2 days Ago
A reminder to South Carolina's turkey hunters of major changes as the season opens later this week . • There is no longer a split season with different dates for different parts of the state. There is now a statewide season that runs from April 3 through May 3.
• The bag limit has been reduced to two birds per hunter for residents and nonresidents, no more than one per day, no more than one prior to April 10. • There is now a prohibition on the harvest of Jakes, or juvenile turkeys. A “Jake” is defined as a male wild turkey with a beard less than six inches and a tail fan that is not fully developed with the central tail feathers being longer than the rest.
• On private lands statewide it is unlawful to stalk a wild turkey while behind a decoy or tail fan. Tail fans include those made of real or synthetic feathers or an image or likeness of a tail fan applied to any material. Commonly referred to as fanning or reaping.
• Hunters in South Carolina are required to electronically report all turkey harvested no later than midnight the day of their harvest. Use the Go Outdoors SC app, visit dnr.sc.
gov/scgamecheck or text or call 1-833-472-4263. Visit dnr.sc.
gov for complete rules and regulations. Dr. Mark F.
Hartley of Mount Pleasant has been reappointed to the state Natural Resources Board and appointed as chairman by Gov. Henry McMaster. He replaces Norman Pulliam of Spartanburg, who resigned in February after nearly 20 years on the board.
Hartley was a professor at the College of Charleston School of Business for 36 years before retiring in 2021. Hartley has served as former area chairman for East Cooper Ducks Unlimited, as a former member of the Quality Deer Management Association, Quail Unlimited, the National Rifle Association and Audubon Society. He has volunteered for and served dozens of conservation, civic and charitable organizations in his local community.
Patrick Walters of Eutawville earned a ninth-place finish in the 2025 Bassmaster Classic fished March 21-23 on Lake Ray Roberts near Fort Worth, Texas. Walters earned $20,500 for a three-day weight of 55 pounds, 12 ounces. Easton Fothergill of Grand Rapids, Minn.
, took home the top prize of $308,000 with a 15-fish weight of 76-15. Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Ill, was second with 68-7. Participants in the 2025 South Carolina Wahoo Series have a high mark to overtake the current leader (through March 25) in the event that continues through April 12.
Coastal Pursuit, captained by Richie Proudfoot of Hortense, Ga., is one of three boats in the event to land a wahoo in excess of 90 pounds and has a two-fish aggregate of 150.6 pounds — a 91.
4-pound catch on Feb. 26 and a 59.2-pound wahoo boated March 19.
Teams entered in the South Carolina Wahoo Series can pick three fish days between Feb. 17 and April 12, weigh one fish each of those days with their two heaviest catches counting toward the $32,000 first prize. Boats must leave from within the inlet boundaries of Little River Inlet to St.
Simons Inlet. Coastal Pursuit still has one fish day remaining to try and better its total, as does second-place Keys Please, captained by Brennan Arnsdorff of Nevils, Ga., which has the heaviest wahoo thus far, a 99.
6-pound catch on March 23 to go along with a 35.3-pound wahoo caught March 14 for a 134.9-pound aggregate.
Third place is another Georgia boat, High Roller, captained by Colton Infinger of Ludowici, Ga., with a 97.4-pound catch Feb.
26 and a 33.3-pound wahoo caught March 13 for a 130.7-pound aggregate.
This year's tournament has 160 boats registered. The Charleston Inshore Anglers' 32nd annual Big Ed Sheepshead Tournament will be fished April 26. The captain's meeting is 5:30-7:30 p.
m. April 24 at American Legion Post 147, located at 968 Folly Road. The entry fee for the tournament is $40, which includes a tournament T-shirt.
The weigh-in will be conducted from 4-5 p.m. April 26 at American Legion Post 147.
Contacts are: Kevin Mischke 843-324-1006, Doyle Whittington 843-323-6403 or Gene Broderick at 843-224-6826..
