New to public land etiquette and WMA regs hunting hogs and coyotes

[Suit_Broth'25]

I moved back to Greenville last year after getting married and our son is old enough to start tagging along. My wife grew up duck hunting but I am the newbie when it comes to public land rules.

I have a Remington 700 SPS synthetic 2020 in .243 and a Mossberg 500 12 gauge for close work. I want to try public WMAs around the upstate for hogs and coyotes while I look for a lease closer to town. What WMAs near Greenville or Spartanburg should I start with and what are the year round access realities for small game versus hogs and predators? Does anyone run into a lot of crowding on weekend mornings?

 

[Playboi]

Awesome that your son's getting outdoors but here's the deal about hunting hogs and coyotes on Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs): you can only do it when the WMA is open for another hunting season. Also make sure you have the correct license and weapon for whatever season is primary at the time.

If you're near the upstate, take a look at the Sumter National Forest WMAs. They're big, so you'll have room to spread out and expect a lot of people on Saturday mornings, so get there early

 

[Alan]

Have you checked out Tyger River or Jocassee Gorges WMAs yet?