Chester County deer harvest: South Carolina, 2019 to 2024
SCDNR's 2024 Deer Harvest Report puts Chester County's harvest at 4,089 deer: 1,992 antlered bucks, 186 button bucks, 1,561 does and 350 of unknown sex, reported through SC Game Check and corrected by SCDNR for hunters who did not report. That is 8.7 deer per square mile of deer habitat. Ordered by SCDNR's 2024 harvest figures, the county is 20th of 46 by total deer and 24th by deer per square mile. About 5,438 deer hunters spent 73,275 days hunting deer in the county. SCDNR's survey estimates for 2019 to 2023 run from 4,040 (2020) to 4,964 (2022). 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.
Chester CountySCDNR WMAsNational forestLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Deer, 2024 season | 4,089: 1,992 antlered, 186 button bucks, 1,561 does, 350 unknown |
|---|---|
| Per square mile of deer habitat | 8.7, 24th of 46 |
| Place by SCDNR's total, 2024 | 20th of 46 counties |
| Deer hunters, 2024 | 5,438 (10th of 46), 13.5 days each on average |
| Days of deer hunting, 2024 | 73,275 (10th of 46) |
| Hogs taken by deer hunters, 2024 | 853 (1.8 per square mile) |
| Coyotes taken by deer hunters, 2024 | 1,167 |
| Game zone | Zone 2 |
| Deer habitat (SCDNR) | 300,589 acres |
| Public land mapped here | 3 WMA properties with a page, 14,682 acres; 12,704 acres of national forest. The WMA acres include national forest land that is also a WMA, so the figures overlap and do not add up |
| Towns | Great Falls, Chester, Lowrys, Fort Lawn and Richburg |
How many deer are killed in Chester County each season?
| Season | Deer | Bucks | Does | Per sq mi of habitat | How SCDNR counted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4,089 | 2,178 | 1,561 | 8.7 | Reported (SC Game Check, corrected) |
| 2023 | 4,502 | 2,537 | 1,965 | 9.6 | Survey estimate |
| 2022 | 4,964 | 2,652 | 2,312 | 10.6 | Survey estimate |
| 2021 | 4,264 | 2,250 | 2,014 | 9.1 | Survey estimate |
| 2020 | 4,040 | 2,145 | 1,895 | 8.6 | Survey estimate |
| 2019 | 4,814 | 3,042 | 1,772 | 10.3 | 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 350 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 Chester County?
SCDNR estimates 5,438 people hunted deer in Chester County in the 2024 season, 10th of 46 counties, averaging 13.5 days each for 73,275 days in all (10th of 46).
The same report estimates deer hunters took 853 wild hogs (1.8 per square mile) and 1,167 coyotes (2.5 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 Chester County?
Chester 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 Chester County?
| WMA property | Acres in Chester County | First deer hunt, 2026-27 | Deer reported, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sumter National Forest Enoree Ranger District | 12,704 | Sept. 15-30 (archery) | |
| Landsford Canal Forest Legacy Area WMA | 1,433 | Sept. 15-30 (archery only) | 28 |
| Heritage Tract WMA | 545 | Sept. 15-30 (archery only) |
12,704 acres of national forest lie in the county, measured on the federal maps. The national forest WMA in the table above is on that same land, so the two acreages overlap rather than add up.
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 Chester County compare with its neighbors?
| County | Deer, 2024 | Antlered bucks | Per sq mi of habitat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chester County | 4,089 | 1,992 | 8.7 |
| Fairfield County | 4,197 | 2,215 | 7 |
| Lancaster County | 4,407 | 2,198 | 10.6 |
| 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 Chester County, South Carolina last season?
4,089 in the 2024 season, by SCDNR's Deer Harvest Report: 1,992 antlered bucks, 186 button bucks, 1,561 does and 350 of unknown sex. These are SC Game Check reports corrected by SCDNR for hunters who did not report.
How does Chester County's deer harvest compare with other South Carolina counties?
SCDNR puts Chester County's 2024 harvest at 4,089 deer, 8.7 per square mile of deer habitat against 8.7 statewide. Ordered by SCDNR's harvest figures, that is 20th of 46 counties by total deer and 24th by deer per square mile.
When is deer season in Chester 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 Chester County?
Yes. SCDNR's map puts Sumter National Forest Enoree Ranger District (12,704 acres in the county), Landsford Canal Forest Legacy Area WMA (1,433 acres in the county) and Heritage Tract WMA (545 acres in the county) in Chester County.
Can you hunt deer with dogs in Chester County?
No. Chester County is in Game Zone 2, where hunting deer with dogs is unlawful.
Get a South Carolina hunt plan when they open
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Use the map while you wait for your plan.
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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