens, Greenville) and Zone 4 (coastal lowcountry: Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, Jasper, and parts of Berkeley). Zone 1 offers both a still hunt season (October 11–23) and a party dog hunt season (October 17–30). Zone 4 is still hunt only (October 17–30, may close early at quota). A $25 bear tag is required. All bear harvest must be reported via SC GAME CHECK by midnight the day of harvest. South Carolina's mountain bear population is small but growing; the coastal Zone 4 population in the ACE Basin is separately managed.

South Carolina's Atlantic Coast position creates Atlantic Flyway waterfowl opportunity. The ACE Basin provides coastal lowcountry waterfowl habitat on private and public lands, and the Santee National Wildlife Refuge and Savannah National Wildlife Refuge offer public duck hunting with managed impoundments. The Federal Duck Stamp ($25), HIP certification, and SC hunting license are required; no separate state waterfowl stamp is charged. Canada goose, wood duck, mallard, teal, and ring-necked duck are common species in SC's coastal and inland waterfowl harvest.