Deer hunters across South Carolina seem to have been pleased with the 2009 deer hunting season in general, based on inputs from a number of hunters. However, in most sections of the state, the top end harvest numbers weren’t quite as high as they were a few years ago by comparison.

The data compiled by the Hunter Survey for the 2009 deer-hunting season certainly bears that out. Charles Ruth, Deer and Turkey Project Supervisor for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, said that once again deer harvest numbers dropped on a statewide basis.

While there were some bright spots imbedded in the state in terms of overall harvest, which we’ll cover in detail later in this feature, the downward trend in harvest continued in 2009.

“During the 2009 deer season it is estimated that a total of 120,365 bucks and 111,338 does were harvested for a statewide total of 231,703 deer,” Ruth said. “This figure represents a 6.9 percent decrease in harvest from 2008 when 248,778 deer were harvested and is 27.5 percent below the record harvest established in 2002 of 319,902.”

Ruth said the trend of decreasing harvest figures is actually a complex blend of several issues impacting the deer population.

“As I’ve said for several years the deer population simply reached a carrying capacity,” he said. “Most hunters who have hunted for a long time in South Carolina remember having many years of rapidly increasing deer populations during the 1970′s and 1980′s. Then it leveled off and the deer population in South Carolina exhibited relative stability between 1995 and 2002.”

Ruth added that since 2002, however, the population has trended down, and 2009 was no exception.

“The overall reduction in harvest seen since 2002 can likely be attributable to a number of factors, including habitat change,” he said. “Although timber management activities stimulated significant growth in South Carolina’s deer population in the 1970′s and 1980′s, considerable acreage is currently in even-aged pine stands that are greater than 10 years old, a situation that does not support deer densities at the same level as younger stands in which food and cover and more available.”

But now there’s an “X” factor in the deer population slide that Ruth said is becoming a considerable concern. Coyote populations have apparently been on the increase during recent years and there is now hard evidence linking that population growth to deer mortality.

“Coyotes are a recent addition to the landscape and are another piece of the puzzle,” Ruth said. “SCDNR is currently involved in a major study with researchers at the Savannah River Site investigating the affects coyotes are having on the survival of deer fawns. Cumulative data through 3 years indicates approximately 80 percent total fawn mortality with coyotes being responsible for approximately 70 percent of these mortalities. If these findings even moderately represent a statewide situation, this “new mortality factor” is clearly involved in the reduction in deer numbers. This is especially true when combined with extremely liberal deer harvests that have been the norm in South Carolina.”

By looking at the deer harvest numbers for the various counties across the state, we can begin to get a good picture of where the most deer are being harvested. The top counties in 2009 are not necessarily a lock to be the best in 2010, but they do offer a good starting point. A lot of data is being generated by the annual deer harvest survey in South Carolina.

In addition to the actual harvest of deer, we can take a look at the percentage harvest increase or decrease in harvest from the top counties. In this way, hunters can look for areas of the state where the harvest numbers are both comparatively high and are up from the previous season. That would make the area a prime candidate for seeing more deer in 2010.

According to Ruth, the harvest projections for the 2010 season would be near what we’ve seen in recent years. He said it could bump up or down a bit but overall, it should not fluctuate much, given the information he has on hand at this time.

Studying deer harvest figures from the previous season and the trend, whether up or down, is one way of estimating both deer herd numbers and potential harvest rates in specific portions of the state.

According to Ruth, there are different ways to look at the deer harvest. One is to simply look at the total harvest in a given county. Ruth said with the often significant variation in size of counties in South Carolina that can be misleading when comparing one county to another. However, a positive harvest trend in a single county from year to year would be a good point to consider.

Most wildlife biologists prefer the ‘apples to apples’ concept. Specifically, they like to measure the number of deer taken per unit area. For South Carolina, the number of deer harvested per square mile is a commonly used method. In this way, regardless of the size of the county or area being considered, you can get a feel for the relative productivity of the area as a deer producer.

Ruth said that harvest per unit area standardizes the harvest among counties regardless of size of the individual counties.

“One way we measure the harvest rate is by the number of deer taken per square mile, with 640 acres equaling one mile,” he said. “Overall, when considering the estimated deer habitat that is available in South Carolina, the deer harvest rate in 2009 was 11.0 deer per square mile over the entire state.

“Although the deer population in the state has declined in recent years, this harvest rate should be considered good in comparison with most other states,” he said.

We’ll take a look at the top 10 counties for the 2009 hunting season in terms of harvest per square mile. Then we’ll also look at the harvest in terms of total harvest for the top 10 counties. With this data in, along with the percentage of increase or decrease in harvest for the 2008 season, you can make good deductions on where the best deer hunting near you may be for 2010.

The top county in the 2009 deer hunting season was once again Bamberg County. Bamberg has lead the state in the deer-per-square-mile status for several years in a row. In 2009 there were 22.4 deer harvested per square mile, up from the leading number of 20.0 deer for the 2008 season. The harvest for this county was up by 12.2 percent in 2009 over 2008, a significant increase since it also was tops in South Carolina in 2008. There were 3,454 bucks and 3,439 does harvested for a total of 6,893 deer in 2009.