South Carolina Canned Hunting Statutes and Regulations

No Ban: Mammals permitted.*

*New operations must receive majority approval from county legislation. 

Statute

South Carolina law authorizes the department to "grant operating licenses for shooting preserves which are privately owned and operated under the terms and provisions as provided in this article." C.L.S.C. §50-11-1200.

Such shooting preserves "may not be established for the purpose of extending the regular hunting seasons for native species." Id.

No new preserve (developed after July 1, 1994) "may be licensed by the department without the approval of the majority of the legislative delegation of the county in which such preserve is to be located." Id. at §50-11-1205.

In order to be licensed as a shooting preserve operator, the operator "must own or lease a minimum of one hundred contiguous acres, including water areas," and is not restricted to a maximum number of contiguous acres Id. at §50-11-1220.

The only species that can be legally killed on shooting preserves are "(1) pen-raised bobwhite quail, pheasants, Chukars, and other species designated by the department; and, (2) penraised mallards that conform to United States Fish and Wildlife Service standards and regulations." Id. at §50-11-1250.

There is no bag limit on species designated as shooting preserve species. Id. at §50-11-1280. The shooting season on shooting preserves is "a consecutive six-month period, beginning October first and ending the following March thirty-first." Id. at §50-11-1270.

Regulation

The following is contained in guidelines issued by the State of South Carolina regarding the establishment and operation of licensed shooting preserves.

A shooting preserve must contain a minimum of 100 contiguous acres but may not exceed 1500 acres. The shooting preserve season begins October 1 and continues through the following March 31. Species which can legally be hunted on a shooting preserve are: pen-raised bobwhite quail, pheasant, chukar and other species designated by the Department. There is no harvest limit on legal shooting preserve species.

Proper care must be given to all penned animals at shooting preserves to assure: (1) clean water is provided as necessary; (2) food is wholesome, palatable and free from contamination; (3) animals are provided adequate cover and bedding to assure safety during adverse environmental conditions; (4) excreta are removed from cages or enclosures as often as necessary to prevent contamination of the animals; (5) an effective program for the control of insects, parasites and avian and mammalian predators is established and maintained; and (6) animals with propensity to fight or which are otherwise incompatible are kept segregated.

Each shooting preserve operator must maintain a registration book listing names, addresses and hunting license numbers of all hunters, the dates on which they hunted, the amount and types of game and shooting preserve species harvested and tag numbers affixed to each carcass or container. Operators must furnish the Department a copy of the records within 60 days after the end of the shooting preserve season.

To obtain a shooting preserve license there is a fee of two hundred dollars for the first one hundred acres of shooting preserve area, plus fifty dollars for each additional one hundred acres or part of it. A person wishing to shoot on licensed shooting preservers may purchase a statewide shooting preserve license for not more than eight dollars and fifty cents. A shooting preserve license allows the shooting only of those species for which an individual shooting preserve is authorized. Shooting preserve operators shall maintain a clearly defined boundary on which signs designating the area as a shooting preserve must be posted at intervals of one hundred fifty feet or less.

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