Why It Matters: South Carolina, like many other southern coastal states, continues to see dramatic increases in new residents. Protecting access to quality public land hunting areas should be top of mind for policy makers in South Carolina, especially as populations increase and private land hunting opportunities become harder to come by. Efforts to establish a no net loss of public hunting acreage in South Carolina will protect the ability of sportsmen and women to enjoy our time-honored traditions.
Highlights:
- In January 2025, former South Carolina Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (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.
- On April 1, 2026, H3872 cleared the Senate Fish, Game and Forestry Committee unanimously, as amended, and will now head to the Senate floor for a vote.
- The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) has been spearheading this legislation alongside the South Carolina Leigslative Sportsmen’s Caucus since inception and recently produced a coalition letter of support alongside 16 other national and in-state partners.
In many states, a bill’s life may stretch over multiple years or legislative sessions. In the case of H3872, it has been an effort that began in early 2025 and continues well into 2026 as part of the biennium, or two-year session in South Carolina. One commonality throughout the process is efforts from the Caucus and CSF to see this measure through to the finish line, hopefully later this month.
H3872 cleared the Senate Fish, Game and Forestry Committee unanimously on April 1. This marks yet another legislative hurdle that the bill has cleared, again without receiving a single “no” vote. This broad show of support highlights the importance and wide acceptance associated with protecting hunting access on public lands. South Carolina looks to join other southeastern states like Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee as states that have passed similar legislation to protect public hunting access for the sportsmen and women of their state.
As amended, 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 by the SCDNR to offset the loss of hunting opportunities, if any, on SCDNR owned WMAs.
H3872 now awaits a full vote from the Senate. Following passage from the Senate, the bill would then need to be returned to the House for a concurrence vote to agree to the changes made by the Senate. CSF commends the Caucus for their strong leadership on this important initiative and our many partners that have supported the measure. CSF looks forward to seeing H3872 cross the finish line before the 2026 session comes to a close.
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