Ditch Pond Heritage Preserve WMA: 2026-27 seasons, rules and map
Ditch Pond Heritage Preserve WMA is 223 acres of public hunting land in Barnwell and Aiken counties, owned by SCDNR, in Game Zone 3. Its 2026-27 deer seasons are set on SCDNR's Game Zone 3 table: archery only; the earliest dated hunt is Sept. 15-Jan. 1 (archery only).
Data updated October 2026. Seasons: SCDNR's 2026-27 Game Zone 3 WMA table. Harvest: SCDNR's 2024 Deer Harvest Report.
Ditch Pond Heritage Preserve WMAOther SCDNR WMAsLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Size | 223 acres (measured by FilledTag on SCDNR's mapped boundary); SCDNR's WMA list gives 285 |
|---|---|
| County | Barnwell County, Aiken County |
| Game zone | Zone 3 |
| Deer hunts | Archery only |
| Archery deer | Sept. 15-Jan. 1 |
| Dogs for deer | No dog drive hunts listed for the area |
| Spring turkey | Not on SCDNR's list of WMAs open for turkey |
| Phone | (803) 955-2265 |
| Nearest towns | Williston (2 mi), Windsor (5 mi) and Elko (5 mi) |
When are the 2026-27 seasons on Ditch Pond Heritage Preserve WMA?
| Hunt | Dates, 2026-27 | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Deer Archery Only | Sept. 15-Jan. 1 | Statewide WMA limits |
| Small Game (including raccoon and opossum) | Nov. 26-Mar. 1 No fox squirrel hunting. | Statewide limits |
Source: SCDNR 2026-27 Game Zone 3 WMA seasons, read October 2026. SCDNR's rules are the final word.
When is turkey season on Ditch Pond Heritage Preserve WMA?
Ditch Pond Heritage Preserve WMA is not on SCDNR's 2026-27 list of WMAs open for spring turkey. Check SCDNR's property page before planning a turkey hunt there.
Source: SCDNR spring 2027 turkey seasons on WMAs.
How many deer are taken on Ditch Pond Heritage Preserve WMA?
SCDNR's 2024 Deer Harvest Report does not list Ditch Pond Heritage Preserve WMA on its own; it counts 844 deer on its other and unnamed WMA lands together. Around it, Barnwell County's harvest was 3,266 deer in the 2024 season (7.4 per square mile of deer habitat).
Source: SCDNR 2024 Deer Harvest Report, Table 4 (WMA harvest); SCDNR 2024 Deer Harvest Report, Table 1 (county harvest).
What does SCDNR say about Ditch Pond Heritage Preserve WMA?
From SCDNR's property page: "Ditch Pond Heritage Preserve is located in Aiken and Barnwell counties and is owned and managed by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources. Comprising 296 acres, Ditch Pond Heritage Preserve contains a Carolina bay that was first documented in 1973. Carolina bays are elliptically shaped, wet depressions that range in size from one acre to more than 1,000 acres. Approximately 98 percent of Carolina bays in South Carolina have been altered from their natural state. However, the bay at Ditch Pond, consisting of approximately 25 acres, has remained intact. Eight rare plant species of concern have been found on the property."
Visiting hours: Heritage preserves are open for public use from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset. On any preserve that is designated as a wildlife management area, the hours of operation shall be same as are authorized for hunting as stated in 123-40. The Department may set different operating hours for individual preserves. When operating hours are different from sunrise to sunset, the Department may restrict the hours of operation by publication in Department brochures and pamphlets or by posting on site specific hours of operation.
Source: SCDNR Public Lands, Ditch Pond HP and WMA, read October 2026.
Which county is Ditch Pond 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnwell County | 162 | 3,266 | 7.4 |
| Aiken County | 61 | 5,734 | 7.3 |
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 Ditch Pond Heritage Preserve WMA?
Highways within 5 miles: US 78, SC 39, US 278 and SC 781. Nearest towns: Williston (2 miles), Windsor (5 miles), Elko (5 miles) and Blackville (11 miles). SCDNR's number for the area: (803) 955-2265.
The closest other South Carolina WMAs with a page here: Aiken Gopher Tortoise Heritage Preserve WMA (4.4 miles), Crackerneck WMA (17.9 miles), Henderson Heritage Preserve WMA (19.8 miles) and Sumter National Forest Long Cane Ranger District (34.5 miles).
Questions hunters ask
When is deer season on Ditch Pond Heritage Preserve WMA in 2026-27?
Deer Archery Only: Sept. 15-Jan. 1. From SCDNR's 2026-27 Game Zone 3 table.
Can you hunt deer with dogs on Ditch Pond Heritage Preserve WMA?
No dog drive hunts are listed for Ditch Pond Heritage Preserve WMA on SCDNR's 2026-27 table, so deer are hunted without dogs there.
Can you hunt turkeys on Ditch Pond Heritage Preserve WMA?
It is not on SCDNR's 2026-27 list of WMAs open for spring turkey; check SCDNR's property page before planning a turkey hunt.
What county is Ditch Pond Heritage Preserve WMA in?
Barnwell County (162 acres) and Aiken County (61 acres), measured on SCDNR's boundary.
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.
South Carolina hunting All South Carolina WMAs Barnwell County deer harvest Aiken County deer harvest