South Carolina
85,000
Wild Turkey Population
Eastern
Turkey Subspecies
Estimated 42,000 active turkey hunters
Number of Licenses Sold Annually
$43
Annual hunting license, $12; annual big-game permit, $6; turkey tags, $25. Annual wildlife management area permit ($30.50) required to hunt WMA lands.
Cost of Resident License and Permit
$265 to $350
Annual hunting license, $125; 10-day license, $75; three-day license, $40; annual big-game permit, $100; turkey tags, $125. Annual wildlife management area permit ($76) required to hunt WMA lands.
Cost of Non-Resident License and Permit
Photo by Bill Konway.
Traditionally, South Carolina has a deep turkey hunting tradition and good numbers of birds in the right habitat areas. Unfortunately, estimates of South Carolina's turkey population are down to 85,000 turkeys statewide. Numbers, officials say, have declined because of poor hatches during recent years. As spring harvest data goes, hunters took 10,419 birds in 2025, which was down from 2023. That’s why the state gets a C grade.
As public property goes, if you're willing to hike a little, you can find seclusion in the state's 630,000 acres of wildlife management areas. Add to that another million acres of public hunting on U.S. Forest Service lands (600,000-plus acres between the Francis Marion and Sumter National forests), more than a quarter-million acres of DNR lands, plus state Forestry Commission lands as well as timber company properties open to public hunting.
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