South Carolina · Deer · 2026–27 Edition
South Carolina Deer Season 2026–27: Dates, Zones & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons by method
| Method | Zones | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Youth Deer Hunt Day 1 (antlered only, limit 1) | Game Zone 3 | Aug 8 – Aug 8 |
| Youth Deer Hunt Day 1 (antlered only, limit 1) | Game Zone 4 | Aug 8 – Aug 8 |
| Archery & Gun (buck only through Sept. 14, either-sex after) | Game Zone 3 | Aug 15 – Jan 1 |
| Archery Only (buck only through Sept. 14) | Game Zone 4 | Aug 15 – Aug 31 |
| Gun Hunts (buck only through Sept. 14, either-sex after) | Game Zone 4 | Sep 1 – Jan 1 |
| Youth Deer Hunt Day 1 (antlered only, limit 1) | Game Zone 2 | Sep 12 – Sep 12 |
| Archery Only | Game Zone 2 | Sep 15 – Sep 30 |
| Youth Deer Hunt Day 1 (antlered only, limit 1) | Game Zone 1 | Sep 26 – Sep 26 |
| Primitive Weapons | Game Zone 1 | Oct 1 – Oct 10 |
| Primitive Weapons | Game Zone 2 | Oct 1 – Oct 10 |
| Gun Hunts | Game Zone 1 | Oct 11 – Jan 1 |
| Gun Hunts | Game Zone 2 | Oct 11 – Jan 1 |
| Youth Deer Hunt Day 2 (either-sex, limit 2) | Game Zones 1, 2, 3 & 4 | Jan 2 – Jan 2 |
02 — Bag limits
| Antlered — statewide, residents | 2 per day, 5 per season |
|---|---|
| Antlered — statewide, nonresidents | 2 per day, 4 per season |
| Antlerless — Game Zone 1 | 2 per day, 3 per season |
| Antlerless — Game Zones 2, 3 & 4 | 2 per day, 9 per season |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (August 8, 2026) 05:41 — 21:17
Rule: One hour before official sunrise to one hour after official sunset for deer — statewide, per S.C. Code 50-11-710. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local South Carolina sun times for any other date.
04 — License
A South Carolina hunting license and deer permit are required. Costs, age rules and where to buy are on our license page below.
South Carolina hunting license cost & deer permits →
Where to hunt public land in South Carolina — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — Scouting gear
Scouting a property before South Carolina's opener usually means glassing terrain and running a trail camera through the summer and early fall.
- Hunting binoculars on Amazon →
- Trail cameras on Amazon →
- Trail camera SD cards — class, capacity & format explained →
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. These are category links, not a single named pick — we run no product tests of our own.
06 — FAQ
When does deer season start in South Carolina?
The earliest 2026–27 opener is August 8, 2026 — Youth Deer Hunt Day 1 (antlered only, limit 1), limited to Game Zone 3. Other weapons and zones start later — see the table above.
When does deer season end in South Carolina?
The latest 2026–27 closing date is January 2, 2027. Individual methods and zones close on their own dates.
When does bow season start for deer in South Carolina?
Archery & Gun (buck only through Sept. 14, either-sex after) opens August 15, 2026 (Game Zone 3). Later segments may follow — see the seasons table.
When does rifle season start for deer in South Carolina?
Archery & Gun (buck only through Sept. 14, either-sex after) opens August 15, 2026 (Game Zone 3). Later segments may follow — see the seasons table.
How many deer can you shoot in South Carolina?
2026–27 bag limits: Antlered — statewide, residents — 2 per day, 5 per season. Antlered — statewide, nonresidents — 2 per day, 4 per season. Antlerless — Game Zone 1 — 2 per day, 3 per season. Antlerless — Game Zones 2, 3 & 4 — 2 per day, 9 per season. Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.
What time can you start shooting deer in South Carolina?
On opening day (August 8, 2026) legal light runs 05:41 to 21:17. The rule is: One hour before official sunrise to one hour after official sunset for deer — statewide, per S.C. Code 50-11-710. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local South Carolina sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt deer on my own land in South Carolina without a license?
No — South Carolina requires anyone 16 or older to carry a valid license regardless of land ownership; the full licensing chapter lists no landowner exemption, despite a claim that circulates on several third-party sites.
Verified · South Carolina Department of Natural Resources · Last verified 2026-08-16
Publisher's note. Dates read directly from the '2026-2027 South Carolina Hunting & Fishing Guide' PDF, page 60 ('Deer Seasons on Private Lands'), which SCDNR published in August 2026. The eight rows this file previously carried were all correct — including the real absence of any archery-only season in Game Zone 1, confirmed against the same table rather than assumed to be a gap — but the whole Youth Deer Hunt Days season was missing from the file entirely. Every zone gets two youth days: an early antlered-only day (Zone 1: Sept. 26; Zone 2: Sept. 12; Zones 3 & 4: Aug. 8 — earlier than the regular Zone 3/4 opener, which is why the state's own opener moved to Aug. 8) and a shared Jan. 2, 2027 either-sex day across all four zones (later than the regular Jan. 1 close, which is why seasonCloses moved to Jan. 2). South Carolina's four Game Zones run from the mountain Upstate (Zone 1) to the coastal Pee Dee (Zone 4), each with a different season structure: Zones 1 and 2 separate archery/primitive-weapons/gun into distinct windows, while Zones 3 and 4 run archery and gun hunting concurrently across most of the season, with a buck-only restriction for the first few weeks before either-sex is allowed. Zone boundaries are legal descriptions of specific roads and rail lines, not clean county lines — check the SCDNR Game Zone maps for your exact property.