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by ERIN PARROTT
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The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) announced that the 2025-2026 dove hunting season will open for hunters across the state in September – but only on specific dates.
South Carolina’s dove hunting season will open in three phases half an hour before sunrise until sunset:
- September 1, 2025 through October 4, 2025
- November 15, 2025 through November 29, 2025
- December 22, 2025 through January 31, 2026
SCDNR makes these dates available to hunters across the Palmetto State, implementing a bag limit of 15 – meaning hunters are allowed to legally harvest and possess 15 doves in a single day – as well as a possession limit of 45. That latter number is the maximum number of doves a hunter can have in their possession at any given time, including at home in the freezer.
In addition to state regulations, federal rules apply to the taking, possession, shipping, transporting and storing of doves – which fall under the category of migratory birds.
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To hunt doves legally, individuals must have a valid S.C. hunting license, a migratory bird permit and potentially a Wildlife Management Area (WMA) permit if they chose to hunt on public lands.
According to SCDNR, the majority of dove hunts in South Carolina are held over three kinds of fields:
- Fields composed of combined or picked corn, combined soybean fields, or other fall harvested crops.
- Fields where crops are grown and manipulated for wildlife management purposes.
- Fields where wheat or other grains have recently been planted.
While the exact number of doves killed during the 2024-2025 season is unavailable, a total of 658,900 doves were harvested in South Carolina during the 2023-2024 season – which is part of the over 20 million estimated doves harvested annually by hunters in the United States.
Although mourning doves are the primary target for hunters in the Palmetto State, SCDNR noted four other dove species may be encountered in the field – including one that is off-limits entirely and two that do not count toward the daily bag limit.
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As dove season approaches, licensed hunters across South Carolina are also preparing for the start of deer season – which opens as early as August 15, 2025 in some private land game zones – and the highly anticipated alligator hunting season, set to begin September 3, 2025.
FITSNews will continue to track South Carolina’s upcoming hunting seasons – along with any updates to regulations, harvest numbers and other key developments in the field.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Erin Parrott is a Greenville, S.C. native who graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2025 with a bachelor degree in broadcast journalism. Got feedback or a tip for Erin? Email her here.
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2 comments
No thanks. I used to dove hunt with my dad and grand dad when I was around nine or ten. In my older years, I don’t derive any pleasure from killing, or worse maiming, these gentle creatures.
This here is some really hard-hitting journalism. Good thing there’s nothing else going on in the state or nation on which to report.