South Carolina · Turkey · 2027 Edition
South Carolina Turkey Season 2027: Spring Dates, Bag Limits
01 — Spring gobbler
| Season | Zones | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Youth Weekend 1 | Private lands only | Mar 27 – Mar 28 |
| General Season | Statewide — private land & WMAs | Apr 3 – May 3 |
| Youth Weekend 2 | Private lands only | May 8 – May 9 |
02 — Bag limits
| Daily | 1 gobbler |
|---|---|
| Season | 2 gobblers, no more than 1 before April 10 |
| Youth weekends | 1 gobbler total across both weekends combined — counts toward the season limit above |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (March 27, 2027) 06:47 — 20:10
Rule: Half an hour before official sunrise to half an hour after official sunset for turkey — narrower than South Carolina's deer shooting-hours rule (per SCDNR). 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 turkey permit are required. Check whether the permit is sold with the license or separately, and note any cap on gobblers per hunter per year.
South Carolina hunting license cost & turkey permits →
Where to hunt public land in South Carolina — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — Scouting gear
Patterning a gobbler's roost and strut zone before South Carolina's opener usually means glassing from a distance and running a trail camera through late winter and early spring.
- 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 turkey season start in South Carolina?
The earliest 2027 opener is March 27, 2027. See the tables above for each segment.
When does turkey season end in South Carolina?
The latest 2027 closing date is May 9, 2027. Individual segments and zones close on their own dates.
When does spring turkey season start in South Carolina?
Youth Weekend 1 opens March 27, 2027 (Private lands only).
How many turkeys can you shoot in South Carolina?
2027 bag limits: Daily — 1 gobbler. Season — 2 gobblers, no more than 1 before April 10. Youth weekends — 1 gobbler total across both weekends combined — counts toward the season limit above. Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.
What time can you start shooting turkey in South Carolina?
On opening day (March 27, 2027) legal light runs 06:47 to 20:10. The rule is: Half an hour before official sunrise to half an hour after official sunset for turkey — narrower than South Carolina's deer shooting-hours rule (per SCDNR). Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local South Carolina sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt turkey 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 2026-08-17
Publisher's note. SCDNR's own turkey page links directly to this eregulations page for season dates and bag limits — the designated display for this content, same pattern as SC Deer. South Carolina runs spring turkey only, statewide, with no zone split (unlike deer's four Game Zones). Two youth-only weekends bracket the main season — one before it opens and one after it closes — so the youth weekends actually set the overall opener and closer, not the main season dates themselves. Shooting hours for turkey (½ hour before sunrise to ½ hour after sunset) are narrower than South Carolina's deer rule (a full hour each way) — the two species run on different hours rules in this state. Re-verified 2026-08-17 against eRegulations (updated August 11, 2026, which itself documents a 2026-27 rule change): WMA lands now close the same day as private lands (May 3, not a day earlier as in 2025-26) — this file already had the corrected May 3 close date from its prior verification, so no change was needed; all other dates and both bag-limit rules confirmed exact.