Turkey, dove and duck shotguns for South Carolina

Three seasons carry the shotgun year in South Carolina: dove fields in the first heat of September, coastal and Santee ducks through the winter, and gobblers in April. Each one asks something different from a shotgun, and one gun can cover all three if you choose it well. Here are the 2026-27 dates from SCDNR and what to carry.

Dove: September 5 and onward

The 2026-27 mourning dove season runs in three parts: September 5 to October 3, 2026, then November 13 to 28, 2026, then December 18, 2026 to January 31, 2027. The daily bag is fifteen birds. The opening Saturday is a social event as much as a hunt across the Midlands, with fields cut over sunflower, corn or millet and everybody spaced around the edge.

Read the baiting rules before you accept an invitation. A field has to be prepared under normal agricultural practice, and a hunter is responsible for knowing the condition of the field. If something looks wrong, it probably is.

For dove the gun wants to be light and fast. A 20 gauge semi-auto or over-under with an improved cylinder choke and an ounce of 7.5 or 8 shot suits the opening weekend better than a heavy 12. Beretta A300, Benelli Montefeltro, Browning Silver, Mossberg 940 and Franchi Affinity are all common on the field edge. Bring more shells than you think you need and a stool.

Ducks and geese

The 2026-27 duck season runs November 21 to 28, 2026, then December 12, 2026 to January 31, 2027, with a six-bird daily bag and species sub-limits on mallards, pintails and others. Canada goose season runs September 1 to 30, 2026 with a fifteen-bird daily bag, then November 21 to 28, December 12 to January 31 and February 15 to March 1, 2027 with a five-bird bag. Woodcock run December 18 to January 31, and common snipe November 14 to February 28.

South Carolina waterfowl hunting splits between the Santee Cooper lakes and the Sparkleberry Swamp in the Midlands, the ACE Basin and the old rice impoundments of the coast, and the beaver ponds and river sloughs everywhere else. Drawn hunts on Bear Island, Donnelley, Samworth and Santee Coastal Reserve are the best public option; apply when SCDNR opens the draw.

Federal rules require non-toxic shot for all waterfowl, and a shotgun plugged so it holds no more than three shells total. You need a hunting licence, the state migratory bird permit, HIP certification and a federal duck stamp.

A 12 gauge with a three-inch chamber covers everything from wood ducks over a beaver pond to divers on Lake Marion. Steel loads of 2 or 3 shot through a modified choke handle most work; bismuth or tungsten costs more but patterns tighter and is kinder to older barrels. Benelli Super Black Eagle, Beretta A400 Xtreme, Browning Maxus, Remington 870 and Mossberg 835 are all standard in a Lowcountry blind. Whatever you choose, rinse the salt off it the same day.

Spring turkey

The 2026-27 spring turkey season runs April 3 to May 3 on both private land and WMAs statewide, though individual WMAs may set tighter dates. The limit is two gobblers per season, no more than one per day and no more than one before April 10. Tags cost twenty five dollars for a set of two for residents and one hundred twenty five for non-residents, and youth and some disability licensees receive tags free. Every turkey goes into SC Game Check.

Only shotguns, muzzleloading shotguns, bows and crossbows are legal. Rifles, pistols, slugs and buckshot are all prohibited for turkey, which surprises newcomers from states that allow a rifle.

A dedicated turkey gun is a 12 or 20 gauge with a tight aftermarket choke, a low-recoil stock and either a red dot or fibre-optic sights. Tungsten super shot in 9s from a 20 gauge now does what a 12 with lead 5s used to do, and the lighter gun is easier to hold on a bird at forty yards after an hour of sitting still. Pattern the gun at the distance you expect to shoot, not at the distance the box promises.

One gun for all three

If you want a single shotgun, buy a 12 gauge semi-auto with a three-inch chamber and screw-in chokes, then swap chokes and loads by season: improved cylinder and light 8s for dove, modified and steel 2s for ducks, an extra-full turkey tube and tungsten for April. A Mossberg 940 Pro, Beretta A300 Ultima, Browning Silver Field or Benelli M2 all do this. A pump such as the Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 does it for less money and asks for more practice.

Licences and the paperwork

All three seasons need a South Carolina hunting licence. Migratory birds add the state migratory bird permit and HIP certification, ducks and geese add the federal duck stamp, and turkey needs the tag set bought before you hunt. Turkey and deer harvests go into SC Game Check the same day. Buy the licence online through the Go Outdoors SC system and keep a copy on your phone, because reception in the Santee Swamp and the ACE Basin is unreliable and a paper backup in the truck has saved more than one morning.

Small game in the same fields

Quail have thinned out across most of the state, but preserve and plantation hunting is alive in the Midlands and around Aiken, and rabbit and squirrel seasons still fill the winter. A 20 gauge over-under or a .22 rimfire is the right tool. Browse shotguns and shells in the catalog, read the deer rifle guide for the autumn, and check the gun law guide for the purchase and carry rules that apply while you are in the field.

General information, not legal advice. Current as of September 2026. Laws change; check the official source before you act.