You Are Bowhunting Deer. What Are the Legal Hunting Hours
Anyone hunting bears, wild pigs, rabbits, squirrels, capercaillie, pheasants or quails with firearms must wear an orange hunter cap or hat or an orange hunter outer garment visible from all sides. Anyone hunting deer during a deer arming season must wear a hunter orange visible from all sides, regardless of the weapon. These include bowhunters who hunt on Sundays during deer gun season and anyone who hunts on deer hunting day among youth. This requirement does not apply to the landowner, their spouse and children when hunting on their property. It is illegal to keep deer in cold stores or cold storage unless the carcass is clearly marked with the hunter`s name, address and hunting licence number (50-11-1700). This does not apply to storage in a private home or to deer where a hunter`s personal tag remains attached to the thigh tendon because the tag identifies the hunter. Processors do not accept unmarked deer; However, you are not responsible for missing information on a deer tag, such as notches, markings, etc. The deer tag can be removed by the processor as soon as treatment begins or the deer is quartered. Processors are encouraged to report marking violations to SCDNR law enforcement. Deer processors must recognize that it is illegal to sell deer meat in order to recover deer handling fees not collected by the owner (50-11-1910). The best course of action is to take a deposit for treatment service if deer are left at the facility. If the meat is not picked up by the owner, it can be given free of charge to another person.
Deer species include white-tailed deer, mule deer, moose, caribou/reindeer, red deer, sika deer, axis deer and fallow deer. For more information on CWD and other deer diseases, see ncwildlife.org/DeerDiseases. In MFAs 1 to 12, deer hunters can catch and possess up to 2 deer in one day before reporting or checking them. Once these deer are reported, the hunter can resume deer hunting on the same day. (Example: A hunter harvests 2 deer in the morning. After reporting the deer online or at a checkpoint, he or she can return to deer hunting the same day.) In WMZ 13 and 14, deer hunters are allowed to catch and own up to 4 deer in one day before reporting/inspecting them. Once these deer are reported, the hunter can resume deer hunting on the same day. For most species, hunting seasons are open each year on the same day of the week and at the same general time. For example, the rabbit season begins each year on the following Monday or October 15 and ends on the last day of February. Changes in seasonal data resulting from newly adopted regulations are displayed in red ink. However, most of the seasonal data that differs from last year is the result of the annual shift of days in each year`s calendar.
These parts or their containers must bear the name and address of the person; State, Canadian province or foreign country of origin; the date on which the deer was killed; and the person`s hunting licence number, licence number or equivalent identification of the state, Canadian province or foreign country of origin. All deer hunters, regardless of hunting equipment used, must wear Flamboyant Orange during the following seasons or Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs): It is illegal to hunt deer with a firearm within three hundred metres of a residence if it is within ten feet above the ground without the permission of the owner and resident. The provisions of this section do not apply to an owner who hunts on his own land or to a person who fishes on the basis of a permit from the Ministry. The use of wood-free DQP labels is subject to the following restrictions. In Game Zone 1, tags come into effect on October 1st. In game zones 2, 3 and 4, tags are valid from September 15. Markings issued for a given piece of land may only be used in that area and must be used for all deer (without antlers and/or antlers) for which a quota has been issued. Tags do not change the use of weapons during special weapon seasons. Statewide, play zones and daily limits do not apply to properties registered in the DQP because the boundary is on the property, not on the people suing the property. At the end of the season, a harvest report must be completed by the applicant.
Report: Deer must be reported online via MassFishHunt or to an official game checkpoint within 48 hours of harvest. In the case of online registration, a confirmation number will be issued. This number shall be indicated on the harvest label and affixed to the carcass. It is illegal to introduce exotic species of wildlife or wild birds that are not native to this area or wild boar into an area in order to equip the area for hunting or trapping. (There are some limited exceptions for licensed controlled hunting areas.) This page is for reference use, it does not comply with the full law and is subject to change. For more information on the laws and regulations governing deer hunting, see the provisions of the Massachusetts Code, 321 CMR 3.02 (4), as well as several provisions of the General Laws of Massachusetts, Chapter 131. In play area 1, only three (3) individual wood tags will be valid on private or WMA land starting October 1st. In play zones 2, 3 and 4, individual wood-free tags are valid from September 15 on private or WMA land. In total, no more than five (5) individual wood-free tags may be used on private fields in play area 2 and on all DMAs in play areas 2, 3 and 4. All wood-free individual tags can be used on private land in play areas 3 and 4.
Individual antler-free tags are not valid for properties registered under the antlerless deer quota program. The tags do not change the daily or seasonal pocket limits for play areas, nor the type of weapon allowed. Labels may only be owned or used by the person whose name appears on the label. Shotgun: No larger than 10 caliber. Can only be used during shotgun season. Rifled shotguns are legal. Hunting lessons start 1/2 hour before sunrise and end 1/2 hour after sunset. (With the exception of DMAs, which are stocked with pheasant or quail during pheasant or quail season, hunting seasons are from sunrise to sunset.) Click here for a sunrise/sunset painting. A person may accept the donation of wildlife lawfully taken in North Carolina if the seizure does not result in the applicable property line being exceeded, and if the person owns and maintains in writing the name and address of the licensor and under the licensing requirements that the wildlife was taken. It is illegal to accept the donation of wildlife that has been legally taken unless you have written the name, address and licence or licence exemptions under which the wildlife was taken. In addition, people who take possession of big game (deer, bear or wild turkey) must keep the authorization number of this animal. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal neurological disease of deer (deer family) that poses a significant risk to deer in North America.
To protect against the spread of CWD in SC, the following rules apply: No person shall import or possess a whole carcass or part of a carcass from an infected State, except that quarters or other parts of meat without part of the vertebral column or head may be imported; boneless meat; headless skin; clean (no meat or tissue) the skull or skull plates with attached antlers; wood (detached from the skull plate); Clean the upper canines, also called “bugle”, “whistler” or “ivory”; and finished taxidermy heads. Hunters travelling elsewhere should check with the wildlife authority in their destination state to determine CWD status and any restrictions the state may have on carcass movement. CWD has been diagnosed in 30 states and 4 Canadian provinces. For an up-to-date list of these locations, see www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife. (Reg. 123-54). Archery: Archery equipment can be used during all deer hunting seasons. All bows (classic, long and compound), with the exception of authorized crossbows, must have a pulling weight of at least 40 lbs to 28 inches or a lace pull. Crossbows can only be used by certain permanently disabled people with permission. Booms must have sharp steel blades at least 7/8 inches wide. Expansive wide heads and mechanical triggers are allowed. Poisoned arrows, explosive points, aerial bows and mechanically fired bows are prohibited.
There are many local laws relating to hunting and trapping in North Carolina. A summary of local laws that are more restrictive than general regulations is included in this summary. For more information, see the “Local Laws” section. The establishment of open seasons does not require the private owner to authorize hunting on his property, nor does it remove the ethical requirement to obtain permission from the owner before hunting. In some counties, hunters must obtain permission to hunt on private property (see “Local Laws”). 2022 Hunting Season DatesYouth Deer Hunting Day: October 1, 2022Paraplegic Hunting: November 3 to 5, 2022 Archery season (zones 10 to 14): October 3 to November 26, 2022 Archery season (zones 1 to 9): October 17 to November 26, 2022 Shotgun season: November 28 to December 10, 2022 Primitive Firearms Season: December 12 to December 31, 2022 Natural commercial deer urine products are made from urine collected from deer in other states, many of which have been diagnosed with CWD. The agent of CWD can be found in deer urine. The distribution of this urine can contaminate the environment. For this reason, no person may possess or use substances or material that contain or purport to excrete a deer, including urine, feces, blood, glandular oil or any other bodily fluid, for the purpose of collecting, attracting or exploring wildlife in SC.
This does not prohibit the use of synthetic products or substances collected by a hunter from deer legally caught in SC.
