For the first time since 2002, South Carolina deer hunters in 2007 recorded an increase in the overall deer harvest in South Carolina. While the deer hunting in recent years in the Palmetto State has been excellent by most standards, this upward turn on the numbers should have hunters smiling. It breeds hope and confidence that the 2008 season will be another excellent year in terms of seeing and harvesting deer.

According to Charles Ruth, Deer Project supervisor for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), the 2007 harvest was up by 7.5 percent statewide. Ruth said that during the 2007 hunting season, based on deer harvest survey results, a total of 239,193 deer were harvested. This is up from the 2006 harvest of 221,320.

Ruth said the increased harvest is a good sign, but it does not necessarily mean deer numbers are up in a big way.

"Certainly a larger harvest is a positive thing for hunters to consider," Ruth said. "But we expect the annual deer harvest to kind of ebb and flow based on the existing habitat conditions in the state. The slight increase in harvest in 2007 is likely related to the fact that there was a slight increase in number of hunters and man-days of hunting effort compared to 2006, rather than to a significant increase in deer numbers.

"Plus the late freeze we had in 2007 did seem to have an impact on the white oak mast crop," he said. "White oaks pollinate and produce fruit the same year. That, in conjunction with the drought last year, may have made the deer move more in search of food. Thus, deer may have been seen more often because of these factors as well.

"This is still 25 percent below the record harvest established in 2002 of 319,902 deer," Ruth said. "The reduction in harvest since 2002 can likely be attributable to one main factor: habitat change. Although timber management activities stimulated significant growth in South Carolina's deer population in the 1970s and 1980s, considerable acreage is currently in even-aged pine stands that are greater than 10 years old. This is a situation that does not support deer densities at the same level as younger stands in which food and cover is more available."

What does this mean for the 2008 deer-hunting season?

Ruth noted that every season has certain variables; however, the overall deer herd condition is good based on the existing habitat.

"There are no real negative issues with the deer herd right now," Ruth said. "As described, the habitat we have influences the total number of deer, which right now, statewide, is about 800,000 animals. That's about where we should be.

"Another thing to consider is the late freeze in 2007 may have an impact on red-oak mast production this season," he said. "Red oaks, which comprise the majority of oaks in the Coastal Plain, pollinate one year and bear fruit the next. If the red oaks were trying to pollinate when the freeze occurred, we could see an influence in red oak mast crop production this fall."

Ruth noted that two factors that always play a big role in how many deer are seen and harvested are weather and food. He said if the weather is poor for hunters in terms of being able to effectively hunt and food sources are abundant, fewer deer would likely be seen and harvested.