The SC Legal Framework: Seasons, Night & Trapping Law Foundations

Night-Hunting Law: Registration & the 300-Yard Rule

Lesson 12 of 37 · Module 3, lesson 3

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

Your objective

By the end, you'll be able to identify the four legal requirements that must be satisfied before hunting predators at night in SC: registered property, valid license, 300-yard standoff, and WMA exclusion.

Reference ~8 min

You get permission to hunt a 200-acre Piedmont farm. The landowner says the coyotes have been nailing fawns and she wants them called at night. You have your hunting license. Are you legal to go out tonight? Not yet. SC night hunting operates inside a specific legal framework — and the pieces must all be in place before you turn on the first light. This lesson maps every requirement so you can make that call before you load the truck.

Quick recall

Quick recall — what must a SC trapper or hunter do before pursuing furbearers on a WMA or Heritage Preserve?

Not trap at all — trapping is prohibited on WMAs and Heritage Preserves Obtain a special WMA trapping permit from SCDNR Ensure the foothold jaw spread meets WMA standards

Show answer

Correct: Not trap at all — trapping is prohibited on WMAs and Heritage Preserves — Right. Trapping is not allowed on any WMA or Heritage Preserve in SC. The same principle extends to night hunting: WMAs are off-limits for night predator hunting as well.
Not quite: Obtain a special WMA trapping permit from SCDNR — No such permit exists — WMA trapping is simply prohibited, not permitted by exception. And night hunting on WMAs is also prohibited.
Not quite: Ensure the foothold jaw spread meets WMA standards — Jaw spread rules are real, but the key WMA rule is that trapping is completely prohibited — no trap type is allowed.

The legal foundation: SC Code 50-11-715

SC’s night-hunting framework is built on SC Code § 50-11-715. The baseline rule is that night hunting is prohibited in South Carolina. The exception carved out for predator control covers three species: coyote, feral hog, and armadillo. That exception only applies when all of the following conditions are met simultaneously.

This lesson focuses on coyote as the primary predator-trapping track target, but the legal rules apply identically to feral hog and armadillo on the same registered properties.

The why Why are fox and bobcat NOT on the night-hunting list?

Fox and bobcat are classified furbearers with a defined trapping season, bag limits, and CITES requirements. SC law does not extend the night-hunting exception to them. If you call a fox into a set at night intending to shoot it, that is illegal night hunting regardless of the property registration status. The night-hunting exception is specifically for invasive/nuisance species (coyote, feral hog, armadillo) — not for furbearers with defined seasons. Trap those fox or bobcat during legal hours under your fur license.

Requirement 1 — Annual property registration

The property where you intend to night hunt must be registered annually with SCDNR. Registration is not automatic, does not carry over from year to year, and must be done through the SCDNR online registration system at https://www.dnr.sc.gov/nighthunt/.

To register a property, you need:

A SCDNR Customer ID (used to log in)
The property’s tax map number (TMS# or Parcel ID#)
County and nearest town
Total acreage and a description with bordering road names

Registration covers the calendar year (January 1 through December 31). To re-register for the following year, you must submit an annual report of the previous year’s night hunting activities on that property first. Properties without a submitted annual report lose their registration status.

Requirement 2 — Valid hunting license

Every hunter aged 16 or older must hold a valid SC hunting license to participate in a night hunt on a registered property. This is the same license required for daytime hunting — there is no separate “night hunting license.”

Eligibility restriction — prior night-hunting convictions: Persons convicted of illegal night hunting for deer, bear, or turkey within the previous five years are ineligible to participate in night coyote hunting, even on a properly registered property. If you have such a conviction, you cannot legally participate until that five-year period has elapsed.

Requirement 3 — The 300-yard rule

Two exceptions to the 300-yard rule:

Landowner hunting their own land. If you own the property, the 300-yard restriction does not apply to structures on your own land. If a neighbor’s house is within 300 yards, however, you still need that neighbor’s permission.
SCDNR depredation permit. Persons taking coyotes pursuant to a SCDNR-issued depredation permit are exempt from the 300-yard rule on the permitted property.

Edge case What counts as a 'residence' for the 300-yard rule?

The statute uses “residence,” which SCDNR interprets as an occupied dwelling — a house, mobile home, or other structure people live in. Barns, equipment sheds, and deer stands are not residences. When in doubt, treat any structure that could be occupied as a residence and keep 300 yards. A wrong call here is not a minor infraction — it is a firearms safety issue as well as a legal one.

Requirement 4 — WMA and Heritage Preserve exclusion

Night hunting of coyotes is prohibited on all Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) and Heritage Preserves, period. There is no permit or exception that opens WMA lands for night predator hunting. If the property you want to hunt is a WMA, the answer is no — day hunt it instead.

This complements the trapping prohibition covered in the previous lesson: WMAs are off-limits for both nighttime hunting and all trapping.

Legal methods on a registered property

Once all four requirements above are met, the law allows hunters on a registered property to use:

Any legal firearm, bow and arrow, or crossbow
Bait and electronic calls
Artificial lights (spotlights, gun-mounted lights, colored lights)
Night-vision devices (image-intensifier or digital)
Thermal optics (note: thermal detects heat, it does not always definitively identify species — this distinction is covered in the Night-Hunting Overview module)

One absolute prohibition on all properties: no shooting or attempting to shoot from, on, or across any public paved road, regardless of what the target is or how dark it is.

Dark-background diagram showing the four requirements for SC night predator hunting: (1) registered property via SCDNR with annual renewal; (2) valid hunting license, noting prior night deer/bear/turkey convictions disqualify for 5 years; (3) 300-yard standoff from residences with landowner and depredation permit exceptions; (4) no WMA or Heritage Preserve. Species covered: coyote, feral hog, armadillo only — fox and bobcat are excluded. — Diagram (not a photo). All four requirements must be met simultaneously for a legal SC night coyote hunt. Verify current SCDNR rules annually.

Make the call: is this hunt legal?

Decision

A neighbor has given you permission to hunt his 300-acre farm for coyotes at night. He says he registered it with SCDNR 'a couple years ago.' You have a valid hunting license. What do you check before heading out tonight?

You have permission and a license — go tonight

The neighbor mentioned registration 'a couple years ago' — registration lapses annually. If it wasn't renewed, you are hunting an unregistered property at night. That's a violation, regardless of permission. Check registration status first.

Verify the property registration is current at SCDNR before going out

Good discipline. You check and discover the registration lapsed last year because the annual activity report wasn't submitted. You help the neighbor file the report and re-register — then you're legal to go.

Check your understanding

Knowledge check

A hunter is on a property registered with SCDNR for night hunting. A farmhouse on the adjacent property is 280 yards away. The hunter owns this land outright. Can he legally use a firearm from his current position at night?

No — he needs the neighbor's permission because the house is within 300 yards Yes — landowners are exempt from the 300-yard rule on their own land Yes — the property is registered, which covers all setbacks

Show answer

Correct: No — he needs the neighbor's permission because the house is within 300 yards — Correct. The landowner exception only covers residences ON HIS OWN LAND. The neighbor's house next door is a separate residence — if it's within 300 yards, he needs that occupant's permission, even though he owns his property.
Not quite: Yes — landowners are exempt from the 300-yard rule on their own land — The landowner exception is real but limited: it exempts the landowner from the 300-yard rule only with respect to residences on his own property. A neighbor's house within 300 yards still requires the neighbor's permission.
Not quite: Yes — the property is registered, which covers all setbacks — Property registration satisfies Requirement 1, but it does not override the 300-yard rule. Registration and the 300-yard standoff are separate requirements — both must be met.

Knowledge check

A hunter with a valid SC license wants to call coyotes at night on a county WMA where daytime coyote hunting is permitted. Is this legal?

No — night hunting on WMAs is prohibited regardless of species Yes — if daytime coyote hunting is allowed, night hunting is too Yes, with a special WMA night-hunting permit from SCDNR

Show answer

Correct: No — night hunting on WMAs is prohibited regardless of species — Correct. Night coyote hunting is prohibited on all WMAs and Heritage Preserves — even ones where daytime coyote hunting is allowed. Night hunting is private-registered-property only.
Not quite: Yes — if daytime coyote hunting is allowed, night hunting is too — Daytime permission does not extend to night. The night-hunting exception applies only to privately owned registered properties.
Not quite: Yes, with a special WMA night-hunting permit from SCDNR — No such permit exists for night hunting on WMAs. WMA night hunting is a flat prohibition with no exception permit available.

Take it to the woods — pre-hunt night-hunting checklist

Before every night predator hunt

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Confirm the property is currently registered with SCDNR — do not rely on last year's status. Check at dnr.sc.gov/nighthunt — verify current SCDNR regulations.
Confirm your SC hunting license is current and you have no disqualifying night-hunting convictions.
Map all residences within 400 yards of your planned set(s) before dark. Give yourself a 100-yard buffer beyond the legal 300 — you don't want to be measuring in the dark.
Safety Obtain permission from any residence occupants within 300 yards of your planned shooting positions.
Confirm the property is NOT a WMA or Heritage Preserve.
Safety Confirm no planned shots will be taken from, on, or across a public paved road.
Safety Have a plan for positively identifying the target before shooting — covered in the Night-Hunting Overview module.

Sources

SC Code § 50-11-715 (2025) via Justia: https://law.justia.com/codes/south-carolina/title-50/chapter-11/section-50-11-715/
SCDNR Night Hunting Registration: https://www.dnr.sc.gov/nighthunt/
SCDNR eRegulations — Feral Hog, Coyote & Armadillo Regulations: https://www.eregulations.com/southcarolina/hunting/feral-hog-coyote-armadillo-regulations
SCDNR Regulations page: https://dnr.sc.gov/regulations.html

Verify current SCDNR regulations before each hunt — registration requirements, eligible species, and weapon rules change annually.

If you remember nothing else

SC allows night hunting of coyotes (and feral hogs and armadillos) only on properties annually registered with SCDNR — registration is not automatic.
No firearm hunting is permitted within 300 yards of a residence at night without the occupant's permission — with exceptions for landowners on their own land and for depredation permit holders.
Night hunting on any Wildlife Management Area (WMA) or Heritage Preserve is prohibited, even for coyote.
Hunters convicted of illegal nighttime deer, bear, or turkey hunting in the previous five years are ineligible to participate.
A valid SC hunting license is required for all night hunters aged 16 and older.
Verify current registration requirements, eligible species, and weapon rules with SCDNR before each season — these change annually.

How ready do you feel?

How ready are you to check whether a specific property and set of conditions legally qualify for SC night predator hunting?

Before you go — a quick look back

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

Quick recall

From Furbearer Seasons, Status & Licenses — which furbearer species may be taken year-round on SC private land, and which has a closed season for hunting?

Show me the answer

Show answer

Correct: Show me the answer — Beaver may be taken year-round on private land. Fox and bobcat have a defined hunting season — generally Thanksgiving through March 1 for hunting, December 1 through March 1 for commercial trapping. Coyote (not a furbearer) is also year-round on private land during daylight, and can be hunted at night on registered properties.

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