Hilton Head Island
Hunting
Report
Live conditions, season status, solunar ratings, WMA profiles, and community hunting coverage for Beaufort County and Game Zone 3.
Hilton Head Island Hunting Season Status
Hilton Head Island Hunting Weather Now
- Nothing is in season today — pure scouting window. Walk property lines, check trail cams, and hang stands for the opener.
- Warm day — scout creek bottoms and water sources where game will hold once seasons reopen.
- Use closed season to inventory deer, locate gobblers on the roost, and pattern hog sign for when seasons return.
Hilton Head Island Hunt Conditions Today
Hilton Head Island Hunt Forecast — 5 Days
Hilton Head Island South Carolina Wildlife Management Areas
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 to the east and is part of the Webb Complex along the Savannah River. The terrain mixes pine plantations, hardwood bottoms, and cypress swamps. Wild hog populations are strong here, and the area is a feral hog target on most public-land hog hunts in the Lowcountry.
Public access via SCDNR Webb office at (803) 625-3569. WMA permit required. Standard SC hunting regulations apply with WMA-specific dates.
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 8,048 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. It holds an estimated 200 American alligators and is a stronghold for whitetail deer, turkey, and a strong feral hog population.
Public access. Headquarters at 585 Donnelly Drive, Green Pond, SC. Phone (843) 844-8957. WMA permit required. Special-draw hunts for deer and dove.
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.
Old Island Heritage Preserve is the closest public hunting tract to Hilton Head proper, located in Beaufort County on Old Island Road. The 400-acre preserve is small but accessible and produces deer and turkey for hunters who scout it well. It is one of the only public-land hunting opportunities directly in Beaufort County.
Public access through SCDNR Heritage Preserve system. Field office contact (843) 546-8119. Heritage Preserve hunting rules apply - some are archery-only or otherwise restricted. Confirm current-year rules with SCDNR before scouting or hunting.
South Fenwick Heritage Preserve is a 427-acre tract in Colleton County offering limited public hunting under SCDNR Heritage Preserve rules. Small but productive for hunters willing to walk in - the property's coastal-plain hardwood mix holds resident deer and turkey.
Public access through SCDNR Heritage Preserve system. Confirm current rules and any draw requirements with SCDNR before hunting.
Know a Hilton Head Island-area hunting land, WMA, or public access parcel that should be on this list? Let us know.
Report a Hunting SpotHilton Head Island Hunting Reviews
Hilton Head Island Hunting News
Hunting Gear Guide
Mossy Oak Bottomland camo fingerless glove built for archery and gun hunting where you need finger dexterity without giving up concealment. Lightweight stretch knit moves with your hand on the bow string or trigger. Bottomland pattern blends into hardwood bottoms, river swamps, and cutover edges across the SC piedmont. Pulls off and on in seconds — keep them clipped to your pack for cold-morning bow draws.
Sound-activated electronic earmuffs that amplify ambient noise (footsteps, wing beats, calling) up to 4x and shut down at the muzzle blast in milliseconds. NRR 23dB protection for centerfire rifle, shotgun, and large-bore handgun. Low-profile cups clear your stock cheek weld. AAA batteries last 140+ hours. Auto-shutoff after 4 hours saves the batteries when you forget. Standard in dove fields and at the range across the Upstate.
50-pound capacity hanging gravity feeder with the XD-Pro digital timer kit. Lightweight camo metal hopper hangs from a tree limb or feeder tripod. XD-Pro timer runs up to six feed times per day with 1-30 second spin durations. Battery-operated, weather-resistant. Pairs well with shelled corn, deer protein blends, or whole oats for dove fields. Standard rig for private-land deer setups in Game Zone 2.
Pop-up one-person camo blind with a built-in swivel chair and one-way see-through mesh windows. Sets up in under a minute, packs to a 30-inch carry tube. Mesh lets you see out without the deer seeing in — game-changer for kids, archery hunters who fidget, and early-morning bow sits where movement gets busted. Stake-down kit and ground anchors included. Works on field edges, cutovers, and creek bottoms.
1200-yard range, 7x magnification rangefinder with continuous scan and slope-corrected angle compensation. Pin-seeking mode locks onto deer and turkey at brushy distances where reflective targets struggle. Slope mode gives you the true horizontal distance — critical for tree stand shots and uphill mountain hunts. Tripod-mountable, IP54 weather sealed, rechargeable battery. Solid budget alternative to Leupold and Vortex for hunters who don't need full ballistic solvers.
Three-color twist-up face paint stick — olive, brown, and black — with a built-in mirror in the cap. Non-toxic, easy off with soap and water. Eliminates the white facial flash deer and turkey pick up on at first light. Cheap insurance for bowhunters and turkey hunters who skip the headnet but still need to break up skin sheen. One stick lasts a full season if you keep the cap on.
Get featured in the Essential Gear section and reach active hunters across the HERE City Network — 100+ cities.
Learn About Gear AdvertisingSC Hunting Season Calendar
here_hunting_seasons WP option, sourced from SCDNR. Until then, see www.dnr.sc.gov/regs/hunting.html for current Game Zone 3 regulations.Hilton Head Island Hunting FAQ
-
Deer season dates in Game Zone 3 vary by year and land type (private vs WMA). Specific dates for Beaufort County have not been confirmed against current SCDNR regulations for this guide — see https://www.dnr.sc.gov for the current South Carolina Hunting and Fishing Guide.
-
Public hunting near Hilton Head Island includes the Webb Wildlife Center Complex (Webb, Palachucola, Hamilton Ridge — 25,000+ contiguous acres in Hampton and Jasper Counties for deer, turkey, and small game), Bear Island WMA (12,153 acres in the ACE Basin — premier managed waterfowl impoundments), Donnelley WMA (8,048 acres of pine savanna and bottomland), and the ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge (federal land, special quota hunts). A WMA license is required on all SCDNR-managed public hunting lands in addition to your basic hunting license.
-
Yes. All hunters in South Carolina need a state hunting license. Deer and turkey require an additional big game permit. Hunting on any Wildlife Management Area (WMA) requires a WMA license. Federal migratory bird hunters age 16 and older need a federal duck stamp for waterfowl. Licenses and permits are available through SCDNR at https://www.dnr.sc.gov or at authorized license agents throughout Beaufort County.
-
Sunday hunting rules in South Carolina vary by land type and local ordinance. Verify with SCDNR and Beaufort County before hunting on Sunday.
-
Deer bag limits in Game Zone 3 vary by land type (private vs WMA) and by antlered vs antlerless. Limits for Beaufort County have not been confirmed against current SCDNR regulations for this guide — see https://www.dnr.sc.gov for the current South Carolina Hunting and Fishing Guide.
-
Black bear are not commonly hunted in Beaufort County or the Lowcountry. SC's bear range is concentrated in the mountain zones to the northwest and a separate coastal corridor further north. There are no designated bear hunting areas in the immediate Hilton Head Island region (Game Zone 4). For bear seasons, hunters typically travel to mountain WMAs. Always check the current SCDNR regulations for bear-zone maps and tag requirements.