There's good news for South Carolina deer hunters: Based on the data from the 2008 deer hunter survey by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), there was an increase in the overall deer harvest in South Carolina for the second straight year.

According to Charles Ruth, Deer and Turkey Project supervisor for the SCDNR, the 2008 harvest was up 3.9 percent in 2008 compared with the 2007 harvest. In addition, the 2007 harvest was up by 7.5 percent more than the 2006 harvest. That totals a deer harvest increase of 11.4 percent over the past two seasons.

"During the 2008 deer season, it is estimated that a total of 131,346 bucks and 117,432 does were harvested for a statewide total of 248,778 deer," Ruth said. "This is up from the 2007 harvest of 239,193 deer. However, this is still 22.3 percent below the record harvest established in 2002 of 319,902 deer."

Ruth said based on land use trends in recent years, the overall deer herd right now is fairly stable at around 800,000 animals. He said at the peak population a few years ago, South Carolina had around one million deer.

"Nothing major has changed in the overall deer habitat in the past year," Ruth said. "The biggest reason for the decline in numbers of deer in the population and fewer being harvested is long-term habitat change. Right now there is considerable acreage in even-aged pine stands that are greater than 10 years old. That's simply a situation that does not support deer densities at the same level as younger stands in which food and cover is more available.

"I continue to expect an ebb and flow for the deer population and harvest on an annual basis -- that's quite normal," Ruth said. "I believe the reason for the slight increase in harvest in the 2008 season is similar to what occurred with the 2007 harvest being up over 2006. It's likely related to the fact that there was a slight increase in the number of hunters and man-days of hunting effort compared to the previous year, rather than a significant increase in deer numbers.

"I'm glad to see an increase over the previous season and figure the 2009 season should be close to the same harvest wise," Ruth said.

He said there are no big negative issues with the deer herd right now. With the habitat available, he thinks the population and harvest are about right.

In fact, any variation in harvest rates -- up or down -- in the upcoming season will likely not be caused by significant changes in deer numbers, but rather other factors that can affect hunting.

Weather can always play a significant role in the deer harvest as an external factor not related to herd or habitat conditions, Ruth noted. The weather can have a noticeable effect on hunter man-days, and that factor alone could cause the harvest to slightly move up or down from the 2008 harvest.