Can You Kill Coyotes in South Carolina? Licenses, Night Rules, Penalties

Killing coyotes in South Carolina is legal year-round on private land with a valid hunting license, and the state sets no bag limit.¹ Landowners get additional flexibility, including a license-free zone around the home. The rules tighten at night, on Wildlife Management Areas, and when you switch from shooting to trapping.

License You Need Before You Start

Hunting coyotes on private land requires a South Carolina hunting license.² A resident annual license is $12, and a three-year license is $36.³ Anyone born after June 30, 1979, must complete a hunter education course before buying one.

Two situations skip the license entirely: the 100-yard landowner exemption, and holding a depredation permit from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR).¹

Daytime Hunting on Private Land

During daylight on private land, there’s no closed season and no bag limit.⁴ Any legal firearm, bow, or crossbow is permitted. Bait and electronic calls are legal statewide on private land.⁵ With a license and permission to be on the property, you can hunt coyotes any day of the year during legal shooting hours.

What Landowners Can Do

The 100-Yard Exemption

No license or permit is needed to shoot or trap a coyote within 100 yards of your residence, as long as you’re on your own property and local ordinances allow firearm discharge.⁶ The exemption extends to anyone the landowner designates, including a neighbor, friend, or family member.⁵ Check county and municipal firearms rules first, especially in developed areas.

Depredation and Predator Management Permits

When coyotes are causing damage beyond the 100-yard zone, or you need to trap outside the regular season, apply for a depredation permit from SCDNR. It allows year-round control and doesn’t require a separate hunting or trapping license.¹ SCDNR also issues a Predator Management Permit covering March 1 through November 30, which allows trapping of coyotes and other furbearers outside the normal trapping season.⁷ The SCDNR Furbearer Project can be reached at (803) 734-3609.

Night Hunting Rules

Night hunting is legal but restrictive, and this is where most people get into trouble.

Year-Round With Restricted Weapons

Coyotes can be hunted at night all year with artificial lights or night vision devices, but only with a rimfire rifle, a bow and arrow (not a crossbow), a shotgun loaded with shot no larger than BB, or a handgun with iron sights and a barrel no longer than nine inches.⁵

Expanded Weapons During Registered Periods

From the end of February through July 1, any legal firearm, bow, or crossbow can be used at night, provided the landowner notifies SCDNR at least 48 hours in advance with the names and hunting license numbers of all participants. The notification is required once per season per property.⁸ Anyone using a centerfire rifle during this window must shoot from an elevated position at least 10 feet off the ground.⁵

During hunting season, properties registered online through the SCDNR night hunting portal also qualify for night hunting with any legal firearm, bow, or crossbow, plus artificial lights and night vision.⁹

The 300-Yard Residential Buffer

Whatever the method, hunting coyotes at night within 300 yards of a residence without the occupant’s permission is unlawful. This does not apply to a landowner hunting on their own property, or to a depredation permit holder.⁹

Wildlife Management Areas Are Different

The liberal private-land rules do not carry over to public land. On WMAs, coyotes can be hunted during any open game season with no bag limit, but the weapons carried must match what’s legal for the game season in progress. Night hunting for coyotes on WMAs is prohibited entirely, and a WMA permit is required in addition to the hunting license.¹⁰

Trapping

Coyote trapping season runs December 1 through March 1, and a commercial fur harvest license is required on top of a hunting license.¹¹ The fur harvest license is $25 for residents and carries reporting requirements.¹² Trapping outside the season without a depredation or predator management permit is unlawful.

Snares are legal only for water sets and cannot be used on land. Deadfalls and any trap type not expressly authorized are unlawful unless SCDNR grants a specific exception.¹³ The 100-yard landowner exemption applies to trapping too: no license or permit is needed to trap a coyote within 100 yards of your home on your own property.⁶

Methods That Are Off-Limits

Poison is not an option. Federal law tightly restricts predacides, and South Carolina law makes it unlawful to introduce chemical substances into wildlife without a department permit.

Inside enclosed areas used for running rabbits with dogs, only cage-type traps that don’t injure or kill the animal may be used to remove coyotes and other predators. Steel traps, foot-hold traps, body-gripping traps, and similar devices are prohibited inside those enclosures.¹⁴

What a Violation Costs

Night hunting violations carry the steepest penalties. A first offense is punishable by a fine of up to $500, up to 30 days in jail, or both. A second offense within two years raises the minimum fine to $400 and the maximum to $1,000. A third or subsequent offense within two years is $500 to $1,500.¹⁵

A second or subsequent conviction within three years can also result in a two-year statewide suspension of hunting privileges. No license can be issued during the suspension, and any license mistakenly issued during that period is invalid.¹⁵

1
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Coyote
2
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. SC Hunting License
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South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. SC Resident Fishing and Hunting License Pricing
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eRegulations. South Carolina Feral Hog, Coyote and Armadillo Regulations
5
South Carolina Forestry Commission. Coyote Control – What a Landowner CAN Do in South Carolina
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South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources – Coyote
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South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Predator Management Permit for Private Lands
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South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. South Carolina Species Information – Coyotes
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South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Private Property Night Hunting Notice and Registration for Hunting Feral Hogs, Coyotes, or Armadillos at Night
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eRegulations. South Carolina WMA Regulations
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South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 50-11-2540 – Trapping Season; Unlawful to Trap Out of Season Without Authorization; Taking of Coyotes
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eRegulations. South Carolina Hunting Licenses and Fees
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South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 50-11-2460 – Traps Allowed for Trapping
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South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 50-11-1145 – Trapping Predatory Animals Within Certain Enclosures; Types of Traps Permitted; Release or Destruction of Animals
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South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 50-11-715 – Night Hunting