Beaufort County deer harvest: South Carolina, 2019 to 2024
SCDNR's 2024 Deer Harvest Report puts Beaufort County's harvest at 1,640 deer: 752 antlered bucks, 79 button bucks, 744 does and 65 of unknown sex, reported through SC Game Check and corrected by SCDNR for hunters who did not report. That is 7.1 deer per square mile of deer habitat. Ordered by SCDNR's 2024 harvest figures, the county is 46th of 46 by total deer and 34th by deer per square mile. About 1,773 deer hunters spent 19,481 days hunting deer in the county. SCDNR's survey estimates for 2019 to 2023 run from 1,638 (2020) to 2,838 (2019). The county is in Game Zone 3.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: SCDNR Deer Harvest Reports, 2019 to 2024. Seasons: SCDNR's 2026-27 deer seasons on private lands.
Beaufort CountySCDNR WMAsNational wildlife refugeLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Deer, 2024 season | 1,640: 752 antlered, 79 button bucks, 744 does, 65 unknown |
|---|---|
| Per square mile of deer habitat | 7.1, 34th of 46 |
| Place by SCDNR's total, 2024 | 46th of 46 counties |
| Deer hunters, 2024 | 1,773 (44th of 46), 11 days each on average |
| Days of deer hunting, 2024 | 19,481 (46th of 46) |
| Hogs taken by deer hunters, 2024 | 261 (1.1 per square mile) |
| Coyotes taken by deer hunters, 2024 | 166 |
| Game zone | Zone 3 |
| Deer habitat (SCDNR) | 147,441 acres |
| Public land mapped here | 3 WMA properties with a page, 15,544 acres; 6,602 acres of national wildlife refuge |
| Towns | Bluffton, Hilton Head Island, Beaufort, Port Royal and Yemassee |
How many deer are killed in Beaufort County each season?
| Season | Deer | Bucks | Does | Per sq mi of habitat | How SCDNR counted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1,640 | 831 | 744 | 7.1 | Reported (SC Game Check, corrected) |
| 2023 | 1,896 | 946 | 950 | 8.2 | Survey estimate |
| 2022 | 2,261 | 1,037 | 1,224 | 9.8 | Survey estimate |
| 2021 | 1,904 | 959 | 945 | 8.3 | Survey estimate |
| 2020 | 1,638 | 763 | 875 | 7.1 | Survey estimate |
| 2019 | 2,838 | 1,588 | 1,250 | 12.3 | Survey estimate |
Source: SCDNR 2024 Deer Harvest Report, Table 1 (county harvest) and Table 1 of the 2019 to 2023 reports (SCDNR deer harvest reports). In 2024 SCDNR moved from a hunter survey to mandatory reporting through SC Game Check, so compare 2024 with the years before it with care. 2024 bucks are antlered and button bucks added together by FilledTag; the 65 deer of unknown sex are in the total only. Per square mile is SCDNR's own figure, on the forest and crop land it counts as deer habitat.
How many people hunt deer in Beaufort County?
SCDNR estimates 1,773 people hunted deer in Beaufort County in the 2024 season, 44th of 46 counties, averaging 11 days each for 19,481 days in all (46th of 46).
The same report estimates deer hunters took 261 wild hogs (1.1 per square mile) and 166 coyotes (0.7 per square mile) in the county in 2024.
Source: SCDNR 2024 Deer Harvest Report, Table 5 (hunters and days by county); SCDNR 2024 Deer Harvest Report, Table 10 (hogs and coyotes by county). These are survey estimates.
When is deer season in Beaufort County?
Beaufort County is in Game Zone 3. Game Zone 3 is Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Hampton, Jasper, Lexington, Orangeburg and Richland counties.
Game Zone 3, private land
| Archery and gun hunts | Aug. 15-Jan. 1 (Aug. 15-Sept. 14 buck only) |
|---|---|
| Youth deer days | Aug. 8 (antlered only, 1 deer); Jan. 2 (either sex, 2 deer) |
| Antlerless limit | 2 a day, 9 total all seasons and methods |
Dogs are allowed for deer on private land in Game Zone 3. Baiting deer is allowed on private land statewide and Sunday hunting is allowed on private land. WMAs set their own dates.
Source: SCDNR 2026-27 deer seasons on private lands.
Where is the public hunting land in Beaufort County?
| WMA property | Acres in Beaufort County | First deer hunt, 2026-27 | Deer reported, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Helena Sound Heritage Preserve WMA | 11,131 | Sept. 15-Jan. 1 (archery) | |
| Old Island Heritage Preserve WMA | 3,005 | Sept. 15-Jan. 1 (archery) | |
| Victoria Bluff Heritage Preserve WMA | 1,408 | Sept. 15-Jan. 1 (archery) | 5 |
6,602 acres of national wildlife refuge lie in the county, measured on the federal maps.
Acres measured by FilledTag on SCDNR Public Lands property boundaries, U.S. Forest Service land ownership and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundaries. WMA harvest: SCDNR 2024 Deer Harvest Report, Table 4 (WMA harvest).
How does Beaufort County compare with its neighbors?
| County | Deer, 2024 | Antlered bucks | Per sq mi of habitat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaufort County | 1,640 | 752 | 7.1 |
| Colleton County | 6,136 | 2,716 | 7.8 |
| Hampton County | 5,110 | 2,136 | 10.1 |
| Jasper County | 2,156 | 915 | 4.5 |
All from SCDNR 2024 Deer Harvest Report, Table 1 (county harvest).
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were killed in Beaufort County, South Carolina last season?
1,640 in the 2024 season, by SCDNR's Deer Harvest Report: 752 antlered bucks, 79 button bucks, 744 does and 65 of unknown sex. These are SC Game Check reports corrected by SCDNR for hunters who did not report.
How does Beaufort County's deer harvest compare with other South Carolina counties?
SCDNR puts Beaufort County's 2024 harvest at 1,640 deer, 7.1 per square mile of deer habitat against 8.7 statewide. Ordered by SCDNR's harvest figures, that is 46th of 46 counties by total deer and 34th by deer per square mile.
When is deer season in Beaufort County?
On private land: Game Zone 3, archery and gun hunts Aug. 15-Jan. 1 (Aug. 15-Sept. 14 buck only). WMAs set their own dates.
Is there public hunting land in Beaufort County?
Yes. SCDNR's map puts St. Helena Sound Heritage Preserve WMA (11,131 acres in the county), Old Island Heritage Preserve WMA (3,005 acres in the county) and Victoria Bluff Heritage Preserve WMA (1,408 acres in the county) in Beaufort County.
Can you hunt deer with dogs in Beaufort County?
Yes, on private land, as the Game Zone 3 seasons allow. On WMAs, only on the dog drive hunt dates an area lists.
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Where these numbers come from
- Deer harvest, hunters, days, hogs and coyotes: SCDNR 2024 Deer Harvest Report and earlier reports (SCDNR deer harvest reports).
- Seasons and rules: SCDNR 2026-27 deer seasons on private lands. Public land: SCDNR Public Lands property boundaries. Counties, highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 county boundaries; U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer.
FilledTag is not part of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Numbers are copied from SCDNR and the Census Bureau or measured from public maps; nothing here is estimated by FilledTag.
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