Why It Matters: As newcomers recognize the many appeals that South Carolina has to offer, the Palmetto State continues to grow in population. With more people than ever on the landscape, finding access to quality hunting grounds will likely only become increasingly difficult. Thankfully, South Carolina offers a diverse array of public land hunting opportunities. Legislative efforts to ensure a no-net-loss of hunting and fishing access should be embraced by all and has been a top priority for the South Carolina Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (Caucus) during the 2025 and 2026 legislative sessions.
Highlights:
- In January 2025, former South Carolina Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair and National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC) Executive Council Member Representative Bobby Cox and current Caucus Co-Chair Representative Heather Bauer introduced House Bill 3872 (H3872), which would limit the loss of available acreage open to hunting for South Carolina’s sportsmen and women.
- In February 2025, H3872 cleared the South Carolina House of Representatives on a unanimous 110-0 vote.
- Last month, H3872 passed the Senate Fish, Game and Forestry Committee unanimously, as amended.
- Most recently, , on April 29, H3872 passed the South Carolina Senate on a unanimous 43-0 vote and now heads to the House of Representatives to agree on changes made to the bill in the Senate.
As we inch closer to the completion of the two-year legislative session in South Carolina, H3872, a top priority for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), nears final passage. CSF has worked closely with the Caucus to introduce and support H3872, dubbed the “Hunting Heritage Protection Act,” throughout the entire legislative process over the course of the last two years. Additionally, CSF spearheaded a coalition letter of support for H3872, which boasts support from 16 other state and national sporting-conservation partners.
Although H3872 was amended in the Senate, the intent of the bill remains the same. H3872 would require that, to the greatest practical extent, decisions by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) must not result in any net loss of land acreage available for hunting opportunities on wildlife management areas owned by the state, which encompasses approximately 293,000 acres in South Carolina. Additionally, the SCDNR must submit an annual report to the Senate Fish, Game and Forestry Committee and the House Agricultural, Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee detailing the acreage available for hunting opportunities on SCDNR-owned WMAs and efforts made by the SCDNR to offset the loss of hunting opportunities, if any, on SCDNR-owned WMAs.
South Carolina looks to join other southeastern states like Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee that have passed similar legislation to protect public hunting access for the sportsmen and women of their state. H3872 cleared yet another major step in the legislative process last week, still without receiving a single “no” vote, showing the vast bipartisan support of our hunting traditions among members of the South Carolina General Assembly.
CSF looks forward to working with the Caucus over the final few weeks of the 2026 legislative session to see H3872 receive final approval from the House of Representatives, marking its final step before going to Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus member Governor Henry McMaster’s desk for his signature.