New regulations taking effect in the 2019-2020 South Carolina deer season, will affect the use of natural deer lures and attractants.
It is illegal to possess or use, for the purpose of hunting or scouting any wild animal in the state, any substance or material that contains or purports to contain any excretion collected from a cervid (deer) including urine, feces, blood, gland oil or other body fluid.
This does not prohibit the use of synthetic products or substances collected by a hunter from deer legally harvested in South Carolina.
The majority of natural deer lures and attractants are made with fluids and secretions collected from captive cervids. Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a transmissible, always fatal, neurological disease, has been documented in numerous captive cervid herds, therefore the potential exists for these products to be contaminated with CWD prions.
Once introduced, the disease agent can remain viable in the environment, in the soil for example, were local deer may become infected. There is no way to either test the products for CWD or destroy CWD-causing prions.
With the high level of uncertainty surrounding the use of such products, the department is following the lead of other states in proactively prohibited the use of them in order to minimize the potential for CWD introduction into South Carolina.
SCDNR has taken a proactive approach and banned the use of products containing urine or scent gland secretions collected from deer or elk until such time that it can be proven that prions are not distributed across the landscape through the use of such products while afield.
The intent with this regulation is to protect South Carolina’s deer hunting heritage by ensuring that future generations have the same opportunities to deer hunt as are available to South Carolinians today and to protect the long-term health and stability of the deer herd in the state.
The SCDNR does not have the authority to ban the sale of these products, just their usage in the field for hunting or scouting purposes
It is still legal for products that contain natural deer urine or other bodily fluids to be purchased and sold in South Carolina, because the SCDNR does not have authority to regulate the sale of these products. However, it is not legal for individuals to have these products in their possession or on their person while afield for the purposes of taking, attracting, or scouting any wild animal in South Carolina.
Legal alternatives include many synthetic products that can be used to attract or lure deer that do not pose any secondary risks for CWD transmission to South Carolina white-tailed deer. These products are readily available at sporting goods stores and online retailers.
The use of urine or glands collected from legally harvested deer in South Carolina may be used by hunters in South Carolina.
Hunters who wish to dispose of old products which contain deer body fluids should make sure the containers are tightly sealed and dispose of them with trash. Disposal in a landfill is an accepted and safe practice.
More information is available here.