South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

Deer hunters, remember that electronic harvest reporting is required by law beginning this season. Hunters must report their harvest by midnight the day the deer was taken and before leaving a deer with a processor. This also applies to deer harvested with Deer Quota Program tags. Reporting is free, quick and convenient. This is the same requirement already in place for turkey and bear hunting. There are four reporting methods: the Go Outdoors SC mobile app, Go Outdoors SC website, text or telephone call. More details will be included with your deer tags, and more information will follow as we approach the start of the season.

Our marine education team just wrapped up another successful Teachers on the Estuary (TOTE) workshop! TOTE is a research and field-based training opportunity for teachers hosted annually at National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) sites around the country, including our own ACE Basin Reserve. The workshop gives teachers the opportunity to: 🏝️ Explore a variety of coastal habitats through field trips 🧑🔬Interact with local scientists ♻️Engage with local environmental issues 📔Learn how to take their newfound knowledge back to their classrooms Are you an educator interested in joining the fun? Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/eBev3dQG

✅ Sunscreen ✅ H20 ✅ Paddleboard ✅ Salt marsh grass plugs 🌾 SCDNR biologists and volunteers (including many of you) have been restoring coastal salt marsh habitat for years by growing and planting Spartina marsh grass along the shoreline. But this might be the first time anyone has done it by paddleboard. Our SCORE (S.C. Oyster Recycling and Enhancement) team is trialing this technique at their historic Maryville site, where a four-year project is unfolding to restore seven acres of degraded salt marsh. Over two days, a small team was able to cover roughly half an acre and plant 10,000 Spartina plugs! This work is supported by a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through the National Coastal Resilience Fund. Many thanks to the College of Charleston Paddle Club and Wave Paddler for sharing their equipment and know-how! 🛶 Want to get involved in this and other volunteer efforts? Sign up here to receive updates about salt marsh restoration volunteer opportunities: https://lnkd.in/eGhNyprr

Did you know that you can download free WMA maps on our website? 🗺️ Click here to download your map: https://lnkd.in/e8pWmTdG #scdnr

Can you spot the little resident lounging on this lily pad? Cricket frogs are a native amphibian that calls the Carolina bays and other wetlands in South Carolina home. Their call is a distinct metallic clicking sound they make as they search for a mate and communicate with one another. Ranging in size from half an inch to just under 2 inches, these small frogs can be found in aquatic habitats like the flowering water lily in ponds and bays. Ditch Pond Heritage Preserve's Carolina bay was first documented in 1973 and is one of only a few bays that remain intact from their natural state. The bay is 25 acres and protects eight rare plant species while providing habitat for amphibians, reptiles, mammals and wading birds, among other residents. Carolina bays are elliptically shaped, wet depressions in the land that run from northwest to southeast in orientation. Carolina bays in the state can range from 30 feet to almost 3 miles in diameter. Be sure to check out this unique geologic feature next time you pass through Aiken County.

The first of this year's sea turtle hatchlings began emerging this week! After roughly two months of incubating, sea turtle nests on Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, Seabrook Island, Hilton Head Island and Edisto Beach all hatched on July 6. That means it's time for beachgoers and residents to do their part to help these tiny reptiles make it to the ocean. Help sea turtles survive with these best practices for hatching season: 💡Keep Lights Out for Loggerheads! At night, turn beachfront lights off and ditch flash photography and flashlights on the beach to avoid disorienting hatchlings. 🚯 Keep our beaches clean and free of trash and holes 🐢 Admire these incredible creatures from a distance 📞 Report any violations to SCDNR at 1-800-922-5431 Photo: A loggerhead hatchling makes its way to the ocean (Taylor Main/SCDNR); the first hatched nest of the season on Seabrook Island (courtesy Seabrook Island Turtle Team)

Way down yonder on the...Pacolet? While South Carolina may not have the infamous Chattahoochee River that was featured in Alan Jackson's summertime classic, our state does have 30,000 miles of rivers and streams to help you cool off this season. Dipping your toes into a cold stream in any of our four watersheds will connect you to our natural resources and provide a great reason to get outdoors and beat the heat. Pacolet River Heritage Preserve lies within the Santee watershed, which eventually drains into the Atlantic Ocean. Enjoy a short 20-minute hike from the parking lot that meanders through upland forests and former indigenous soapstone rock quarries to the banks of the Pacolet River. The Pacolet River Heritage Preserve was protected in 1992 for cultural resources on the land, like soapstone rock quarries and petroglyphs dating back to 3,000-1,100 BCE. The soapstone rock quarries were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, and were originally used to craft bowls, pipes, projectile points, and other tools. Additionally, this 278-acre preserve located in Spartanburg County is a birding hot spot and protects federally endangered species like the tricolored bat.

On July 12, NOAA Fisheries Service will open red snapper to recreational harvest for one day in federal waters off the coast of South Carolina with no size limit and a bag limit of one fish per person per day. Learn more at: https://lnkd.in/eyd9b67F Please be aware of the differences in harvest regulations between state (within three miles offshore) and federal waters (greater than three miles offshore): 📌State waters: two red snapper per person per day with a minimum size of 20 inches 📌Federal waters: one red snapper per person per day with no size limit Help us collect the most accurate information possible about these fish! Drop your filleted red snapper carcasses off at an SCDNR drop-off location for processing by our biologists: http://ow.ly/JF4b50JFJQS

Migratory bird season will be here before you know it. It’s never too early to plan your opening day hunt. To learn more, visit https://lnkd.in/gXRJ5W8b.

Here is a quick look at how the 2024 turkey season turned out based on harvest reporting. Scroll through for some summary numbers. Keep in mind this is REPORTED harvest data and actual harvest numbers will be higher (last year reporting compliance was estimated at 77 percent). We will have a full report with total estimated harvest figures and additional information on hunter participation/effort and other interesting statistics later this summer after hunter surveys are analyzed.