SCW August 2026

South Carolina Wildlife magazine . . . 

behind the scenes!

South Carolina Wildlife magazine September-October 2026 front cover: juvenile great horned owls by Phillip Jones

We are delighted to share the fall issue of South Carolina Wildlife magazine, brimming with stories perfect for curious minds of all ages. In this edition, writers wax poetic on topics ranging from owling, to hunting memories and younger years on the farm.

We are also excited to feature the SCDNR canine conservation team in a new SCW segment, K-9 Tracks!

This season’s collection invites you to deepen your connection with the natural world around you. So, let’s settle in and get ready to explore what makes our natural heritage so worth protecting.

If you are not already a SCW subscriber, simply visit GoOutdoorsSouthCarolina.com or SCWildlife.com to start up, renew or gift a subscription today.

Check out two excerpts from articles featured in the upcoming fall issue!

“Fright Night: Owling and Prowling”

by Will Mundhenke, SCDNR State Naturalist

Barred owl, photo by Ted Borg

If you have ever spent the early morning hours in the turkey woods or climbing into a deer stand well before the sun rises, you may have heard a haunting sound. Experienced sportsmen will know the call as one from a friend, but anyone unfamiliar with the twilight hours will feel a chill in their bones. The ominous and drawn-out tones ring throughout the hardwood bottoms of the Palmetto State. If you are fortunate, or unfortunate depending on your disposition, there will be a cackling and a pair or more “hootin’ it up” as you wait for daybreak. “Who-cooks-for-you-who-cooks-for-you-all” is the question of the morning when a barred owl makes their presence known.

There are numerous strange sounds when you find yourself alone in a dark forest. The alien-like yelps and howls from the coyote sends chills down your spine. The non-stop chants from the Eastern whip-poor-will and chuck-will’s-widow that are reminiscent of the infamous goatsuckers. This family of nocturnal birds called nightjars earn that name due in part to their freakishly large mouth and the ancient Greek myth that they could blind animals. The rustling of treetops and eerie crunching of leaves in the distance from an unsightly armadillo or voracious raccoon. Perhaps, even, the stealthy bobcat with razor sharp claws waiting to pounce on its next victim. All these denizens of our South Carolina woods call the night home, but none are more prominent than the haunting hoots of the barred owl (Strix varia).

Read the full story in the upcoming SCW September-October 2026 issue!

If you are scouting out locations to hear or see an owl, look no further than Congaree National Park! The following is another excerpt from the SCW September-November issue! In her story, Alden Zerkle ventures deep into the woods and waters of Congaree National Park to show readers what makes it unique. 

“The National Park Everyone Gets Wrong: Why Congaree National Park matters to all of us.”

by Alden Zerkle, SCDNR intern

The boardwalk trail winds throughout Congaree National Park. Photo by Alden Zerkle

A Different Kind of National Park

Congaree isn’t a landscape park. It’s a biological one.

Beneath its seemingly ordinary canopy lies one of the largest remaining old-growth bottomland hardwood forests in North America — a place where seasonal floodwaters still shape the land, where wildlife thrives in ancient ecological rhythms, and where some of the tallest trees east of the Rockies rise into the sky.

In fact, Congaree contains the highest concentration of champion-sized trees in the United States. Some tower more than 170 feet overhead, roughly the height of a seventeen-story building. Standing beneath them is a humbling experience. Photos don’t quite capture it, statistics don’t either. Only when you crane your neck upward and watch the canopy disappear into the sky do you begin to understand what survives here. Much of the southeastern United States once looked like this. Vast floodplain forests stretched across river valleys, shaped by seasonal flooding and untouched by development.

Today, most of those forests are gone, but Congaree remains. And the deeper you venture into it, the more remarkable that fact becomes.

The moon from Congaree National Park. Photo by Alden Zerkle

The Forest Most People Never See

So how do you actually experience Congaree?

For starters, discover extensions of the boardwalk. Some of the park’s earthen trails offer an excellent introduction to the forest, winding beneath towering hardwoods and across pockets of swampy terrain. But stopping there is a little like visiting the beach and never touching the water. The real adventure begins beyond the wooden planks. A short walk from the visitor center, you can find Cedar Creek flowing quietly through the heart of the park. Its tea-colored water reflects the forest so perfectly that the trees seem to continue beneath the surface. Here, visitors can kayak, canoe, or paddleboard through one of the most unique landscapes in South Carolina. Bald cypress rise from the water on fluted trunks wider than compact cars, Tupelo trees lean over the creek’s edge, turtles slide from fallen logs as your paddle passes, and bright yellow prothonotary warblers flash through the canopy like sparks of sunlight. Around every bend, the forest seems larger, older and quieter, and you are pleasantly surprised how quickly civilization disappears.

Within minutes of launching a kayak, Columbia feels impossibly far away. The noise of traffic vanishes, there are no crowds waiting for photos and no lines of tourists at scenic overlooks. For students accustomed to constant notifications, crowded schedules and endless deadlines, that kind of silence feels almost foreign. And yet it might be exactly what we need.

Congaree offers much more than first meets the eye. Photo by Alden Zerkle

Read the full story in the upcoming SCW September-October 2026 issue!

Press check!

A stack of SCW covers fresh off the press. Photo by Cade McCants

The September-October issue of South Carolina Wildlife magazine is hot off the press! And with the creation of each new edition, our magazine staff have the opportunity to visit the print shops where the physical magazine comes to life. It is awe-inspiring to witness the speed and quality at which the magazine is produced.

We visit the printers to ensure that the finished product matches our vision for the magazine. The original file passes across many screens and through a variety of machines to fine-tune the pages.

SCW Art Director Kathryn Badal Diaz plays a vital role in ensuring consistency and high quality. At the printer, as pages pass quickly through the machine, she compares the output with our original prints. She works in real time with machine operators to adjust color levels to get the right match.

SCW art director Kathryn Badal Diaz inspects pages for color accuracy. Photo by Cade McCants

The web press prints and finishes pages at incredible speed. Photo by Cade McCants

We are proud to present the fall issue of South Carolina Wildlife magazine, arriving in mailboxes soon. It is not too late to subscribe and receive the September-October edition.

The holidays will be here before you know it! You can wrap up your gift shopping today with a 2027 SCW subscription! South Carolina Wildlife is a wonderful, lasting gift that reconnects us with nature during every season of the year.

Thank you for your support!

South Carolina Wildlife

September-October 1995

South Carolina Wildlife, September-October 1995

Thank you for supporting South Carolina Wildlife magazine, the flagship publication of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.

If you are not already a subscriber, please visit GoOutdoorsSouthCarolina.com or SCWildlife.com to receive bi-monthly editions of this award-winning magazine. 

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
South Carolina Wildlife magazine
P.O. Box 167
Columbia, SC  29202

An American alligator sunbathes at Santee Coastal Reserve (Photo: Emma Berry/SCDNR).

Welcome to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Coastal Updates newsletter! You are receiving this email because you attended one of our public programs or signed up for updates from our agency. In this monthly newsletter, you’ll find the latest outdoors news, volunteer opportunities, useful career information and more. We hope it will help you enjoy and protect our state’s beautiful coastline.

What’s happening outdoors along the coast in September?

• Water temperatures remain high. Consider avoiding fishing for adult or ‘bull’ red drum until temperatures drop and spawning ends in October.
• The 2026 SC shrimp baiting season opens September 11th at noon. 
• Sea turtles are still hatching. Keep lights out for loggerheads if you’re on the beach!
• September is SC’s peak hurricane month. Make sure you’re prepared.

SC is having a banner year for loggerhead turtle nests | Post & Courier

Bird’s eye view: Reserves advance oyster reef drone monitoring in the Southeast |  NERRA

Captain Sams Spit conservation deal moves forward after budget approval | ABC4 News

How SC is fighting derelict boats polluting Lowcountry salt marshes | The Island Packet

South Carolina youth continue to excel in national wildlife competition |  ClemsonNews

Advanced Pier Fishing (Myrtle Beach)  |  Wednesday, September 9th, 6PM – 8PM  | This clinic builds on the introductory class to pier fishing. We will teach you how to tie your own rig, advanced knots and more technical aspects to pier fishing, such as using spoons or lures. Kids ages 6+ and adults are welcome. You must RSVP here to attend.

ACE Basin Property Tour (Edisto Island)  |  Friday, September 11th, 9AM – 12PM  | Join SCDNR Staff on a tour of the ACE Basin where we explore the cultural and natural resources found throughout Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve and Wildlife Management Area! Register here.

ACE Basin Fun Day (Edisto Island)  |  Saturday, September 12th, 10AM – 1PM  | This free event will have hands-on activities, booth, scavenger hunts and a chance to ride on the E/V Discovery for an educational boat ride in the ACE! You must register here for the boat ride.

SCORE MWR Fabrication w/ Casual Crabbing with Tia (Charleston)  |  Wednesday, September 16th, 9AM – 12PM  | Volunteers will help cut, bend, and fasten galvanized wire to form a reef structure and then shovel recycled oysters into shaped wire. These reefs will be used to attract oyster larvae to their new forever home! You must register here to attend.

Mackerel Pier Fishing (North Myrtle Beach)  |  Saturday, September 19th, 8AM – 11AM  | This clinic will teach you how to tie fishing knots, rig a rod and reel for targeting mackerel, cast and more! Kids ages 6+ and adults are welcome. You must RSVP here to attend.

SCORE Trash Picking w/ Charleston Waterkeeper (North Charleston)  |  Tuesday, September 29th, 1PM – 3PM  | Volunteers will use trash grabbers to pick trash out of recycled shells. Recycled oyster shell will be used to replant various State Shellfish Grounds and for various restoration projects. You must register here to attend.

Mommy & Me Saltwater Fishing Clinic (Georgetown)  |  Friday, October 2nd, 10AM – 1PM  | Fishing Clinic for moms and kids! Join SCDNR, North Inlet NERR Staff and SCDNR certified instructors to learn the basics of saltwater fishing. You must RSVP here to attend.

SCORE Trash Picking w/ Charleston Waterkeeper (North Charleston)  |  Tuesday, October 6th, 1PM – 3PM  | Volunteers will use trash grabbers to pick trash out of recycled shells. Recycled oyster shell will be used to replant various State Shellfish Grounds and for various restoration projects. You must register here to attend.

SCORE MWR Fabrication (Charleston)  |  Thursday, October 8th, 9AM – 12PM  | Volunteers will help cut, bend, and fasten galvanized wire to form a reef structure and then shovel recycled oysters into shaped wire. These reefs will be used to attract oyster larvae to their new forever home! You must register here to attend.

Take A Kid Fishing Day (Horry County – multiple locations)  |  Saturday, October 17th, 8AM – 11AM  | Join SCDNR & partnered Horry County Fishing Piers for the annual Take a Kid Fishing Day. This event will take place over multiple piers. Kids over the age of 3 and one adult guardian will get to fish for free! Participating children must RSVP to attend and be a SC resident.

Interested in saltwater fly fishing clinics? You can keep an eye out on our calendar at www.saltwaterfishing.sc.gov for upcoming clinics. Fly fishing clinics will only advertise for a short window and have limited capacities.

We’re hiring!

Wildlife Biologist I | Georgetown County, SC | The employee will conduct face-to-face interviews with marine recreational anglers following protocols established by the NOAA Fisheries Marine Recreational Informational Program.

Building/Grounds Specialist | Charleston, SC | This employee will be responsible for groundskeeping, landscaping, minor repairs and maintenance duties for the research and administration facilities of SCDNR, Marine Resources Division at Fort Johnson.

Natural Resource Technician II | Charleston County, SC | This employee will be responsible for assisting with habitat development work on the Upper Coastal Waterfowl Project.

See all open SCDNR jobs here. Click Search Openings, Filter, Search Agency, Department of Natural Resources.

Landscape at Samworth Wildlife Management Area (Photo: SCDNR).

Partner Opportunities

Training Program Coordinator | North-Inlet Winyah Bay NERR | Georgetown, SC | This highly collaborative role strengthens science-informed management, builds stakeholder capacity, and supports the Reserve’s mission to protect and sustain South Carolina’s coastal resources through education, engagement, and applied science.

Executive Director | Open Land Trust | Beaufort, SC | The Open Land Trust seeks an experienced and community-minded Executive Director to lead South Carolina’s first and oldest land trust into its next chapter of conservation impact across the southern Lowcountry. 

August and September are peak spawning months for red drum in South Carolina!

August and September are peak spawning months for red drum in South Carolina, and successful spawning activity is critical to producing the next generation of red drum, like the fingerling seen below.

If you’d like to help the population rebound, give these adult (or bull) drum a break from fishing pressure during these months. They’ll still be around when temperatures dip and spawning ends in October – after they’ve had a chance to contribute to next year’s crop of young fish.

An angler demonstrates fish best handling practices by keeping the red drum horizontal and in the water. (Photo: Kaitlyn Hackathorn/SCDNR).