Bear Hunting

It is unlawful to buy, sell, barter or exchange a bear or bear part or attempt to buy, sell, barter or exchange a bear or bear part. Transportation of a freshly killed bear or bear part is unlawful except during the bear season. Any person violating these offenses must be fined not more than $2,500 or imprisoned for not more than 2 years, or both, and hunting and fishing privileges will be suspended for 3 years. It is unlawful to feed bears or to hunt bears by the aid of bait (50-11-430, 50-11-440, 50-1-130, 50-1-125).

For the privilege of taking bear, in addition to the required hunting license and big game permit, a hunter must obtain a bear tag issued in his/her name (Adobe PDF file) at a cost of $25 for residents and $100 for nonresidents. Youth under the age of sixteen are required to obtain a youth bear tag from the department at no cost.

Game Zone 1
(Greenville, Pickens and Oconee counties)

Bear tags are available online, by mail, or for immediate pickup, at the Columbia, Florence, Charleston or Clemson Offices of SCDNR. (Youth bear tags are only available at DNR offices and online.) Tags must be attached to the bear before being moved from the point of kill.

Participants in party dog hunts for bear must register by application (Adobe PDF file) by September 1 with SCDNR. 25 members maximum per party and hunters must provide their hunting license number to register. Write:

SCDNR Bear Registration Permit
311 Natural Resources Drive
Clemson, SC 29631

2012 SCDNR Bear Party Hunt Application (Adobe PDF file)

Coastal Zone
(Williamsburg, Horry and Georgetown counties)

The application and details for the coastal area black bear hunt (PDF) are available in the Adobe PDF file format or by calling (803) 734-3886 and requesting that an application be mailed to you. Applicants can also complete an application and pay the application fee at any S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Regional office.

The season has been scheduled for Dec. 1-15, 2012. The nonrefundable application fee is $10 and those selected will have to purchase a tag at a cost of $25 for residents and $100 for nonresidents. Nonresidents must also provide evidence of purchasing a hunting license and big game permit in order to apply. Only those selected by a random drawing will be able to purchase a tag and attempt to take a bear. Ten tags will be issued for each county to applicants who are randomly selected. The tag will only be valid for one of the three counties so applicants will be asked to rank the counties in order of preference.

All applications must be postmarked by November 2, 2012, to be considered for selection. Selected hunters will be allowed to hunt on Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) in the county selected but must have a valid WMA permit. Bears may be taken on private lands as long as the hunter has the permission of the landowner or person holding the hunting lease.

Some of the files above are in the Adobe PDF file format. Adobe® Reader® is required to open the file and is available as a free download from the Adobe® Web site.