The Dogs-Only Running Rule
Assumes the Hunting Primer. New here? Start there first.
Your objective
By the end, you'll be able to decide whether carrying a firearm is legal given the period you're in, and explain why the no-firearm rule exists during the dogs-only running period.
Picture a warm April morning: your beagle is chasing a cotton-tail through a briar patch and you’ve got your shotgun slung over your shoulder out of habit. A game warden steps out of the tree line. You are in the dogs-only running period. The firearm on your back — loaded or not — is a violation. This lesson makes sure that situation never happens to you.
Quick recall
Quick recall — during the dogs-only running period, may you take (harvest) any rabbits?
What the law actually says
South Carolina Code § 50-11-120 is precise: during the dogs-only running period, it is lawful to run rabbits with dogs — but no rabbits may be taken. The statute goes further and specifies that during periods when rabbits may be pursued without firearms, hunters may not carry any firearm on their person.
That last phrase covers every scenario people try to work around:
- An unloaded shotgun in a case under your arm? Still a firearm — still illegal.
- A pistol you carry for personal protection? Still a firearm — still illegal during a dogs-only running outing.
- A .22 rimfire in your pack “just in case”? Still a firearm — still illegal.
The rule is a bright line, not a gray area.
Why the rule makes sense
The no-firearm rule exists because the running period is not a hunt — it is a sport-running and conditioning window. The cottontail population is at its pre-season low in spring and summer, before the multiple summer litters boost numbers back up. Running dogs hard enough to keep them sharp does not harm the population. Harvesting that same population in spring would.
The firearm prohibition is the legal mechanism that enforces the “running only” character of the period. You cannot accidentally — or intentionally — shoot a rabbit if you have no firearm.
Edge case What about enclosures?
State law makes a separate allowance: running rabbits with dogs in enclosed areas (pens) is legal at any time of year, in all game zones. But the same rule applies — no rabbits may be taken even in a pen running scenario. Penned running is a training tool, not a harvest method.
Make the call
Here’s a diagram that lays out the decision you face before any outing involving dogs. Use it as a mental checklist.
Decision
It is April 10. You're heading out with your beagle to run a private back field. You check the calendar — you're in the dogs-only running period. You reach for your shotgun by habit. What do you do?
Knowledge check
It is mid-October — the guns-and-dogs season has not yet opened (it opens the Saturday before Thanksgiving). A friend wants to run his beagles on private land. What is legal?
Knowledge check
Your hunting partner says an unloaded pistol in a holster is fine during dogs-only running because it can't fire accidentally. Is he correct?
Take it to the woods
Make the firearm check automatic before every dog outing.
Pre-outing period check
Sources
- S.C. Code § 50-11-120 Small Game Seasons (SC Legislature): https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t50c011.php (verify current SCDNR regulations before you hunt — these change yearly)
- SCDNR Small Game Regulations (eRegulations): https://www.eregulations.com/southcarolina/hunting/small-game-regulations (verify current SCDNR regulations before you hunt — these change yearly)
- SCDNR Hunting Regulations: https://dnr.sc.gov/regulations.html
- SC Small Game Season Dates (eRegulations): https://www.eregulations.com/southcarolina/hunting/small-game-seasons
If you remember nothing else
- During the dogs-only running period, SC law prohibits carrying any firearm afield — even unloaded, even slung on your back.
- The running period exists to let hound hunters condition dogs year-round without harvesting the pre-season population.
- No rabbits may be taken during the running period — it is exercise and training for the dogs, not a hunt.
- Running dogs in enclosed areas (pens) is legal at any time of year, but still with no harvest.
- Verify the current period dates and firearm rules at dnr.sc.gov before every outing — regulations change yearly.
How ready do you feel?
How ready are you to make the correct call about carrying a firearm before any outing where dogs are running rabbits?
Before you go — a quick look back
Distributed practice: one fast recall from an earlier lesson keeps it from fading.
Quick recall
From The Split Season — approximately when does the guns-and-dogs season end and the dogs-only running period begin on private land?
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