Hilton Head Island SC
Hunting
Report

The James W. Webb Wildlife Center spans 5,866 acres in Hampton County and serves as a SCDNR research and management headquarters as well as a public hunting ground. The property is a mix of longleaf pine, hardwood bottoms along the Savannah River, and managed dove fields. Webb is part of the Webb Complex, which together with the adjoining Palachucola and Hamilton Ridge WMAs forms one of the largest contiguous public-hunting tracts in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Webb is a designated Important Bird Area.

Public access. SCDNR field office at 1282 Webb Ave, Garnett, SC. Phone (803) 625-3569. Mon-Fri 8 AM-4:30 PM. WMA permit required in addition to hunting license. Special-draw hunts for deer and turkey; check current SCDNR rules and lottery deadlines.

Palachucola WMA adjoins the Webb Wildlife Center and is part of the Webb Complex along the Savannah River. The terrain mixes pine plantations, hardwood bottoms, and cypress swamps. SCDNR manages it as a Quality Deer Management Area (antlered deer need at least 4 points on one side or a 12-inch inside spread).

Public access via SCDNR Webb office at (803) 625-3569. WMA permit required. Data/use cards are required and must be returned daily. Deer archery Sept. 15–Oct. 10; deer still gun hunts by lottery only. Sunday hunting allowed Oct. 15–Jan. 31 for species in season.

Hamilton Ridge WMA at 13,281 acres is the largest piece of the three-property Webb Complex and one of the biggest public hunting tracts in the Lowcountry. The property includes Savannah River frontage, hardwood bottoms, pine uplands, and managed wildlife openings. The Webb Complex collectively offers more than 25,000 contiguous public-hunting acres - the deepest public-land opportunity within driving distance of Hilton Head.

Public access. SCDNR Webb office (803) 625-3569. WMA permit + hunting license required. Special-draw hunts for some seasons.

Bear Island WMA is a 12,153-acre waterfowl mecca on the ACE Basin estuary in Colleton County, off Bennett's Point Road south of Green Pond. Old rice impoundments managed for ducks make this one of South Carolina's premier public waterfowl destinations. Bear Island is open February 1 through October 14 each year for non-hunting access (wildlife viewing, photography) and shifts to special-draw hunts during fall and winter seasons.

Public access. Headquarters at 585 Donnelly Drive, Green Pond, SC. Phone (843) 844-8957. WMA permit required. Waterfowl hunts are special-draw - apply through the SCDNR lottery. Some deer and dove hunts are also draw-only.

Donnelley WMA covers 8,066 acres of the ACE Basin in Colleton County, just north of Bear Island. The property is a mosaic of managed rice fields, cypress swamps, longleaf pine uplands, and hardwood bottoms, with whitetail deer, wild turkey, and feral hogs.

Public access. Headquarters at 585 Donnelly Drive, Green Pond, SC. Phone (843) 844-8957. WMA permit required. Hunters must sign in and out at the check station. Deer archery Sept. 15–30; deer still gun hunts by lottery only. Dove on designated fields on certain days (SCDNR Public Dove Fields list).

The ACE Basin NWR is the federal component of the larger ACE Basin conservation area - one of the largest undeveloped estuarine systems on the East Coast. The refuge offers limited hunting opportunities under U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service rules in coordination with SCDNR. Habitat includes managed waterfowl impoundments, longleaf pine forests, and tidal salt marsh.

Federal NWR rules apply in addition to SC state regulations. Refuge headquarters at 8675 Willtown Road, Hollywood, SC. Phone (843) 889-3084. Hunting access is by permit and varies by year - check the refuge's current hunt brochure at fws.gov/refuge/ace-basin.

The closest SCDNR public hunting tract to Hilton Head, a 400-acre heritage preserve WMA in Beaufort County. SCDNR lists deer archery only, Sept. 15 – Jan. 1, under statewide WMA limits. Old Island is not on SCDNR's list of WMAs open for spring turkey, and no small game season is listed.

Archery-only deer hunting. SCDNR contact (843) 546-8119. WMA permit required in addition to an SC hunting license (Big Game Permit for deer). No Sunday hunting on WMA lands unless SCDNR lists it for the property.

427-acre SCDNR island property in Colleton County (St. Helena Sound area). Deer hunting is by permit only: archery deer hunters are selected by SCDNR lottery, under statewide WMA limits. SCDNR lists no small game or waterfowl hunting, and South Fenwick is not on SCDNR's list of WMAs open for spring turkey.

Deer hunting by lottery permit only. Primitive camping by permit from the McKenzie Field Station, Bennetts Point, (843) 844-8822. WMA permit required in addition to an SC hunting license (Big Game Permit for deer). No Sunday hunting on WMA lands unless SCDNR lists it for the property.