When: Saturday, February 22, 2025. Hunt begins at legal shooting time, which is customarily 30 minutes before sunrise. Lunch, team tally deadline, and award presentation begins at 12pm in Chapin.

Where: Hunt locations: Any legal hunting property in South Carolina that will allow you to arrive at the lunch venue in Chapin by the team tally deadline at noon. Teams are responsible for securing their own properties to hunt. SCWF staff member Jay Keck can offer suggestions on public land.

How: Stalk, sit, or dogs, shotgun or rifle, is at the discretion of each team and team member. Team members can hunt together, in groups of two, or individually. Just hunt, have fun, and bring back some squirrels. Only one gun per team member: four guns max per team. Please note that “extra buddies” cannot bring guns, hunt, and give you their squirrels.

Cost: Registration is $200 per team. Non-hunting assistants (dog handler, photographer, etc.) may accompany the team and attend the social/lunch for $25 per person.

Other things you need to know about this hunt:

Questions – Contact Jay Keck at (803) 256-0670; mail@scwf.org

Hunting is a sport enjoyed by millions of people – men, women, and children – throughout the world. It is a way to connect to nature and the great outdoors. Hunting allows people to be in the woods and observe wildlife in its natural habitat. It can be a time of peaceful reflection and a time to “disconnect” from our busy world. Squirrel hunting is one of the least expensive ways to hunt – all you need is camouflage clothing, a single-shot rifle, shotgun, or air rifle, and a small-game resident license to legally harvest squirrels. It is a fun activity to spend time with your family and friends!

Hunting is an effective wildlife conservation tool and is ethical when done responsibly and sustainably. Hunting aids in population control by removing excess animals and keeping them in balance with the habitat. When wildlife populations exceed the land’s carrying capacity, starvation and disease impacts the animals.  Hunting maintains the balance of the ecosystem by managing predator and prey populations as well as helping with disease management. Growing populations of predators like coyotes are maintained through hunting.

Hunters provide valuable information to state and federal agencies so appropriate seasons and bag limits can be determined. Hunters follow state and federal laws to ensure they are not harming nature but helping it. Hunters contribute a significant amount of revenue to states, generating billions of dollars annually through hunting licenses, taxes on firearms and ammunition. These funds support wildlife conservation efforts and state wildlife agency personnel. The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies estimates that 60% of funding for these agencies come from hunters.

SCWF reserves the right to cancel any event, due to unforeseen circumstances, extreme weather, low registration, or guidance from local/state officials. Any cancellation by SCWF will result in a full refund for all registrants.