South Carolina's Generous Bag Limit for Bucks and Does

EDITOR'S NOTE: You can start hunting deer in parts of South Carolina right now. South Carolina deer season in the southern half of the state always begins on August 15th each year, unless that date falls on a Sunday. Then the season starts on August 14th. The good news doesn't stop there. You can take as many deer as you like per day because there's no daily limit. To learn more about one of the longest deer-hunting seasons in the nation and the most liberal bag limit, we'll talk with Hayward Simmons, the owner and operator of Lakeview Plantation and Cedar Knoll Lodge, this week.

Question: How many deer can a hunter legally take in South Carolina during the August 15 to January 1 season?

Answer: The southern half of the state has no limits -- daily or seasonal -- allowing a hunter to take as many deer as he or she likes. Some hunting clubs and hunting lodges set up their own rules and regulations for harvest, depending on the club or lodge's goals or harvest information.

Question: At Lakeview Plantation and Cedar Knoll Lodge, how many deer can a hunter take in a day?

Answer: We allow our hunters to take any branch-antlered buck that they want to take from August 15 to September 15. From September 15 to January 1, hunters have permission to take does as well as bucks. We require our hunters to take a doe after they take a branch-antlered buck. In other words, if you take a branch-antlered buck first thing in the morning, you have to shoot a doe before you can take another branch-antlered buck while hunting at our lodge. We like this system of harvest because it lets each hunter determine his concept of a trophy. For some young hunters or hunters from states with stringent limits, a 6 point buck may be considered a trophy. Hunters from other areas may want to wait on an 8 point buck or better. We let the deer hunter define his own trophy.

Question: What record does any hunter hold for taking deer in one day?

Answer: Several hunters have taken three bucks and two does in one day.

For more information on hot-weather deer hunting, contact Hayward Simmons at 875 Cedar Knoll Road, Fairfax, South Carolina 29827, or by phone at 803-584-0689 or email at lakeviewplantation@barnwellsc.com.

Tomorrow: South Carolina's Prime Deer Season