Cartwheel Bay Heritage Preserve WMA: 2026-27 seasons, rules and map
Cartwheel Bay Heritage Preserve WMA is 991 acres of public hunting land in Horry County, owned by SCDNR, in Game Zone 4. Hunters reported 1 deer taken on it in the 2024 season (1 antlered buck and 0 does), by SCDNR's Deer Harvest Report. Its 2026-27 deer seasons are set on SCDNR's Game Zone 4 table: archery; the earliest dated hunt is Sept. 15-Jan. 1 (archery).
Data updated October 2026. Seasons: SCDNR's 2026-27 Game Zone 4 WMA table. Harvest: SCDNR's 2024 Deer Harvest Report.
Cartwheel Bay Heritage Preserve WMAOther SCDNR WMAsLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Size | 991 acres (measured by FilledTag on SCDNR's mapped boundary); SCDNR's WMA list and 2024 harvest report give 568 |
|---|---|
| County | Horry County |
| Game zone | Zone 4 |
| Deer hunts | Archery |
| Archery deer | Sept. 15-Jan. 1 |
| Dogs for deer | No dog drive hunts listed for the area |
| Spring turkey | April 3 to May 3 (Thurs.-Sat. only), limit 2 |
| Deer reported, 2024 season | 1 (1 antlered buck and 0 does) |
| Phone | (843) 546-8119 |
| Nearest towns | Nichols (6 mi), Mullins (9 mi) and Loris (11 mi) |
When are the 2026-27 seasons on Cartwheel Bay Heritage Preserve WMA?
| Hunt | Dates, 2026-27 | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Bear Still Hunts (No Dogs) | Oct. 17-30 Tagging & reporting required. | 1 bear; no sow with cubs, no bears 100 lbs. or less. |
| Deer Archery | Sept. 15-Jan. 1 | Statewide WMA limits |
| Small Game | Nov. 26-Mar. 1 No fox squirrel hunting | Statewide limits |
Source: SCDNR 2026-27 Game Zone 4 WMA seasons, read October 2026. SCDNR's rules are the final word.
When is turkey season on Cartwheel Bay Heritage Preserve WMA?
Cartwheel Bay Heritage Preserve WMA is on SCDNR's list of WMAs open for spring turkey, April 3 to May 3, 2027: Thurs.-Sat. only, limit 2 gobblers.
Source: SCDNR spring 2027 turkey seasons on WMAs.
How many deer are taken on Cartwheel Bay Heritage Preserve WMA?
Hunters reported 1 deer on Cartwheel Bay Heritage Preserve WMA in the 2024 season: 1 antlered buck and 0 does. SCDNR's Table 4 counts the area as 568 acres (SCDNR's figure, not the measured size above), about one deer for every 568 acres on that figure.
Source: SCDNR 2024 Deer Harvest Report, Table 4 (WMA harvest).
What does SCDNR say about Cartwheel Bay Heritage Preserve WMA?
From SCDNR's property page: "The Cartwheel Bay Heritage Preserve in Horry County was acquired to protect one of the few known Carolina bay-longleaf pine savanna complexes in South Carolina. Carolina bays are oval or elliptical depressions of uncertain origin. Some authorities speculate they were formed by shallow ocean currents while others argue they are comet and meteor impact craters. Although called Carolina Bays, these features are also found in Georgia, Virginia and Delaware. The preserve's bays are a type of isolated, freshwater wetland in which groundwater trapped in the bays comes entirely from rainwater."
Source: SCDNR Public Lands, Cartwheel Bay HP and WMA, read October 2026.
Which county is Cartwheel Bay Heritage Preserve WMA in, and what do hunters take there?
| County | Acres of the area in it | County deer, 2024 season | Per square mile of deer habitat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horry County | 991 | 4,237 | 5.1 |
Acres measured by FilledTag on SCDNR Public Lands property boundaries and the U.S. Census Bureau 2024 county boundaries. County harvest: SCDNR 2024 Deer Harvest Report, Table 1 (county harvest), for the whole county.
How do you get to Cartwheel Bay Heritage Preserve WMA?
Highways within 5 miles: SC 9, SC 917, US 76 and SC 410. Nearest towns: Nichols (6 miles), Mullins (9 miles), Loris (11 miles) and Aynor (12 miles). SCDNR's number for the area: (843) 546-8119.
The closest other South Carolina WMAs with a page here: Little Pee Dee River Heritage Preserve WMA (2.9 miles), Waccamaw River Heritage Preserve WMA (20.9 miles), Marsh WMA (22.9 miles) and Woodbury WMA (23.4 miles).
Questions hunters ask
When is deer season on Cartwheel Bay Heritage Preserve WMA in 2026-27?
Deer Archery: Sept. 15-Jan. 1. From SCDNR's 2026-27 Game Zone 4 table.
Can you hunt deer with dogs on Cartwheel Bay Heritage Preserve WMA?
No dog drive hunts are listed for Cartwheel Bay Heritage Preserve WMA on SCDNR's 2026-27 table, so deer are hunted without dogs there.
Can you hunt turkeys on Cartwheel Bay Heritage Preserve WMA?
Yes. It is on SCDNR's list of WMAs open for spring turkey, April 3 to May 3, 2027: Thurs.-Sat. only, limit 2 gobblers.
What county is Cartwheel Bay Heritage Preserve WMA in?
Horry County, measured on SCDNR's boundary.
How many deer were killed on Cartwheel Bay Heritage Preserve WMA last season?
1 in the 2024 season, reported through SC Game Check and corrected by SCDNR for non-reporting: 1 antlered buck and 0 does.
Get a South Carolina hunt plan when they open
South Carolina plans are not open yet. They are coming soon. Join the waiting list; the first 50 hunters get one plan free.
Use the map while you wait for your plan.
You need a South Carolina hunting license, a WMA permit and big game tags; statewide WMA limit: 2 deer a day, 5 in all, no more than 2 antlered, unless the area's rules say otherwise; antlerless deer 2 a day. The WMA rules on one page. FilledTag is not part of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources; numbers are copied from SCDNR or measured from public maps, each with its source above.
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