In the fall, many men take their guns off of the mantle or out of a case and decide to go hunting in the woods for game. What some don’t know is that hunting laws are taken seriously. If you fail to obey the hunting laws that apply to your state, you can be arrested and fined for it. Recently, four men from York, South Carolina were accused of illegally hunting deer at night in the county. The young men were all taken to jail when they were found night hunting one week before the official season started. Hunting in the area wasn’t permitted until October 11^th. The men were all in their 20S. The police noticed the offenders when they saw a flashing light in a field on their night patrol. They moved closer to determine what the light was and found that it was a flashlight that the boys were flashing in order to attract game. The police then found a loaded rifle inside of the boys’ truck.

The South Carolina state law strictly prohibits ever hunting at nighttime except when the hunters are searching for coyotes, foxes and hogs. Even then, this game is only hunted at specific times during the year. One police officer told the Herald that night hunting is something that the department takes very seriously. Those who violate the night hunting laws in this state may lose their hunting licenses and each be fined $1,000. The police confiscated the offenders hunting weapons and said that they will need to rebuy them from the department at an assessed value if they want to regain them in the future. The police also confiscated the boys’ vehicle and they will need to buy that back for a declared price.

York County is in South Carolina’s zone 2 deer hunting area, which includes 15 counties. In this state certain guns can only be used at certain times. Muzzle loader hunting is only permitted in Zone 2 from October 1-10 on private land. The gun season for deer hunting on private property opens on October 11^th and ends on January 1^st. Night hunting has been banned in the state for the most part because of the danger of limited visibility. Many times hunters will shine a flashlight and catch the reflection of an animal’s eyes. Yet that animal is not always the deer that they meant to hit. Instead, there are times that it is a horse or cow from a neighboring property. Because it is hard to see, night hunters have hit friends, pedestrians, cars, or houses when trying to shoot what they think is a deer.

Each state has their own hunting code that is enforced by the police. For example, in Virginia there are hunting & trapping regulations which are enforced every year and are constantly being amended. To be specific, Virginia only allows hunters to kill and take home 100 pounds of live weight or 75 pounds of dressed weight in regards to bears. The mother bears with cubs cannot be harvested. When a person catches and kills a bear in Virginia, they must then take the bear to an official bear check station so that it can be recorded. October is archery bear season, while the first half of November is muzzleloader bear season. Any people who fail to abide by their state hunting laws can be prosecuted in court for their actions. If you are a hunter, then it is highly recommended that you brush up on your state regulations before heading out to seek game. If you have been charged with a hunting crime then contact a lawyer near you the help defend you in court!