Hunting Seasons & Limits
| Species | Open Dates (All dates inclusive) |
Shooting Hours | Daily Bag Limit | Possession Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mourning Dove | Sept.1- Sept. 3 | 12 Noon until Sunset | 12 | 24 |
| Sept. 4 - Oct. 6 Nov. 17 - Nov. 24 Dec. 21 - Jan. 15 |
1/2 Hour before Sunrise until Sunset | 12 | 24 | |
| Marsh Hens/Rails (Clapper, King, Sora & Virginia) |
Sept. 26 - Oct. 1 Oct. 24 - Dec. 26 | 1/2 Hour before Sunrise until Sunset | 15
(King & Clapper) 25 (Sora & Va.) |
30 (King & Clapper) 25 (Sora & Va.) |
| Early Teal | Sept.21 - Sept. 29 | Sunrise until Sunset | 4 | 8 |
| Woodcock | Jan. 2 - Jan. 31 | 1/2 Hour before Sunrise until Sunset | 3 | 6 |
| Common
Snipe (Wilson's) |
Nov. 14 - Feb. 28 | 1/2 Hour before Sunrise until Sunset | 8 | 16 |
| Common Moorhens & Purple Gallinules | Sept. 26 - Oct. 1 Oct. 24 - Dec. 26 | 1/2 Hour before Sunrise until Sunset | 15 | 30 |
| **Early Canada Geese | Sept.1 - Sept. 30 | 1/2 Hour before Sunrise until Sunset | 15 | 30 |
| Ducks (excluding Sea Ducks) |
Nov. 21 - Nov.25 Dec. 14 - Jan. 27 | 1/2 hour before Sunrise until Sunset |
6 total, including no more than: 4 mallards (1 hen), 2 scaup, 1 pintail, 2 canvasbacks, 1 fulvous whistling duck, 1 black-bellied whistling duck, 2 wood ducks, 2 redheads and 1 black duck or 1 mottled duck. | 12 total, including no more than: 8 mallards (2 hens), 4 scaup, 2 pintails, 4 canvasbacks, 2 fulvous whistling ducks, 2 black-bellied whistling ducks, 4 wood ducks, 4 redheads, (2 black ducks or 2 mottled ducks or 1 black duck and 1 mottled duck). |
| ¹ State Youth Waterfowl Days |
Dec. 8 | 1/2 hour before Sunrise until Sunset | Same as Ducks | Same as Ducks |
| ¹ Federal Youth waterfowl Days |
Feb. 2 - Feb. 3 | 1/2 hour before Sunrise until Sunset | Same as Ducks | Same as Ducks |
| Mergansers | Nov. 21 - Nov. 25 Dec. 14 - Jan. 27 | 1/2 hour before Sunrise to Sunset | 5 (not to include more than 1 hooded merganser) | 10 (not to include more than 2 hooded mergansers) |
| ² Sea Ducks | Oct. 13 - Jan. 27 | 1/2 hour before Sunrise to Sunset | 7 (not to include more than 4 scoters) | 14 (not to include more than 8 scoters) |
| Coots | Nov. 21 - Nov. 25 Dec. 14 - Jan. 27 | 1/2 hour before Sunrise to Sunset | 15 | 30 |
³ Canada Geese/ |
Nov. 21 - Nov. 25 Dec. 14 - Feb. 1 Feb. 4 - Feb. 15 |
1/2 hour before Sunrise to Sunset | 5 (not to include more than 2 white-fronted geese). | 10 total(not to include more than 4 white-fronted geese). |
| Blue & Snow geese | Nov. 21 - Nov. 25 Dec. 14 - Jan. 27 | 1/2 hour before Sunrise to Sunset | 15 | No limit |
| Brant | Nov. 21 - Nov. 25 Dec. 14 - Jan. 27 | 1/2 hour before Sunrise to Sunset | 2 | 4 |
| Seasons prescribed above are based upon federal frameworks. The state law which allows for hunting on preceding Saturdays or following Mondays when a season begins or ends on Sunday, does not apply to federal species. Seasons stated above are exact. | ||||
** This season is statewide!!
1 Youth-Only Waterfowl Hunting Days
State youth Day: Dec. 8, 2007. Only hunters 17 years of age or younger may hunt waterfowl (ducks, geese, mergansers and coots) on this day. The youth(s) must be accompanied by an adult of at least 21 years of age. The adult is not allowed to carry a gun or hunt, but must be properly licensed, including state and federal duck stamps and a HIP Permit. Youth who are 16 and 17 years of age who hunt on this day are not required to be licensed or have a state waterfowl stamp but must possess a Federal Waterfowl Stamp. Daily and possession bag limits are as indicated.
Federal youth Days: Feb. 2 & 3, 2008. Only hunters 15 years of age or younger may hunt waterfowl (ducks, geese, mergansers and coots) on these days. The youth(s) must be accompanied by an adult of at least 18 years of age. The adult is not allowed to carry a gun or hunt, and does not have to be licensed. Daily and possession bag limits are as indicated.
2 Sea Ducks may be hunted only in Atlantic Ocean waters separated from any shore, island or emergent vegetation by at least one mile of open water, except during the regular duck season.
3 Excludes all of Clarendon County, that portion of Orangeburg County North of SC Highway # 6 and that portion of Berkeley County North of SC Highway # 45 from the Orangeburg County Line to the junction of SC Highway # 45 and State Road S-8-31 and that portion West of the Santee Dam.
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