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Rural South Carolina landowners are pressing the state wildlife agency to tighten rules on deer hunters whose dogs roam onto private property. The decades-old conflict resurfaced June 4 before the Department of Natural Resources board in Columbia.
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Here are key takeaways:
- Rick Baturin, a Colleton County landowner, told the DNR board that dogs from nearby hunting grounds rush onto his property nearly every Saturday during fall hunting season, putting his two young children at risk and trampling his property rights.
- Baturin and Jodi Howard belong to the Property Protection Alliance, formed last year. The group doesn’t seek to ban the use of dogs to hunt deer but says it is “committed to ending irresponsible practices,” including releasing “excessive numbers” of dogs on small tracts.
- Paul Caskey, president of the S.C. Sporting Dog Association, defended the tradition, saying “those who violate the law should be held accountable” but warned against letting “a few bad actors” shape policy affecting responsible hunters.
- DNR’s Jay Cantrell said the conflicts date to at least 1985. The 2010 Renegade Hunter Act was meant to address the issue but “was not a perfect law,” and multiple follow-up bills have stalled in the Legislature.
- DNR plans to hold meetings and send a report to lawmakers for 2027 consideration. Possible measures include tougher fines or limiting deer-dog hunting to larger tracts. Baturin said enforcement has been weak: “I’ve called DNR for 20 years, and there’s been one ticket written.”
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by The State’s Sammy Fretwell. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.
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