January 29, 2015 – Beginning in 2015, handwritten wild turkey tags will no longer be available over the counter at local vendors.  Turkey tags will be available over the counter in mid-February at S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) offices located in Clemson, Charleston, Columbia, Conway, Florence, and York.  Tags can be ordered by telephone at 1-866-714-3611 and online at the DNR website. You can also download an application (Pdf file) to be printed and mailed.

In order to legally hunt turkeys, all hunters including hunters under the age of 16, must possess a set of turkey tags. Hunters 16 and older must also possess a hunting license and big game permit. Hunters may not possess more than one set of turkey tags and all harvested birds must be tagged prior to being moved from the point of kill.

Hunters should remember to specifically request their turkey tags each year when they get their hunting license. For hunters who purchase their license over the counter they should request the tags at the license vendor.  Tags are mailed in February prior to the turkey season each year.  Hunters can tell if they will receive tags by mail if “Seasonal Wild Turkey Tags” is printed on their hunting license.

“The decision to eliminate the availability of handwritten turkey tags at local vendors was made for a number of reasons according to Charles Ruth, DNR’s Deer and Wild Turkey Program coordinator.  Hunters have been able to request turkey tags when they purchase their hunting license for a number of years so most are already pre-ordering their tags.  Secondly, this updated process provides a more efficient and reliable means to collect information on turkey hunters.  Finally, turkey tags are free and since there is no dedicated source of funding for DNR’s Wild Turkey Program, funds to administer the tagging program must come from other sources.  It is expensive and simply not good business to duplicate the effort in manufacturing and distributing two types of tags, said Ruth.  We encourage turkey hunters to remember to request their tags when they get their hunting license or order the tags prior to the season by phone or online allowing 4 to 7 days for the tags to arrive in the mail.”