St. Helena Sound Heritage Preserve WMA: 2026-27 seasons, rules and map
St. Helena Sound Heritage Preserve WMA is 19,051 acres of public hunting land in Beaufort and Colleton counties, owned by SCDNR, in Game Zone 3. Its 2026-27 deer seasons are set on SCDNR's Game Zone 3 table: archery; the earliest dated hunt is Sept. 15-Jan. 1 (archery).
Data updated October 2026. Seasons: SCDNR's 2026-27 Game Zone 3 WMA table. Harvest: SCDNR's 2024 Deer Harvest Report.
St. Helena Sound Heritage Preserve WMAOther SCDNR WMAsNational wildlife refugeLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Size | 19,051 acres (measured by FilledTag on SCDNR's mapped boundary); SCDNR's WMA list gives 10,302 |
|---|---|
| County | Beaufort County, Colleton County |
| Game zone | Zone 3 |
| Deer hunts | Archery |
| 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 | (843) 844-8822 |
| Nearest towns | Edisto Beach (4 mi), Beaufort (9 mi) and Yemassee (11 mi) |
When are the 2026-27 seasons on St. Helena Sound Heritage Preserve WMA?
- Hunting and camping by special permit which may be obtained at McKenzie Field Station, Bennetts Point, (843) 844-8822. Camping Otter Island Only.
| Hunt | Dates, 2026-27 | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Deer Archery | Sept. 15-Jan. 1 | Statewide WMA 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 St. Helena Sound Heritage Preserve WMA?
St. Helena Sound 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 St. Helena Sound Heritage Preserve WMA?
SCDNR's 2024 Deer Harvest Report does not list St. Helena Sound Heritage Preserve WMA on its own; it counts 844 deer on its other and unnamed WMA lands together. Around it, Beaufort County's harvest was 1,640 deer in the 2024 season (7.1 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 St. Helena Sound Heritage Preserve WMA?
From SCDNR's property page: "The St. Helena Sound Heritage Preserve lies at the southern tip of the ACE Basin project area and contains a diverse assemblage of outer coastal plain and barrier island natural communities. It is isolated, undeveloped, and protected by open water boundaries established by the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS). The islands contained within the Heritage Preserve include Otter, Ashe, Beet, Big/Warren Complex, Buzzard, North Williman and South Williman islands. St. Helena Sound Heritage Preserve and WMA is only accessible by boat."
- No dogs are allowed on Otter Island at any time.
- Archery hunts for deer are allowed by permit from September 15 - January 1.
- Primitive camping is only allowed on Otter Island by permit issued by the Department.
- Primitive camping is restricted to designated areas and will be allowed only between October 16 and March 14.
- Hunting and camping permits are required and available by calling the McKenzie Field Station at (843) 844-8822.
Visiting hours: Open year-round from 1 hour before legal sunrise until 1 hour after legal sunset.
Source: SCDNR Public Lands, St. Helena Sound HP and WMA, read October 2026.
Which county is St. Helena Sound 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaufort County | 11,131 | 1,640 | 7.1 |
| Colleton County | 7,920 | 6,136 | 7.8 |
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 St. Helena Sound Heritage Preserve WMA?
Highways within 5 miles: US 17, US 21, SC 174 and SC 802. Nearest towns: Edisto Beach (4 miles), Beaufort (9 miles), Yemassee (11 miles) and Seabrook Island (13 miles). SCDNR's number for the area: (843) 844-8822.
The closest other South Carolina WMAs with a page here: South Fenwick Island WMA (next to it), Bear Island WMA (next to it), Donnelley WMA (3.4 miles) and Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve WMA (7.4 miles).
Questions hunters ask
When is deer season on St. Helena Sound Heritage Preserve WMA in 2026-27?
Deer Archery: Sept. 15-Jan. 1. From SCDNR's 2026-27 Game Zone 3 table.
Can you hunt deer with dogs on St. Helena Sound Heritage Preserve WMA?
No dog drive hunts are listed for St. Helena Sound Heritage Preserve WMA on SCDNR's 2026-27 table, so deer are hunted without dogs there.
Can you hunt turkeys on St. Helena Sound 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 St. Helena Sound Heritage Preserve WMA in?
Beaufort County (11,131 acres) and Colleton County (7,920 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 Beaufort County deer harvest Colleton County deer harvest