As publishedNov 23, 2026 – Mar 1, 2027 (guns & dogs); dogs-only Mar 2–Nov 22, 2026 (private land) / Sept 1–14, 2026 (WMA)
Guns & dogs season (private land and WMA, all Game Zones) Nov 23, 2026–Mar 1, 2027, bag 12/day. Dogs-only (no firearm) preseason training period Mar 2–Nov 22, 2026 on private land; WMA dogs-only period Sept 1–14, 2026. Statewide youth day (private land) Nov 21, 2026, 12/day. HIP/federal migratory-bird permit does not apply — quail is a resident upland game bird, not migratory.
SCDNR's Bobwhite Quail Whistling Cock Census (73 routes statewide, unbroken since 1979) is the governing source; 2026 fieldwork ran June 15-July 10, but the 2026 report has not been published yet -- a guessed 26WCSurveyRpt.pdf filename returned a 404 on direct fetch 2026-08-19, and the most recent edition found remains the 2025 report. Expected sometime after fieldwork closes, no fixed publish date confirmed.