SC Hog Law: Seasons, Night Hunting, and Boundaries Foundations

The Night-Hunting Registration Law

Lesson 8 of 35 · Module 2, lesson 3

Assumes the Hunting Primer. New here? Start there first.

Your objective

By the end, you'll be able to perform the two required steps — annual property registration and harvest reporting — that make night hog hunting legal in SC.

Procedure ~8 min

Hogs are most active from dusk to dawn. Hunting them after dark is legal in SC — but only if you’ve done one critical step before you ever pull the trigger: registering the property with SCDNR. Skip it and a successful night hunt becomes an illegal one. This lesson walks you through what registration requires and why the harvest report matters just as much.

Quick recall

Quick recall from Legal Methods on Private Land — which additional tools does SC allow at night on a registered property that are not part of the standard daytime toolkit?

Artificial lights, night-vision devices, and thermal imagers Electronic calls — those are only legal after dark Traps — those can only be used after registration

Show answer

Correct: Artificial lights, night-vision devices, and thermal imagers — Right. These three are the night-specific additions — all require the property to be registered with SCDNR first.
Not quite: Electronic calls — those are only legal after dark — Electronic calls are legal for hogs both day and night on private land. The night-specific tools are lights, night vision, and thermal imagers.
Not quite: Traps — those can only be used after registration — Trapping is legal any time on private land without night-hunting registration. The registration requirement applies to after-dark active hunting with weapons and lights/optics.

Why registration exists

SC created the night-hunting registration system to keep a record of where night hunting is happening, give law enforcement a way to distinguish legal night hunters from poachers, and collect harvest data on hog removal. The registration is free. The obligation is real.

The core rule: It is unlawful to hunt feral hogs, coyotes, or armadillos at night on any property that has not been registered with SCDNR for that purpose.

Step 1 — Register the property annually

Registration is done online at dnr.sc.gov/nighthunt and must be completed before the first night hunt. This is a yearly requirement — last year’s registration does not carry over.

What you must provide at registration:

Property location and the names of bordering roads
Name, birth date, and hunting license number for each hunter who will night-hunt the property

Edge case Who is ineligible to register?

Persons convicted of a night-hunting violation involving deer, bear, or turkey within the previous five years are ineligible to participate in night hog hunting. If you or a hunting companion has such a conviction, that person cannot register or hunt under a registration. Verify current eligibility rules with SCDNR, as penalties and lookback periods can change.

Step 2 — File the harvest report

Registration is not the only obligation. SC requires a harvest report to be filed after the registration period ends. Failure to file the harvest report can affect your eligibility to register for future seasons.

The harvest report documents how many animals were taken under the registration. Even if you hunted and took nothing, you typically still owe a report — zero is a valid harvest total. Filing on time keeps your record clean for the next season.

Deep dive Where do I file the harvest report?

The harvest report is filed through the same SCDNR portal used for registration. The exact filing window and deadline are set each year by SCDNR — confirm the current deadline at dnr.sc.gov/nighthunt or through the eRegulations digest for the current season. This is exactly the type of administrative detail that can change from year to year, so do not rely on any fixed date from a previous season.

The registration process end-to-end

Four-step workflow diagram. Step 1: Register property at dnr.sc.gov/nighthunt at least 48 hours before hunting. Step 2: Hunt legally with lights, NV, thermal, obeying the 300-yard buffer. Step 3: File harvest report after season ends — missing it risks future eligibility. Step 4: Re-register next year — registration does not carry over. Below: red warning box noting WMA night hunting is prohibited regardless of registration, and the 300-yard residence buffer applies. — Diagram (not a photo). The SC night-hog registration workflow. Verify current rules at dnr.sc.gov/nighthunt — deadlines and windows change yearly.

Walking through a real registration

Here’s what the process looks like in practice for a hunter named Marcus who wants to night-hunt hogs on his uncle’s farm.

Week before the planned hunt: Marcus goes to dnr.sc.gov/nighthunt and starts a new property registration. He enters the farm’s GPS coordinates and the names of the two bordering county roads. He lists himself and his cousin as hunters, with their birth dates and license numbers. He submits the registration — five days before the planned hunt, well clear of the 48-hour minimum.

Night of the hunt: Marcus and his cousin set up over a baited feeder. They’re using a thermal scope and a suppressed .308. They stay at least 300 yards from the neighbor’s house. They take two hogs.

After the season ends: Marcus logs back in to the SCDNR portal and files the harvest report: two hogs taken on the registered property. He notes the dates and submits. His registration record stays clean for next year.

What Marcus can’t do: Night-hunt the public WMA two miles away — even though the farm is registered, WMA night hunting is prohibited. And he cannot start hunting the night he registers; the 48-hour window must pass first.

Check your understanding

Knowledge check

Hunter Alicia plans to night-hunt hogs on private property she leases. She registers online at 8 a.m. on a Thursday. When is the earliest she may legally begin night hunting?

8 a.m. Saturday — after the 48-hour window has passed Thursday night — registration is already filed Friday night — 24 hours is sufficient notice

Show answer

Correct: 8 a.m. Saturday — after the 48-hour window has passed — Correct. SC requires at least 48 hours between registration submission and hunting. Thursday 8 a.m. + 48 hours = Saturday 8 a.m. is the earliest legal start.
Not quite: Thursday night — registration is already filed — Filing is not enough. SC requires a minimum 48-hour notice period. Thursday morning registration means the earliest legal night is Saturday.
Not quite: Friday night — 24 hours is sufficient notice — The required window is 48 hours, not 24. Friday night falls only ~36 hours after Thursday morning — still within the required notice period.

Knowledge check

Which statement about the harvest report is correct?

It is required after the registration period ends, and filing a zero count is acceptable It is optional — only required if you actually harvested hogs There is no separate report — the annual registration covers everything

Show answer

Correct: It is required after the registration period ends, and filing a zero count is acceptable — Correct. You must file the harvest report even if you took no hogs. A zero is a valid report. Failing to file at all can jeopardize future registration eligibility.
Not quite: It is optional — only required if you actually harvested hogs — The harvest report is mandatory, not optional. SC requires it regardless of whether you harvested any animals.
Not quite: There is no separate report — the annual registration covers everything — Registration and the harvest report are two separate obligations. Registration happens before hunting; the harvest report is filed after the season and documents what you took.

Take it to the woods

Before any night hog hunt, work through this checklist in order. Steps 1–3 must be done days before the hunt, not the day of.

Night-hunt registration checklist

0/7

Verify current SCDNR night-hunting rules at dnr.sc.gov — season windows and deadlines change yearly.
Confirm all hunters are eligible (no disqualifying night-hunting convictions in last 5 years).
Safety Register the property at dnr.sc.gov/nighthunt at least 48 hours before hunting. Do this days early — not the morning of the hunt.
Have property location, bordering road names, and each hunter's name, birth date, and license number ready for registration.
Planned hunting setup stays 300+ yards from any occupied residence.
Confirmed property is private land — NOT a WMA or public tract.
Set a reminder to file the harvest report after the season ends — even if harvest = zero.

Sources

SC Feral Hog, Coyote and Armadillo Regulations (eRegulations official SC hunting digest): https://www.eregulations.com/southcarolina/hunting/feral-hog-coyote-armadillo-regulations — Verify current regulations before hunting; these change yearly.
Carolina Sportsman — Night hunting registration overview: https://www.carolinasportsman.com/hunting/small-game/night-hunting-for-coyotes-hogs-armadillos-requires-registration/
SCDNR Night Hunt registration portal (official): https://www.dnr.sc.gov/nighthunt — Verify current rules and deadlines here before registering.
SCDNR Wild Hog Information page: https://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/hog/index.html

If you remember nothing else

It is unlawful to hunt hogs at night on any property not registered annually with SCDNR at dnr.sc.gov/nighthunt.
Registration is free, must be done before the first night hunt of the season, and must be renewed every year.
You must provide property location, bordering road names, and each hunter's name, birth date, and license number.
A harvest report must be filed within 30 days after the registration period ends — failure to report can affect future eligibility.
Always verify current registration windows, deadlines, and eligibility rules at SCDNR before hunting after dark.

How ready do you feel?

How confident are you that you could walk through the SC night-hunting registration process correctly before your first after-dark hog hunt?

Before you go — a quick look back

Distributed practice: one fast recall from an earlier lesson keeps it from fading.

Quick recall

From Legal Methods on Private Land — name two tools that become legal for hog hunting at night on a registered property but are NOT permitted during daylight without registration.

Show me the answer

Show answer

Correct: Show me the answer — Artificial lights, night-vision devices, and thermal imagers are all night-specific tools permitted only on registered properties. Any two of those three is the correct answer.

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