South Carolina Rabbit Hunting Season: Dates, Limits, and Rules for Cottontail Hunters
October 19, 2026
Rabbit hunting in South Carolina runs for more than three months with guns, and nearly nine months with dogs alone, which makes it one of the longest small game windows in the Palmetto State. If you are planning your rabbit hunting season in South Carolina, the details that trip hunters up are not the dates themselves but the differences between private land and WMAs, running seasons and gun seasons, and Sunday rules.
This article walks you through the 2026-27 season dates, huntable species, bag limits, licensing, legal methods, shooting hours, and public land restrictions. Always confirm the final details with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) before you head out, since WMA rules can change from one tract to the next.
Rabbit Hunting Season Dates in South Carolina
South Carolina splits its rabbit season into a dogs-only running season and a guns-and-dogs season. According to eRegulations’ South Carolina small game page (last updated August 7, 2026), the same dates apply in all four game zones. On private land, dogs-only hunting runs March 2 to November 25, 2026, and guns and dogs are allowed from November 26 to March 1.
WMAs follow a tighter schedule. On WMAs, the season runs September 1-14 for dogs only, then November 26 through March 1 for guns and dogs. Some tracts add their own restrictions, so check the individual WMA listing before you go.
| Land Type | Dogs Only | Guns and Dogs |
|---|---|---|
| Private Land | March 2 – November 25, 2026 | November 26, 2026 – March 1, 2027 |
| WMA Land | September 1 – 14, 2026 | November 26, 2026 – March 1, 2027 |
There is also a youth opportunity. The statewide youth rabbit day on private land is March 6, 2027, with a 5-per-day limit.
Important Note: Some third-party sites list the gun opener as November 27, 2026, which matches the traditional day after Thanksgiving. The eRegulations table, updated in August 2026, lists November 26. Confirm the opening day on the SCDNR website before your first gun hunt.
Which Rabbit and Hare Species You Can Hunt in South Carolina
South Carolina has no native hares open to hunters, so your targets are rabbits. Four species of rabbits in the genus Sylvilagus are native to the Carolinas, Virginia, and Maryland. In practice, the ones you will run into are the eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus), the swamp rabbit (Sylvilagus aquaticus), and the marsh rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris).
The marsh rabbit is a coastal specialist. According to SCDNR’s marsh rabbit species page, they are abundant in marsh and bottomlands, in both brackish tidal marshes and wooded flood plains common to the Lowcountry. Unlike cottontails, they lack a white tail and have shorter ears of about 3 inches.
For most hunters, the cottontail is the main quarry. One hunting outfitter blog notes that the Piedmont and Coastal Plain are especially good, and old fields, cutovers, and utility corridors give rabbits thick escape cover next to feeding areas.
Rabbit Hunting Bag and Possession Limits in South Carolina
The daily limit is simple. The limit is 5 rabbits per day, and the same number applies on youth days. This figure holds across private land and WMAs, and it matches the number listed in the South Carolina hunting calendar for 2026-2027.
The sources reviewed for this article list a daily limit but no separate possession or season limit for rabbits. If you plan to keep rabbits in a freezer over several trips, check the current SCDNR rules and guide to confirm how possession is handled.
Common Mistake: Some older or low-quality sites list rabbit limits of 10 per day or 50 per season. Those numbers do not match the 5-per-day limit in current SCDNR-based listings, so ignore them.
Licenses and Permits Required to Hunt Rabbits in South Carolina
You need a valid hunting license to take rabbits in South Carolina, and small game does not require a separate stamp. One licensing explainer states that squirrels, rabbits, and quail do not require special permits beyond the hunting license. Our breakdown of hunting license requirements in South Carolina covers resident and non-resident options in more detail.
Hunter education matters too. According to Hunting Seasons, anyone born after June 30, 1979 must complete a hunter safety course before buying a hunting license, and no license is required until age 16.
If you hunt a WMA, expect extra paperwork or access rules on some tracts. For a broader look at state rules, see our guide to hunting laws in South Carolina.
Legal Hunting Methods and Weapons for Rabbits in South Carolina
Methods depend on the season. During the running season, you hunt with dogs and no firearms. During any period when rabbits may be hunted without firearms, it is illegal to hunt them while carrying a firearm. That includes a sidearm in your belt.
When the gun season opens, shotguns are the standard choice. A 20- or 12-gauge with light game loads works well, and brush pants and sturdy boots help when you move through thick, thorny cover. Our bow hunting laws in South Carolina article is a good starting point if you want to know how archery rules work for other game.
- Running season: dogs only, no firearms carried.
- Gun season: guns and dogs both allowed on private land and WMAs.
- Rabbit boxes: A landlord or tenant may use up to five rabbit boxes on land they exclusively control during gun season. A hunting license is required, and boxes are not allowed on WMA lands.
Pro Tip: Older SCDNR rules said no rabbit hunting with dogs is allowed during still gun hunts for deer or bear on WMAs. Check your WMA’s schedule for overlapping deer hunts before you bring beagles.
Shooting Hours and Sunday Hunting Rules for Rabbit Hunting in South Carolina
For small game, legal hours are generally daylight, with some exceptions on certain species and WMAs. Small game hunting is usually limited to daylight hours, with some species and WMA night-hunting exceptions. The sources reviewed did not give a specific rabbit shooting-hour window, so confirm start and end times in the SCDNR guide.
Sunday is the bigger question. A national retailer’s state overview says hunting is prohibited on Sundays in South Carolina, though that summary is not recent and Sunday rules have been changing in many states. Treat Sunday hunting as restricted until SCDNR confirms otherwise for rabbits on your land type.
Planning to hunt multiple species in one trip? Pairing rabbit days with other seasons is common. Our guides to dove hunting season in South Carolina and deer hunting season in South Carolina help you line up overlapping dates.
Hunter Orange and Public Land Rules for Rabbit Hunting in South Carolina
Public land is where rabbit rules get specific. According to the same Hunting Seasons summary, hunter orange is required on WMA lands during deer season, meaning a solid international orange hat, coat, or vest for nonexempt persons. If your rabbit hunt overlaps a deer gun hunt on a WMA, plan on wearing orange.
Public acreage is large enough to give you options. Francis Marion National Forest covers 636,681 acres of coastal plain forest, with rabbit habitat in early successional areas. Habitat management helps too, because many WMAs use controlled burns, timber cuts, and food plots to create the thick, low cover rabbits need.
A few WMA rules to keep in mind:
- Check the WMA’s own rabbit schedule, since individual tracts can add restrictions.
- Do not set rabbit boxes on WMA lands.
- Wear hunter orange whenever a deer hunt is underway on the same tract.
- Keep dogs off the property during still-gun hunts for deer or bear if the WMA bans it.
Ticks are active in early fall and again in late winter, so read up on tick season in South Carolina before you work brush piles. For wider public land and species rules, our coyote hunting laws in South Carolina guide covers what you can take on small game hunts.