SCDNR recommendations

[Swampmonkey]

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources recommends:

A later start date for turkey season, beginning the season on April 10 statewide.
A reduction in the number of days in the spring turkey season to a 31-day season, making the season April 10 to May 10 statewide.
A reduction in the spring gobbler bag limit, decreasing the bag limit from three to two birds and maintaining the current daily limit of one (1).


This is what SCDNR will  be proposing based on the summer meetings. Will go into effect no sooner than 2025.

[bbcoach]

Do you have a fall season in SC?

[MossyOak92]

The public land season is already just the month of April. I wonder if it will shrink also. And non residents only get two tags already. If they shorten the public land season and drop the non resident to one bird. It will save the ones I may have taken. But cost them my $400+ license.

[Swampmonkey]

No fall season since 1991 and I don't believe they are reducing the non resident bag limit but not 100% positive.

[Gobbler428]

No fall turkey season in SC

[Gobbler428]

During the summer of 2023, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) hosted a series of public meetings around the state to discuss declines in wild turkey numbers and options to address these declines. At these meetings, SCDNR presented data and received comments and questions from attendees. For individuals unable to attend, a video presentation was made available on the SCDNR website following the in-person meetings.
Public opinion surveys were provided to meeting attendees and online. Approximately 297 constituents attended the public meetings and over 4,000 viewed the online presentation with 254 and 1,637 completing the surveys, respectfully.
Input gathered from public comments and survey results, combined with harvest data, population monitoring data and university research findings were used to develop recommendations for the S.C. General Assembly. SCDNR does not set seasons, bag limits or hunting methods. Any changes would occur no sooner than the 2024 legislative session and would not go into effect until the spring of 2025, at the earliest.
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources recommends:
1.   A later start date for turkey season, beginning the season on April 10 statewide.
2.   A reduction in the number of days in the spring turkey season to a 31-day season, making the season April 10 to May 10 statewide.
3.   A reduction in the spring gobbler bag limit, decreasing the bag limit from three to two birds and maintaining the current daily limit of one (1).
These recommendations have potential to increase wild turkey productivity through better breeding success and to reduce overall harvest as annual reproduction is not keeping up with hunting and non-hunting mortality rates. These recommendations are based on science and university research and received supermajority support based on public survey data. The recommendations would also bring South Carolina more in line with other Southeastern states' seasons and bag limits.
A full report on the public meetings and survey results as well as a full discussion of the recommendations is available on the SCDNR website at: https://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/turkey/pdf/2023TurkeyPublicMeetingsSurveyReport.pdf.
A video presentation of the survey results can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imxylJI11Gs
The video of the public meeting presentation can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I45CTLWPwrA
________________________________________
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Rembert C. Dennis Building
1000 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC  29201
Department Phone Numbers

[Nathan_Wiles]

It still has to be voted on by SC politicians. I'd say this will be the deal on public land and north of Columbia on private. I doubt they'll vote to move the low-country private ground start date from 3/15 to 4/10 they might manage to get em to 4/1.

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[davisd9]

It still has to be voted on by SC politicians. I'd say this will be the deal on public land and north of Columbia on private. I doubt they'll vote to move the low-country private ground start date from 3/15 to 4/10 they might manage to get em to 4/1.

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4/1 is appropriate for that region of the state . Wonder if they will ever own up to the mistake of making the whole state 3/22 on private. They should have left the start dates alone from the beginning minus moving the 3/15 opener a week or so later.

[Nathan_Wiles]

It still has to be voted on by SC politicians. I'd say this will be the deal on public land and north of Columbia on private. I doubt they'll vote to move the low-country private ground start date from 3/15 to 4/10 they might manage to get em to 4/1.

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4/1 is appropriate for that region of the state . Wonder if they will ever own up to the mistake of making the whole state 3/22 on private. They should have left the start dates alone from the beginning minus moving the 3/15 opener a week or so later.

I agree on both points. That early start date up here was extremely detrimental to the gobbler population around where I'm hunting most days. Things are just beginning to correct from that mistake.

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[3bailey3]

How long ago was the limit 5?

[Nathan_Wiles]

How long ago was the limit 5?

4 years ago, maybe. I can't recall exactly.

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[davisd9]

How long ago was the limit 5?

4 years ago, maybe. I can't recall exactly.

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Been longer than that. Probably 8-10 years. 2013 is the last 5 tag year I can remember for sure.

[Nathan_Wiles]

How long ago was the limit 5?

4 years ago, maybe. I can't recall exactly.

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Been longer than that. Probably 8-10 years. 2013 is the last 5 tag year I can remember for sure.

Time flies when you're having fun, I guess.

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[PalmettoRon]

The politicians may enact all of these recommendations, some or none or come up with their own "fix." 

The SC DNR NEVER proposed moving the season statewide into March, but nonetheless the legislators did so on their own. It had exactly the effect I thought it would have. That early in the season in the Upstate, if one gobbler came in 4 or 5 might also. Birds were getting mowed down from my discussions with some not very good turkey hunters and none of those birds had probably bred a hen yet.

The seasons were readjusted with the eastern half of the state opening March 22nd on private land and April 1 in the western half.

I think there is merit in moving the season at least in the Upstate to April 10th based on breeding evidence. For many years the Low Country opener was March 15th. That was moved to the present March 22nd. I see no way the legislature is going to move the entire state to April 10th. There will be pushback from the outfitters in the lower part of the state and I suspect some of the influential legislators that are avid outdoorsmen will not back this either.

Going from 3 birds to 2 birds seems more like a feel good move more than anything, when the data the DNR presented stated that I believe only 3% of hunters killed 3 gobblers. I wonder if the 1 bird the first ten days of the season will still apply if the dates are moved up 10 days? I would not favor that.

Observing how painfully slow the SC legislature moved to enact a very basic boater safety bill just this year, joining 46 other states, there may well be no change coming with the 2024 session and even if there is legislation, the earliest it would go into effect is Spring 2025.