Coyote Hunting Laws in South Carolina: What You Need to Know Before You Hunt

Coyotes are present in every county in South Carolina, and the state gives hunters more flexibility to pursue them than almost any other species on the landscape. Though historically found in the western half of the United States, the coyote (Canis latrans) is now found throughout North America, and populations in South Carolina were established in Pickens and Oconee counties in the late 1970s by houndsmen, expanding since to include all counties in the state.

Whether you are dealing with livestock losses, protecting your property, or simply looking for a challenging predator hunt, South Carolina’s regulations are built around giving you real options. That said, the rules around night hunting, trapping, and depredation permits have specific requirements you need to understand before heading out. This guide walks through every key regulation so you stay legal and in the field.

Is Coyote Hunting Legal in South Carolina?

Coyotes may be hunted throughout the year with a valid hunting license. The use of electronic calls is legal statewide, and coyotes may be hunted at night. There is no bag limit and no closed season on private land, making South Carolina one of the most hunter-friendly states in the Southeast for predator hunting.

Contrary to popular belief, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) did not stock coyotes in South Carolina to control the white-tailed deer population, or for any other reason. Their spread across the state has been driven by natural range expansion, which is part of why SCDNR actively encourages hunting and trapping as management tools.

One study on the Savannah River Site in Aiken County revealed that coyotes were preying upon more than half the deer fawns born. That level of predation pressure on native wildlife is a major reason the state maintains open, permissive regulations for coyote hunting year-round.

Pro Tip: South Carolina also operates a Coyote Harvest Incentive Program. Established through a 2016 legislative budget proviso, SCDNR annually tags and releases four coyotes per game zone (16 total statewide), with a $3,000 reward to the hunter or trapper who reports a tagged coyote — though no individual may collect the reward on more than two coyotes per fiscal year.

If you hunt in neighboring states, it is worth comparing the rules. Regulations vary significantly, so check the coyote hunting laws in North Carolina and coyote hunting laws in Virginia before crossing state lines.

Coyote Hunting Season Dates in South Carolina

A hunting license is required; however, there is no closed season on hunting feral hogs, coyotes, and armadillos on private land statewide during daylight hours. That means you can pursue coyotes on private land every day of the year, from January through December, with no gaps.

Feral hogs, coyotes, and armadillos cannot be hunted at night on WMA lands, but can be hunted during the day on WMAs where feral hog, coyote, and/or armadillo hunting is allowed. On public Wildlife Management Areas, your weapon choice is also restricted to whatever is legal for the current open season on that specific WMA.

On WMA lands, weapons used to hunt feral hogs, coyotes, and armadillos are limited to the weapon(s) that are allowed for the current open season on the WMA unless otherwise specified. Always check the WMA-specific seasons listing before hunting public land.

For a broader look at how coyote seasons fit alongside other hunting opportunities in the Palmetto State, the general hunting laws in South Carolina and the deer hunting season in South Carolina pages offer useful context on how seasons and zones interact.

License and Permit Requirements for Coyote Hunting in South Carolina

A hunting license is required to hunt coyotes. Beyond that basic requirement, coyote hunting does not require any special tags, stamps, or additional permits — which keeps the paperwork minimal compared to deer or turkey. Unlike deer tags or turkey stamps, coyote hunting requires zero extra paperwork beyond your basic hunting license.

According to huntinglicenseusa.com, residents pay $25 for a statewide hunting license, while non-residents pay $225 for a combined hunt and big game license. The license is free for seniors aged 64 and older. South Carolina hunting licenses run from July 1 through June 30 of the following year.

All residents and nonresidents born after June 30, 1979, must successfully complete a SCDNR-approved hunter education course and present the certificate of completion before a hunting or combination license can be obtained. Free online and in-person courses are available.

There is one important exception to the license requirement. Within 100 yards of the property owner’s residence — so long as you are still on your own property — coyotes may be trapped or shot (if it is legal to discharge a firearm at the property’s location) without any kind of license or permit. This exemption applies to the property owner or his or her designee, such as a friend, relative, or any other person designated by the property owner.

Important Note: A hunting license is required to hunt coyotes on public or WMA lands. The 100-yard home exemption applies only to the property owner on their own private land, not to public hunting areas.

Legal Methods and Weapons for Coyote Hunting in South Carolina

On private lands, coyotes may be hunted with any firearm during daylight hours at any time of the year. Archery equipment and crossbows are also fully legal tools for coyote hunting statewide.

Archery means a longbow, recurve bow, compound bow, or crossbow. There are no restrictions on draw weight or length, arrow weight or length, or broadhead weight, width, or style. This gives bowhunters significant flexibility when targeting coyotes at close range.

The use of bait and electronic calls is legal on private lands statewide. Crows, coyotes, and hogs are not game birds or animals and therefore can be hunted using electronic calls on private lands and WMA lands. This is a meaningful distinction from game animals like deer or turkey, for which electronic calls are prohibited.

Popular rifle calibers for coyote hunting in South Carolina include the .223 Remington, .22-250, and .243 Winchester — all effective at the distances typically encountered in the state’s mixed agricultural and forested terrain. If you plan to keep pelts, consider the impact of your ammunition choice on fur condition.

For hunters who also pursue deer or turkey and want to understand how weapon restrictions shift by season and zone, the bow hunting laws in South Carolina page covers archery-specific rules in detail.

Night Hunting and Electronic Call Rules in South Carolina

Night hunting for coyotes is legal in South Carolina, but it comes with a specific registration requirement that you must handle before going out after dark. Feral hogs, coyotes, and armadillos may be hunted at night on registered properties on which a person has a lawful right to hunt. Feral hogs, coyotes, or armadillos may not be hunted at night on any unregistered property, except with a DNR-issued depredation permit.

A property may be registered online on the SCDNR website at www.dnr.sc.gov/nighthunt, and must be registered annually. The person registering the property must report to the department the number of feral hogs, coyotes, and armadillos taken within thirty days following the end of the twelve-month registration period, or prior to registering the property again. Properties for which reports have not been submitted will not be registered again until reports are submitted.

Once your property is registered, the rules become quite permissive. Feral hogs, coyotes, and armadillos may be hunted at night on registered property on which a person has a lawful right to hunt with any legal firearm, bow and arrow, or crossbow, and with or without the aid of bait, electronic calls, artificial light, or night vision devices.

There is one safety buffer that applies to all night hunters. It is unlawful to hunt feral hogs, coyotes, or armadillos at night within 300 yards of a residence without the permission of the occupant. This yardage restriction does not apply to the landowner hunting their own property, or under the authority of a DNR-issued depredation permit.

Persons convicted of night hunting for deer, bear, or turkey during the previous five years are ineligible to hunt feral hogs, coyotes, or armadillos at night. This is an eligibility bar worth knowing before you register a property or plan a night hunt.

Pro Tip: Thermal and night vision equipment are legal tools on registered properties. However, keep target identification in mind — coyotes, foxes, and domestic dogs can look similar through a thermal imager at distance. Night vision scopes allow for clearer species identification before you take a shot.

It is legal to use electronic calls during the day or night for hunting coyotes on private lands and during the day on WMA lands where hunting for coyotes is allowed. Electronic calls are not permitted for night hunting on WMAs, since night hunting itself is prohibited on those lands.

Trapping Coyotes in South Carolina

Individuals may trap coyotes during the trapping season (December 1 through March 1) with a valid commercial fur harvest license along with a valid hunting license. Outside of this window, trapping requires either a depredation permit or the 100-yard home exemption described above.

When setting traps, specific equipment rules apply. Foothold traps must be 5¾ inches or smaller for land sets, and all coyote sets are generally considered land sets. The use of snares is illegal for use in land sets. This means cable restraints and snare-style traps are not legal options when targeting coyotes on land.

Handling live coyotes after capture is tightly restricted. Except for licensed trappers during the trapping season (December 1 through March 1 and 30 days after), the possession and relocation of live coyotes is illegal. Importation of coyotes into the state is a violation of both state and federal law.

A predator management permit is also available for larger hunting operations. This is a special depredation permit to trap coyotes for wildlife management purposes — not for traditional depredation issues such as livestock losses — and is specifically for hunt clubs and other large properties primarily used for hunting. It is only valid outside of trapping season (March 1 through November 30), requires a year-end harvest report, and is issued by the Furbearer Project in the Columbia office.

Hunters in other states facing similar trapping questions may find it useful to compare rules. See how neighboring states handle it with the coyote hunting laws in North Carolina, coyote hunting laws in Virginia, coyote hunting laws in Pennsylvania, and coyote hunting laws in Michigan.

Landowner Rights and Depredation Rules in South Carolina

South Carolina gives landowners meaningful tools to address coyote problems outside of standard hunting seasons and license requirements. The two main pathways are the 100-yard home exemption and the SCDNR depredation permit system.

The 100-yard home exemption is the simplest option. A depredation permit or license is not required by the property owner, or his or her designee, when capturing furbearing animals or squirrels within one hundred yards of the owner’s home when the animals are causing damage to the owner’s property. This covers both shooting and trapping, as long as discharging a firearm is otherwise legal at that location.

For situations beyond the 100-yard zone, depredation permits are the right tool. Depredation permits may be issued at any time of the year by SCDNR for the taking of furbearing animals that are destroying or damaging private or public property, wildlife habitat, game species, timber, crops, or other agriculture so as to be a nuisance, or for scientific, research, or wildlife management purposes. There is no cost for this permit. Animals captured under a depredation permit may not be relocated, sold, traded, exchanged, or bartered.

Depredation permits are available for controlling destructive coyotes year-round. No hunting or trapping license is required with a depredation permit. For more information about depredation permits, contact the DNR Furbearer Project at (803) 734-3609.

Night shooting under a depredation permit is also an option in situations where standard night hunting registration is not in place. Except as provided under normal night hunting regulations, a depredation permit to shoot coyotes at night must be obtained from a local DNR conservation officer — and local firearms ordinances should be checked first.

Situation	License Required?	Permit Required?	Night Hunting Allowed?
Hunting on private land (day)	Yes	No	N/A
Hunting on registered property (night)	Yes (16+)	Property registration with SCDNR	Yes
Within 100 yards of owner’s home	No	No	Check local ordinances
Depredation permit holder	No	Free SCDNR depredation permit	Yes (with permit)
Trapping (licensed trapper)	Yes (hunting + commercial fur)	No (in-season)	N/A
Hunting on WMA lands (day)	Yes	WMA-specific rules apply	No

Landowners dealing with broader livestock or property damage situations may also find relevant context in South Carolina’s roadkill laws in South Carolina and leash laws in South Carolina, which touch on how the state handles wildlife-related property conflicts more generally. For those managing farms or rural properties with multiple animal concerns, the goat ownership laws in South Carolina and backyard chicken laws in South Carolina pages are also worth reviewing.

South Carolina’s coyote regulations reward hunters and landowners who take time to understand the system. Year-round open seasons, broad weapon choices, legal electronic calls, and an accessible depredation permit process give you multiple legal pathways to manage coyotes effectively — whether your goal is sport hunting, pelt harvest, or protecting livestock. Always verify current rules through SCDNR’s official coyote page or the eRegulations South Carolina coyote regulations page before each season, as rules can change.