South Carolina Deer Population and Management Archive -  South Carolina

View the archive by scrolling through the window below or load the document.  Historic deer hunt data is below the Archive window on the left column with links to sources.   .

South Carolina Deer Population and Management Archive

Annual Deer Hunt

1950:   10,000

1968:   30,000

1999: 300,762

2000* 299,000

2001: 308,000

2002: 319,902

2003: 273,504 

2004: 251,205

2005: 244,045

2006: 221,319

2007: 239,193

2008: 248,778

2009: 231,319

2010: 222,696

2011: 226,458

2012: 217,854

2013: 225,806

2014: 202,952

2015: 195,030

2016: 172,315

2017**185,286 

2018: 194,986

2019: 193,073

2020: 197,893

2021: 174,569

2022:   179,414


*2000 estimated from graph

**Only half of historic harvest may have been reported, see page 1 and 2


Deer population trend down, 2002 was the peak harvest.


Harvest Statistics


Since 1997, harvest estimates have been based on hunter surveys.  Before that check stations were used resulting in about half as many deer reported as harvested compared to surveys.