Cherokee County deer harvest: South Carolina, 2019 to 2024
SCDNR's 2024 Deer Harvest Report puts Cherokee County's harvest at 2,861 deer: 1,394 antlered bucks, 124 button bucks, 1,064 does and 279 of unknown sex, reported through SC Game Check and corrected by SCDNR for hunters who did not report. That is 11.7 deer per square mile of deer habitat. Ordered by SCDNR's 2024 harvest figures, the county is 38th of 46 by total deer and 7th by deer per square mile. About 2,391 deer hunters spent 35,241 days hunting deer in the county. SCDNR's survey estimates for 2019 to 2023 run from 1,913 (2021) to 3,026 (2020). The county is in Game Zone 2.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: SCDNR Deer Harvest Reports, 2019 to 2024. Seasons: SCDNR's 2026-27 deer seasons on private lands.
Cherokee CountySCDNR WMAsLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Deer, 2024 season | 2,861: 1,394 antlered, 124 button bucks, 1,064 does, 279 unknown |
|---|---|
| Per square mile of deer habitat | 11.7, 7th of 46 |
| Place by SCDNR's total, 2024 | 38th of 46 counties |
| Deer hunters, 2024 | 2,391 (40th of 46), 14.7 days each on average |
| Days of deer hunting, 2024 | 35,241 (39th of 46) |
| Hogs taken by deer hunters, 2024 | 107 (0.4 per square mile) |
| Coyotes taken by deer hunters, 2024 | 266 |
| Game zone | Zone 2 |
| Deer habitat (SCDNR) | 156,664 acres |
| Public land mapped here | 1 WMA property with a page, 1,743 acres |
| Towns | Gaffney and Blacksburg |
How many deer are killed in Cherokee County each season?
| Season | Deer | Bucks | Does | Per sq mi of habitat | How SCDNR counted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2,861 | 1,518 | 1,064 | 11.7 | Reported (SC Game Check, corrected) |
| 2023 | 2,780 | 1,745 | 1,035 | 11.4 | Survey estimate |
| 2022 | 2,449 | 1,521 | 928 | 10 | Survey estimate |
| 2021 | 1,913 | 1,236 | 677 | 7.8 | Survey estimate |
| 2020 | 3,026 | 1,875 | 1,151 | 12.4 | Survey estimate |
| 2019 | 2,914 | 1,645 | 1,269 | 11.9 | 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 279 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 Cherokee County?
SCDNR estimates 2,391 people hunted deer in Cherokee County in the 2024 season, 40th of 46 counties, averaging 14.7 days each for 35,241 days in all (39th of 46).
The same report estimates deer hunters took 107 wild hogs (0.4 per square mile) and 266 coyotes (1.1 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 Cherokee County?
Cherokee County is in Game Zone 2. Game Zone 2 is Abbeville, Anderson, Chester, Cherokee, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenwood, Lancaster, Laurens, McCormick, Newberry, Saluda, Spartanburg, Union and York counties and the parts of Greenville, Oconee and Pickens counties south of the Game Zone 1 line.
Game Zone 2, private land
| Archery only | Sept. 15-30 |
|---|---|
| Primitive weapons | Oct. 1-10 |
| Gun hunts | Oct. 11-Jan. 1 |
| Youth deer days | Sept. 12 (antlered only, 1 deer); Jan. 2 (either sex, 2 deer) |
| Antlerless limit | 2 a day, 9 total all seasons and methods |
Hunting deer with dogs is unlawful in Game Zones 1 and 2. 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 Cherokee County?
| WMA property | Acres in Cherokee County | First deer hunt, 2026-27 | Deer reported, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Creek WMA | 1,743 | Sept. 15-30 (archery only) | 38 |
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 Cherokee County compare with its neighbors?
| County | Deer, 2024 | Antlered bucks | Per sq mi of habitat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee County | 2,861 | 1,394 | 11.7 |
| Spartanburg County | 7,040 | 3,397 | 16.9 |
| Union County | 3,929 | 1,858 | 9.7 |
| York County | 4,727 | 2,292 | 10.9 |
All from SCDNR 2024 Deer Harvest Report, Table 1 (county harvest).
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were killed in Cherokee County, South Carolina last season?
2,861 in the 2024 season, by SCDNR's Deer Harvest Report: 1,394 antlered bucks, 124 button bucks, 1,064 does and 279 of unknown sex. These are SC Game Check reports corrected by SCDNR for hunters who did not report.
How does Cherokee County's deer harvest compare with other South Carolina counties?
SCDNR puts Cherokee County's 2024 harvest at 2,861 deer, 11.7 per square mile of deer habitat against 8.7 statewide. Ordered by SCDNR's harvest figures, that is 38th of 46 counties by total deer and 7th by deer per square mile.
When is deer season in Cherokee County?
On private land: Game Zone 2, archery only Sept. 15-30; primitive weapons Oct. 1-10; gun hunts Oct. 11-Jan. 1. WMAs set their own dates.
Is there public hunting land in Cherokee County?
Yes. SCDNR's map puts London Creek WMA (1,743 acres in the county) in Cherokee County.
Can you hunt deer with dogs in Cherokee County?
No. Cherokee County is in Game Zone 2, where hunting deer with dogs is unlawful.
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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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