Raccoon season starts for guns, dogs

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By HEATHER RUPPE

Racoon and Opossum season starts Sept. 15 for guns and dogs on South Carolina’s public hunting lands.

The season for dog and guns only lasts until March 1st, only on public Wildlife Management Areas. Hunting on racoon and opossums on private lands goes from Sept. 15 to March 15.

This is for all game zones in South Carolina.

Racoons typically weigh six to 12 pounds, and are usually nine to 10-inches tall.

They are usually found in habitats that are near or within water. More commonly, racoons are found coastal marshes and in bottomland hardwood swamps.

“Swamps with mature hardwood timber are preferred because of the availability of food and den trees. Other important areas are wooded streams flowing through agricultural areas and beaver ponds,” according to information provided by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (S.C. DNR). “The conversion of hardwoods to monoculture pines, the destruction of streamside timber, and development of coastal islands have reduced raccoon numbers in some areas.”

According to S.C. DNR, there is a relatively high raccoon population right now in the Palmetto State, with the highest number of raccoons – and the most valued fur - being found in the Piedmont and Mount areas of the state.