Hunting game in Beaufort

The Beaufort area has many opportunities for the hunter. The Low Country with it's abundant wildlife population, attracts hunters from all regions of America. Beaufort has quite a reputation for deer hunting, and Beaufort County has one of the longest deer seasons in the country. Deer in the LowCountry are small as compaired to those found
in colder Northern climates, but they do taste as good. Other sought after game in Beaufort area are wild turkey, quail, squirrel, marsh hens and dove.

EMS117 : Beaufort Hunting Danger

Beaufort has a very heavy undergrowth, thus making it extremely hard to see another hunter. Please wear an orange safety vest, it's not worth getting shot. Deer can't see it as well as you think, but hunters can!

Deer hunting is the most popular form of hunting. There are plantations that open their doors to hunters to allow the herds to be thinned. Some charge a hunting fee, some do not. Beaufort also has private hunting preserves, where a member may hunt. The most popular ways of hunting deer in Beaufort are either tree stands, hunting with dogs, or just walking it. The under growth is fairly thick, so you need to be in pretty good shape if your going to walk it. For tree stand hunting, a small "seat" or standing platform is secured to a tree, and the hunter stands or sits in the tree until their trophy comes along. It's most effective in early morning or late evening, when the deer are moving.

Hunting deer with dogs is a traditional sport in the Beaufort area. The dogs have been specially worked with and trained specifically to hunt. Their owners have a great deal of pride in their dogs, and these dogs live for it. The dogs have been trained to seek out the deer, and run it in a circle back to the hunter. Most of these dogs will run the deer until the dog or the deer is totally exhausted. It's a very effective way of hunting deer, again because of the thick under growth. It also makes it easier to bring the kill back to the vehicle, as the hunter can pick the place for the kill. The most common weapon is the shotgun with either buckshot or rifled slug, although some use rifles.

Archery is a growing form of deer hunting in Beaufort. There arespecial seasons for Bow Hunting in some parts of South Carolina, but Beaufort's season is the same for both.

Species	Season	Method	Limits
Beer (Bucks)	Aug 15 - Jan 1	Firearms & Archery	None
Dove	Sept 5-7 PM only Sept 8-Oct 10 Nov 21-28 Dec 19-Jan 13	...	12 per day
Quail	Nov 23-Mar 1	....	15 per day
Squirrel	Oct 1-Mar 1	Guns & dogs	10 per day
Rabbit	Nov 26-Mar 1 Mar 2 - Nov 25	Guns & dogs Dogs - No guns	5 per day Running season only
Racoon & Opossum	Aug 15-Sep 14 Sep 15-Mar 15 Mar 16-May 14	Dogs - No Guns Guns & dogs Dogs - No guns	Running season only No limit Running season only
Fox	Aug 15-Jan 1 Jan 2-Aug 14	Guns & dogs Dogs - No Guns	No limit Running season only
Licenses are required - Due to the complex regulations, check with your sports dealer or the SCDNR, and to make sure dates have not changed