Committee advances Game Check rules for electronic harvest reporting; processors raise concerns

The Senate Fish, Game and Forestry Committee advanced regulations for the South Carolina Game Check electronic harvest-reporting system, which requires hunters to report big-game harvests (deer, bear and wild turkey) through an app, website or phone number and provides a confirmation number that processors will record.

DNR staff said required harvest-report contents include time and date of harvest, county, private or public land indicator and, for public land, the name of the WMA. Optional fields include weight and inside antler spread; Charles Ruth, a DNR biologist who supervises the big-game program, said weight and antler spread are optional for hunters who can provide them.

Senators raised concerns about the burden on meat processors, who must record the hunters Game Check confirmation number when processing donated or submitted carcasses. Senator Ott and others urged DNR to continue working with processors to secure buy-in; DNR staff said they have heard processor concerns and plan a withdraw-and-resubmit of a related donated-deer regulation to address processor issues.

DNR officials reported strong initial compliance: about 175,000 deer were reported in the first year under the harvest-reporting system, which DNR staff characterized as a successful rollout. Staff said required fields are minimal and the apps data-entry flow is designed to be quick; optional items are available for hunters who wish to provide more data.

Committee members moved the Game Check regulation package to the floor; staff and senators requested continued outreach to processors and hunters to improve user experience and compliance.