For many years, South Carolina hunters have expressed concern over the unregulated harvest of antlered deer in the state. There has also been an increasing interest in reducing
harvest pressure.
Many hunters feel that the current situation leads to an over-exploitation, resulting in a high percentage of bucks being taken by a small percentage of hunters.
Deer hunters have encouraged the state Department of Natural Resources to recommend and implement a statewide limit on bucks with a tagging program to provide for enforcement of the law.
Currently, there is no limit on the number of bucks that a hunter can take in the four coastal plain zones. However, there is a five-buck limit in the two upstate zones.
Public meetings, held in all areas of the state, show broad support for a buck limit, and having a set of tags to provide for enforcement. Additionally, hunters indicated they would support paying a modest fee to administer the program and for research and management.
I personally attended two of the meetings, one in Florence and another in Kingstree. The meetings were the most heavily attended meetings ever hosted by the SCDNR. The overwhelming majority favored the idea of a buck limit and tag system.
A random telephone survey of deer hunters, and an Internet survey open to the public has also been held. Results indicate a minimum of 70 percent, and in some cases up to 90 percent, support a limit on the number of bucks a hunter can kill and a tagging system, provided the revenue is used for enforcement.
A survey of participants in the Antlerless Deer Quota Program posted similar results.
On a personal note, I can describe an incident that occurred a couple of years ago during a break on a deer drive. I overheard two lady hunters talking about how many deer they had killed that year. This was during Thanksgiving weekend, with more than a month left in the deer season.
I knew from personal experience, that these ladies and their husbands hunted nearly every day of the deer season. They shot every legal buck and doe that they could, but I was stunned when I heard one say that she had already killed 38 deer that year.
“Thirty eight! What in the world would you do with that many?” I asked.
Her answer to me was that they gave most of them away.
“Why would you shoot them if you didn’t want them?” I asked.
“Because you can; it’s legal,” she answered.
Needless to say, I don’t hunt with those people anymore.
SCDNR has conducted numerous research projects related to deer management. There is an ongoing study with researchers at the Savannah River Site investigating the effects coyotes are having on deer populations.
The study showed that fawn mortality could be as high as 70 percent, with coyotes responsible for 80 percent of the mortalities. Given the impacts coyotes may be having on our deer herd, it’s important to re-think our management approach.
These studies, and hunter observations, indicate a current atmosphere of a poor overall management approach. According to DNR biologist Charles Ruth, the deer population has
dropped from about 1 million to around 750,000 in the past decade.
Although the overall deer harvest has been on a downward trend, indications are that population levels have moderated, and that hunter success and deer harvest rates remain good.
South Carolina law charges the SCDNR to monitor fish and game, and to recommend legislation and other action to the General Assembly which may be conductive to the conservation of wildlife.
The South Carolina Deer Management Bill of 2015 was introduced into the Senate on Feb. 12. The bill, if passed, will set a statewide limit of four bucks and four does and a tagging program for every deer killed – bucks and does. It will bring greatly needed deer management changes, and historic improvements to South Carolina.
Contact Sen. Kevin Johnson to let him know you support this bill, and hope that he will vote to pass it during this session.
