McCormick County deer harvest: South Carolina, 2019 to 2024
SCDNR's 2024 Deer Harvest Report puts McCormick County's harvest at 1,659 deer: 762 antlered bucks, 68 button bucks, 692 does and 136 of unknown sex, reported through SC Game Check and corrected by SCDNR for hunters who did not report. That is 5 deer per square mile of deer habitat. Ordered by SCDNR's 2024 harvest figures, the county is 45th of 46 by total deer and 45th by deer per square mile. About 3,008 deer hunters spent 32,496 days hunting deer in the county. SCDNR's survey estimates for 2019 to 2023 run from 1,239 (2019) to 3,164 (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.
McCormick CountySCDNR WMAsNational forestLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Deer, 2024 season | 1,659: 762 antlered, 68 button bucks, 692 does, 136 unknown |
|---|---|
| Per square mile of deer habitat | 5, 45th of 46 |
| Place by SCDNR's total, 2024 | 45th of 46 counties |
| Deer hunters, 2024 | 3,008 (36th of 46), 10.8 days each on average |
| Days of deer hunting, 2024 | 32,496 (40th of 46) |
| Hogs taken by deer hunters, 2024 | 740 (2.2 per square mile) |
| Coyotes taken by deer hunters, 2024 | 189 |
| Game zone | Zone 2 |
| Deer habitat (SCDNR) | 212,021 acres |
| Public land mapped here | 3 WMA properties with a page, 52,805 acres; 50,453 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 | McCormick, Plum Branch and Parksville |
How many deer are killed in McCormick County each season?
| Season | Deer | Bucks | Does | Per sq mi of habitat | How SCDNR counted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1,659 | 830 | 692 | 5 | Reported (SC Game Check, corrected) |
| 2023 | 2,070 | 829 | 1,241 | 6.2 | Survey estimate |
| 2022 | 2,760 | 1,638 | 1,122 | 8.3 | Survey estimate |
| 2021 | 2,404 | 1,259 | 1,145 | 7.3 | Survey estimate |
| 2020 | 3,164 | 1,832 | 1,332 | 9.6 | Survey estimate |
| 2019 | 1,239 | 741 | 498 | 3.7 | 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 136 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 McCormick County?
SCDNR estimates 3,008 people hunted deer in McCormick County in the 2024 season, 36th of 46 counties, averaging 10.8 days each for 32,496 days in all (40th of 46).
The same report estimates deer hunters took 740 wild hogs (2.2 per square mile) and 189 coyotes (0.6 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 McCormick County?
McCormick 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 McCormick County?
| WMA property | Acres in McCormick County | First deer hunt, 2026-27 | Deer reported, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sumter National Forest Long Cane Ranger District | 50,315 | Sept. 15-30 (archery) | |
| James L. Mason WMA | 2,149 | Sept. 15-30 (archery only) | 11 |
| Stevens Creek Heritage Preserve WMA | 341 | Sept. 15-30 (archery only) | 7 |
50,453 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 McCormick County compare with its neighbors?
| County | Deer, 2024 | Antlered bucks | Per sq mi of habitat |
|---|---|---|---|
| McCormick County | 1,659 | 762 | 5 |
| Abbeville County | 4,063 | 1,958 | 11.7 |
| Edgefield County | 3,258 | 1,469 | 8.5 |
| Greenwood County | 2,966 | 1,416 | 9.3 |
All from SCDNR 2024 Deer Harvest Report, Table 1 (county harvest).
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were killed in McCormick County, South Carolina last season?
1,659 in the 2024 season, by SCDNR's Deer Harvest Report: 762 antlered bucks, 68 button bucks, 692 does and 136 of unknown sex. These are SC Game Check reports corrected by SCDNR for hunters who did not report.
How does McCormick County's deer harvest compare with other South Carolina counties?
SCDNR puts McCormick County's 2024 harvest at 1,659 deer, 5 per square mile of deer habitat against 8.7 statewide. Ordered by SCDNR's harvest figures, that is 45th of 46 counties by total deer and 45th by deer per square mile.
When is deer season in McCormick 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 McCormick County?
Yes. SCDNR's map puts Sumter National Forest Long Cane Ranger District (50,315 acres in the county), James L. Mason WMA (2,149 acres in the county) and Stevens Creek Heritage Preserve WMA (341 acres in the county) in McCormick County.
Can you hunt deer with dogs in McCormick County?
No. McCormick 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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