Extra doe tag added to South Carolina hunters’ base set this deer season

South Carolina hunters who pulled their deer tags out of the mailbox this summer found one more antlerless tag than in years past, and the state Department of Natural Resources is asking them to put it to use.

Under Act 231, which took effect July 1, the base set of deer tags for the 2026 season now includes three antlerless tags and three unrestricted antlered buck tags. The previous base set carried two antlerless tags. The change does not affect the additional tags hunters may buy on top of the base set.

SCDNR reports that the average successful deer hunter in South Carolina takes 1.8 deer per season, and that fewer than 10% of the state’s deer hunters take more than one doe in a year. Agency officials say the extra tag is meant to nudge those numbers, encouraging a heavier doe harvest to bring the herd into better balance.

The reasoning is straightforward, according to the agency. Harvesting does helps hold deer numbers at a level the land can support, which eases pressure on food sources and improves habitat not just for deer but for other wildlife. A more even buck-to-doe ratio also tends to produce stronger rut activity and better overall buck quality. Agency officials frame it as an investment: responsible harvest now means better hunting for the next generation.

There is an agricultural benefit as well. In parts of the state where deer numbers run high, additional antlerless harvest helps farmers by cutting down on crop damage.

SCDNR also urges hunters not to save those doe tags for the tail end of the season. Adult does are considerably easier to identify correctly earlier in the fall, before fawns have grown enough to be mistaken for mature deer.

Timing rules still apply. Individual antlerless tags cannot be used before Sept. 15 in Game Zones 2, 3 and 4, or before Oct. 1 in Game Zone 1. Laurens County and the southern portion of Greenville County, including Fountain Inn, Simpsonville and Mauldin, fall within Game Zone 2, where the deer season opened Aug. 15.

Residents may buy up to four additional individual antlerless tags at $5 each. Hunters who purchase all four receive two free bonus tags, though those are valid only on private land in Game Zones 3 and 4.

For hunters whose freezers are already full, the agency points to several donation options. Hunters for the Hungry accepts venison for distribution to families in need, as do many local food banks. Hunters may also take a doe to a processor participating in the Deer Processors Fee Recovery Program, which allows the processor to recover the cost of processing a donated doe from a source other than the hunter.

Every deer taken in South Carolina must be tagged at the point of kill before it is moved, and reported through SC Game Check by midnight on the day of the harvest. Deer taken to a processor must be reported before drop-off, and the hunter must give the confirmation number to the processor. Game Check reports can be filed through the Go Outdoors South Carolina mobile app or the SCDNR website.

Hunters with questions about tags, zone boundaries or season dates can find current regulations on the SCDNR website.