IRMO, S.C. — Irmo SC hunting picks back up in two weeks, when the second segment of mourning dove season opens Nov. 13 and the first stretch of duck and goose season follows on Nov. 21’s 2026-27 migratory bird calendar.
Dove hunters get a 16-day window this time, running Nov. 13 through Nov. 28. The first segment closed Oct. 3, and a third and final segment is set for Dec. 18 through Jan. 31. Shooting hours for doves start a half hour before sunrise and end at sunset.
For hunters without private land, the closest public option on the state list for Lexington County is Hallman Field, a 47-acre tract reached from Exit 39 on Interstate 20 by taking Highway 178 east for 2.4 miles, then Truex Road for 1.2 miles and Rish Drive to the parking area. During the second and third segments, that field opens on Saturdays only and for doves only, which puts its first November hunt on Nov. 14. Hunters there need a Wildlife Management Area permit plus the free Migratory Bird Permit sold by license vendors.
Rules on all public dove fields keep hunts to the afternoon, with no one on the field before noon, cap each hunter at 50 shells and set the bag at 15 mourning doves a day. The field contact number is (803) 360-0209.
Waterfowl hunters on Lake Murray and nearby farm ponds can start Nov. 21. Ducks, coots and geese are open through Nov. 28, close for two weeks, then return Dec. 12 through Jan. 31. Geese get one more late run from Feb. 15 through March 1.
The daily duck limit is six birds, with no more than four mallards, only two of them hens, and no more than three wood ducks. Because Irmo sits west and north of Interstate 95, hunters here may count up to two black ducks toward that six, or trade one of them for a mottled duck. The goose limit is five, with no more than two white-fronted geese.
Before the opener, the state youth waterfowl day falls on Saturday, Nov. 14, for ducks, mergansers and coots. Hunters 17 or younger may take part only with a fully licensed adult who is at least 21, and 16- and 17-year-olds also need the Migratory Bird Permit and a Federal Waterfowl Stamp. Snipe season opens the same day and runs into February, while woodcock waits until Dec. 18.
Follow the latest Irmo SC hunting news for season openers, public land hunts and harvest updates around Lake Murray and the Midlands.
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