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Dispatch / 10.29.26· Agencies & Hunting ·South Carolina

South Carolina DNR Closes Game Zone 4 Bear Season October 27 After Quota Met

The closure covers private land in five coastal counties and five WMAs. Game Zone 1 stays open until October 30, and harvest reporting runs through October 30, 2026.

By Published
Credit: Photo: lwolfartist, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Key Facts

  • Game Zone 4 bear season closed one hour after official sunset on Tuesday, October 27, 2026
  • The harvest reporting system stays open through October 30, 2026
  • Game Zone 4 covers private land in Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Marion and Williamsburg counties, plus five named WMAs
  • Bear season in Game Zone 1 remains open until October 30
  • The Game Zone 2 quota had not been reached as of October 26

South Carolina’s Department of Natural Resources closed the Game Zone 4 bear season one hour after official sunset on Tuesday, October 27, because the harvest quota was reached, it said in an October 26 release.

The early closure affects only Game Zone 4. Hunting there stayed legal until the closure time, and any bear taken before it must still be reported.

Game Zone 4 is private land in Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Marion and Williamsburg counties, plus five wildlife management areas (WMAs).

  • Cartwheel Bay Heritage Preserve WMA
  • Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve WMA
  • Little Pee Dee River Heritage Preserve Complex
  • Waccamaw River Heritage Preserve WMA
  • Wee Tee WMA

The closure was made under SC Code of Laws Title 50-11-430 and SC Code of Regulations Chapter 123-53. Anyone bear hunting in those five counties or the listed WMAs after the closure time may be charged with hunting bears during a closed season. The release gave no harvest count or quota figure.

Bear season in Game Zone 1 stays open until October 30. The harvest quota in Game Zone 2 had not been reached as of October 26, and that zone remains open.

The harvest reporting system stays open through October 30, 2026, while the other bear zones remain open. Season dates, counties open for hunting and the other regulations are on the department’s eregulations site.

Sources

  1. 1 South Carolina Department of Natural Resources · Bear season in Game Zone 4 will close early due to harvest quota being reached · accessed 2026-10-29

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