Oak Lea WMA: 2026-27 seasons, rules and map
Oak Lea WMA is 2,204 acres of public hunting land in Clarendon and Sumter counties, in SCDNR's WMA program, in Game Zone 4. Hunters reported 19 deer taken on it in the 2024 season (12 antlered bucks, 3 button bucks and 4 does), by SCDNR's Deer Harvest Report. Its 2026-27 deer seasons are set on SCDNR's Game Zone 4 table: archery and still gun hunts; the earliest dated hunt is Sept. 15-30 (archery).
Data updated October 2026. Seasons: SCDNR's 2026-27 Game Zone 4 WMA table. Harvest: SCDNR's 2024 Deer Harvest Report.
Oak Lea WMAOther SCDNR WMAsLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Size | 2,204 acres (measured by FilledTag on SCDNR's mapped boundary) |
|---|---|
| County | Clarendon County, Sumter County |
| Game zone | Zone 4 |
| Deer hunts | Archery and still gun hunts |
| Archery deer | Sept. 15-30 |
| Still gun deer | Oct. 1-Jan. 1 |
| Dogs for deer | No dog drive hunts listed for the area |
| Spring turkey | April 3 to May 3, limit 2 |
| Deer reported, 2024 season | 19 (12 antlered bucks, 3 button bucks and 4 does) |
| Phone | (803) 429-2068 |
| Nearest towns | Pinewood (2 mi), Paxville (4 mi) and Summerton (6 mi) |
When are the 2026-27 seasons on Oak Lea WMA?
- Data cards required for hunter access. Completed data cards must be returned daily upon leaving Oak Lea WMA.
| Hunt | Dates, 2026-27 | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Deer Archery | Sept. 15-30 | Statewide WMA limits |
| Deer Still Gun Hunts | Oct. 1-Jan. 1 No man drives | Statewide WMA limits |
| Small Game (including raccoon and opossum) | Small game (except quail) Game Zone 4 WMA seasons and limits, refer to chart, except no small game hunting during scheduled quail hunts. No fox squirrel hunting. | |
| Raccoon & Opossum | Refer to WMA seasons in chart. | |
| Quail Hunts | Nov. 28, Dec. 2, 16, 19, 23, Jan. 2, 20, 23, Feb. 10, 20. Shooting hours end 30 minutes before official sunset. Quail hunters must pick up and return data cards at kiosk. | 12 per day |
| Dove | Dove hunts on designated days only. Seasons and limits published in the Public Dove Field List. |
Source: SCDNR 2026-27 Game Zone 4 WMA seasons, read October 2026. SCDNR's rules are the final word.
When is turkey season on Oak Lea WMA?
Oak Lea WMA is on SCDNR's list of WMAs open for spring turkey, April 3 to May 3, 2027: limit 2 gobblers. On Webb, Palachucola, Hamilton Ridge, Coosawhatchie, Belfast, Wateree, Santee Cooper and Oak Lea WMAs, all turkey hunters must pick up and return data cards daily to kiosk and display hang tags on vehicles.
Source: SCDNR spring 2027 turkey seasons on WMAs.
How many deer are taken on Oak Lea WMA?
Hunters reported 19 deer on Oak Lea WMA in the 2024 season: 12 antlered bucks, 3 button bucks and 4 does. SCDNR's Table 4 counts the area as 2,000 acres (SCDNR's figure, not the measured size above), about one deer for every 105 acres on that figure.
| Season | Deer | Bucks | Does | Acres SCDNR counted | Per square mile of those acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 19 | 15 | 4 | 2,000 | 6.1 |
| 2023 | 18 | 5 | 13 | 2,024 | 5.7 |
| 2022 | 30 | 4 | 26 | 2,024 | 9.5 |
| 2019 | 33 | 6 | 27 | 2,024 | 10.4 |
2024: SC Game Check reports corrected for non-reporting (Table 4); FilledTag works out the per square mile figure from SCDNR's deer and acres. 2019 to 2023: SCDNR's check station counts for the area, as printed in each year's report. Bucks in 2024 are antlered and button bucks added together. Some totals include deer of unknown sex.
Source: SCDNR 2024 Deer Harvest Report, Table 4 (WMA harvest) and the reports for 2019 to 2023 (SCDNR deer harvest reports).
What does SCDNR say about Oak Lea WMA?
From SCDNR's property page: "South Carolina Forestry Commission is the property Owner and has a cooperative partnership with SCDNR to manage this property."
Source: SCDNR Public Lands, Oak Lea WMA, read October 2026.
Which county is Oak Lea 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clarendon County | 2,022 | 4,357 | 9.4 |
| Sumter County | 182 | 4,808 | 9.1 |
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 Oak Lea WMA?
Highways within 5 miles: SC 261, US 15 and SC 120. Nearest towns: Pinewood (2 miles), Paxville (4 miles), Summerton (6 miles) and Manning (10 miles). SCDNR's number for the area: (803) 429-2068.
The closest other South Carolina WMAs with a page here: Manchester State Forest WMA (2.4 miles), Hickory Top WMA (4.1 miles), Potato Creek Hatchery WMA (11.4 miles) and Santee Dam WMA (16.5 miles).
Questions hunters ask
When is deer season on Oak Lea WMA in 2026-27?
Deer Archery: Sept. 15-30; Deer Still Gun Hunts: Oct. 1-Jan. 1. From SCDNR's 2026-27 Game Zone 4 table.
Can you hunt deer with dogs on Oak Lea WMA?
No dog drive hunts are listed for Oak Lea WMA on SCDNR's 2026-27 table, so deer are hunted without dogs there.
Can you hunt turkeys on Oak Lea WMA?
Yes. It is on SCDNR's list of WMAs open for spring turkey, April 3 to May 3, 2027: limit 2 gobblers.
What county is Oak Lea WMA in?
Clarendon County (2,022 acres) and Sumter County (182 acres), measured on SCDNR's boundary.
How many deer were killed on Oak Lea WMA last season?
19 in the 2024 season, reported through SC Game Check and corrected by SCDNR for non-reporting: 12 antlered bucks, 3 button bucks and 4 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.
South Carolina hunting All South Carolina WMAs Clarendon County deer harvest Sumter County deer harvest