Deer Season 2025

[3chunter]

Our deer are no joke though. If you can kill nice deer in SC, you can kill them anywhere in the country. Same goes for turkeys.

 

[Field28]

Recently moved to SC, so got to experience the early deer season. Next year gonna try my best for a velvet buck, but got my first SC deer yesterday. Let me know if you want some help with culls
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Congratulations and welcome to the Free Republic of South Carolina!

 

[HankBuck]

Not to rub it in, but rifle opens up August 15th in the lower state counties.
I believe we are still the only state that you can shoot a buck in velvet with a rifle.

Where i am, primitive weapons opens August 15th, rifle September 1rst, Does September 15th. Season end is January 1rst, January 2nd if 01/01 falls on a Sunday. That is for private land, WMA's have different seasons.

The Right to hunt and fish is written into our State Constitution as well.

@Field28 - you are fortunate to have that many opportunities and I also believe you can Hound hunt deer in SC? I’ve traveled to and hunted SC for deer years ago and NC also (friends property). It was in October/rifle and you could legally hunt until one Hour AFTER Sunset….which I thought would be great but I couldn’t even see “the ground” 45 minutes after sunset so I climbed down from my stand ‘Early’….is that still the legal hunting hours? I’m sure I would find a way to enjoy SC’s long early deer season but NJ was hot enough for me during early Bow (mid September) and Virginia is a “Sweat Box” until late October ——feels like I’m in Brazil !!

 

[HankBuck]

Recently moved to SC, so got to experience the early deer season. Next year gonna try my best for a velvet buck, but got my first SC deer yesterday. Let me know if you want some help with culls
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@NoStepOnSnek - congratulations. I like the very short hair on that doe, unique compared to deer in VA, NJ, NY, PA. Also that thick pine cover reminds me of deer I’ve taken in SC - one guy shot but refused to blood trail his deer in the dark: Afraid of copperheads…..I trailed, found it, and dragged it out for him (I like snakes).

 

[3chunter]

@Field28 - you are fortunate to have that many opportunities and I also believe you can Hound hunt deer in SC? I’ve traveled to and hunted SC for deer years ago and NC also (friends property). It was in October/rifle and you could legally hunt until one Hour AFTER Sunset….which I thought would be great but I couldn’t even see “the ground” 45 minutes after sunset so I climbed down from my stand ‘Early’….is that still the legal hunting hours? I’m sure I would find a way to enjoy SC’s long early deer season but NJ was hot enough for me during early Bow (mid September) and Virginia is a “Sweat Box” until late October ——feels like I’m in Brazil !!

Yes shooting time is still the same.

 

[Field28]

@Field28 - you are fortunate to have that many opportunities and I also believe you can Hound hunt deer in SC? I’ve traveled to and hunted SC for deer years ago and NC also (friends property). It was in October/rifle and you could legally hunt until one Hour AFTER Sunset….which I thought would be great but I couldn’t even see “the ground” 45 minutes after sunset so I climbed down from my stand ‘Early’….is that still the legal hunting hours? I’m sure I would find a way to enjoy SC’s long early deer season but NJ was hot enough for me during early Bow (mid September) and Virginia is a “Sweat Box” until late October ——feels like I’m in Brazil !!

Yes, we can hunt with dogs. Dog drives have been a point of contention for years.
I hunted with some very good dog clubs years ago. When done properly, dog drives can be a lot of fun. When you hear the dogs baying and you know a deer is headed towards you it is a shot of adrenaline. Shooting a running deer with a shotgun may sound easy to some, trust me it's not. Aim for the nose!!!

A lot of the good clubs from back in the day are no more. These were clubs that several family generations were a part of.
You would have guys from all walks of life, from tradesmen to physicians. The ethics and overall culture were great. Sadly, the ethics of many of the clubs have gone to hell and you have a lot of outlaws in the game.

To take advantage of the late Shooting light, it really is best to hunt a sandy field with a fuller moon. The swamps get dark real quick!

 

[JG26Irish_2]

I deer hunt in both my home state of KY and in WV. We have some big bucks in both. In KY, I hunt a friend's large farm and we all limit ourselves to 9pt bucks or larger and no does at all. I have been scouting for the last month or so while squirrel hunting that farm.

In WV, we have a one room cabin on 375 ac and it is blessed with a healthy deer herd. Just returned from a two day squirrel hunt/deer scouting trip there to get ready for our seasons. Both begin in mid November about one week apart.

I usually try to select a couple of rifles to hunt with. This year it will be my Husqvarna Swedish Mauser in 30-06 along with my Ruger M77 Hawkeye in 338rcm. The 30-06 is the open area bean field rifle and the Ruger is set up for more heavy bush and rough terrain hunting. I am still keeping open the option of bringing my Winchester 44mag trapper out or the 7mm/08 that I took to Africa this summer as a light handy option if we choose to do any spot n stalk hunting. Tough to do unless the conditions are right. Pic of 7mm/08 in Limpopo sunset w/Waterberg Mtns in the background for eye candy.

 

[HankBuck]

Yes, we can hunt with dogs. Dog drives have been a point of contention for years.
I hunted with some very good dog clubs years ago. When done properly, dog drives can be a lot of fun. When you hear the dogs baying and you know a deer is headed towards you it is a shot of adrenaline. Shooting a running deer with a shotgun may sound easy to some, trust me it's not. Aim for the nose!!!

A lot of the good clubs from back in the day are no more. These were clubs that several family generations were a part of.
You would have guys from all walks of life, from tradesmen to physicians. The ethics and overall culture were great. Sadly, the ethics of many of the clubs have gone to hell and you have a lot of outlaws in the game.

To take advantage of the late Shooting light, it really is best to hunt a sandy field with a fuller moon. The swamps get dark real quick!

@Field28 - hounds for deer are also legal in Virginia and it is also a point of contention with most landowners and hunters AGAINST it - because they can run their hounds across your private land (though Not deliberately -“hard to prove”) and also trespass on your property to “retrieve” their dogs w/out your permission - as long as they don’t carry a gun in your property). While I would enjoy hunting deer with hounds, and have shot deer on “drives” in NJ - on the run w/buckshot = exciting! I don’t want anyone on my property without permission and hounds disrupt deer natural travel patterns and can “wreck” Bowhunting efforts, land managements for deer, etc.. I am not against hound hunting for deer but am strongly against running hounds thru private property without permission from that landowner. Another move some houndsman do is to “accidentally” run hounds thru private property and dogs chase deer onto “their property” (where they have permission) and post their hunters on the property line and shoot at the deer as they run across….it creates friction with landowners. I think to conduct hound hunts without creating problems with neighbors requires large tracts of land - at least 200 to 1000+ acres and those size parcels are very few in Virginia.

 

[Frostbite]

Used search and didn't see an existing thread, if there already is one Mods please merge.

Well, our gun season kicked off September 1rst, August 15th in the lower part of the state. Does legal September 15th.

Sat once before does were legal and saw 24 does and two fans. It’s been hot as hell here past couple of weeks, finally cooled a little.

My view this afternoon is a peanut field, acorns and wild grapes on the edges...

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I usually pick a rifle for the season. This year I'm going with my 700 ADL in 25-06 loaded with Federal Premiums, topped with 117gr Nosler Partitions. The rifle is my age, born in 1973.

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I'd call it a perfect rifle for that job.

 

[Field28]

Decided to throw one of the last pieces of backstrap from last year on the grill tonight...

Threw a couple of Tbones on as well...

The finished product side by side...

Gotta have some mushrooms sauteed in butter and garlic to go with it!

 

[Firebird]

Hope I’m adding and not hijacking-
Long hike in and longer hike out! An outstanding experience in the high country! 28 nosler and handloaded 175 ablr. Was especially grateful my brother and his boy Jake were around to help get him off the mountain!

 

[Firebird]

 

[Frostbite]

Hope I’m adding and not hijacking-
Long hike in and longer hike out! An outstanding experience in the high country! 28 nosler and handloaded 175 ablr. Was especially grateful my brother and his boy Jake were around to help get him off the mountain!View attachment 721586View attachment 721587View attachment 721588

Beauty.

 

[Wahoo]

I was fortunate to take a nice buck Monday morning with my bow.

 

[375er]

I was fortunate to take a nice buck Monday morning with my bow. View attachment 723262View attachment 723263

FANTASTIC!

 

[G Skinner]

Our rifle season here in parts of Ontario Canada starts Monday November 4 Th .... Good luck and play safe everyone !
Glen

 

[Frostbite]

That's a very, very, very nice buck!

Congrats!!!!!!!!

 

[Field28]

I was fortunate to take a nice buck Monday morning with my bow. View attachment 723262View attachment 723263

Good job Wahoo!!!!

 

[Field28]

Just got back from the processor with those first couple of bucks. Good start on the kitchen freezer.

Backstraps, Tloins, rump steaks, cube steak and stew meat.
For the grindables... bulk hot breakfast sausage, bulk Italian sausage and burger.

 

[Field28]

Back in my honey hole this afternoon.
A beautiful 60F. Deer are definitely moving, I've already heard four shots in different directions, all of them sounded like hits.