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The spring 2004 turkey season opens April 1 and closes May 1 in most areas of the state and on all public lands with turkey hunting. The season opens March 15 for hunters on private lands in 12 Lowcountry counties in the state.

An estimated 48,000 hunters will take to the woods during turkey season, generating more than $16 million in direct expenditures for South Carolina's economy. The 2004 turkey season will be April 1 through May 1 for all Wildlife Management Areas where turkey hunting is allowed and on private lands in 34 counties. The season is March 15 to May 1 on private lands only in Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Hampton, Jasper and Orangeburg counties.

The S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) 2004 spring turkey season brochure-which can be obtained from local check stations and DNR offices-describes all areas open for hunting, current regulations, special bag limits for small Wildlife Management Areas and locations of turkey check stations. Turkey hunting regulations apply to both public and private lands. No turkey hunting is permitted on turkey restoration sites that have not been formally opened by DNR or on any Wildlife Management Area not listed in the spring turkey brochure. To obtain a copy by mail write: Spring Turkey Brochure, DNR, PO Box 167, Columbia, SC 29202, call (803) 734-3886 or visit the DNR Web site at http://www.dnr.state.sc.us.

During the 2003 spring turkey season, 48,003 hunters harvested 13,502 gobblers (male birds). This was down from the record harvest of 16,348 gobblers recorded in 2002.

All 46 South Carolina counties will be open for spring turkey hunting in 2004, except for properties recently restocked with wild turkeys. As a result of the statewide restocking of 3,562 birds on 205 turkey restoration sites since 1977 by the DNR, hunters now have opportunities to hunt wild gobblers in every county of South Carolina. "This is a significant benchmark for the turkey restoration project which began in 1977," said Dave Baumann, DNR Turkey Project supervisor at Dennis Wildlife Center in Bonneau. "We have strictly used pure-strain South Carolina wild stock to restore this noble game bird once more to huntable populations statewide."

Hunters are required to carry a set of turkey tags while turkey hunting and must tag each bagged gobbler before it's taken out of the woods. The free tags are available at DNR offices and official turkey check stations. All turkeys bagged statewide must be checked in at a local wild turkey check station.

In addition to turkey tags, turkey hunters must also have a state hunting license, big-game permit and Wildlife Management Area (WMA) permit if hunting on WMA land.

Shotguns, muzzleloading shotguns and bows and arrows are permitted during spring turkey season in most areas. All other weapons and methods of taking turkeys are prohibited including crossbows, rifles, pistols, hard-jacketed bullets, buckshot and slugs. Hunters are reminded that it is illegal to shoot wild turkeys in an area that has been baited, and the location is considered a baited area for 10 days following complete removal of the bait.

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Last modified: 01/05/09