South Carolina statewide deer harvest increases slightly COLUMBIA, S.C. — Results of the 2020 Deer Hunter survey conducted by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) indicate that the statewide harvest of deer increased by 2.4 percent last season. The harvest was comprised of an estimated 107,212 bucks and 90,681 does, which made up a total harvest of 197,893 deer, up slightly from the 193,073 estimated harvested in 2019, according to Charles Ruth, SCDNR Big Game Program coordinator. Between 2002 and 2015, the deer population in the state trended down, with the overall reduction in harvest likely attributable to a number of factors, including; habitat change, a long-term drought, two decades of aggressive antlerless deer harvest, and the complete colonization of the state by coyotes and their impact on fawn survival. Since 2016 the state’s deer harvest has increased, possibly as a result of declining coyote densities.