Oconee County deer harvest: South Carolina, 2019 to 2024
SCDNR's 2024 Deer Harvest Report puts Oconee County's harvest at 2,314 deer: 1,283 antlered bucks, 95 button bucks, 803 does and 134 of unknown sex, reported through SC Game Check and corrected by SCDNR for hunters who did not report. That is 5.2 deer per square mile of deer habitat. Ordered by SCDNR's 2024 harvest figures, the county is 41st of 46 by total deer and 43rd by deer per square mile. About 3,566 deer hunters spent 46,940 days hunting deer in the county. SCDNR's survey estimates for 2019 to 2023 run from 1,457 (2021) to 2,386 (2022). The county is split between Game Zones 1 and 2 (59% in Zone 1 and 41% in Zone 2, measured on SCDNR's game zone map).
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: SCDNR Deer Harvest Reports, 2019 to 2024. Seasons: SCDNR's 2026-27 deer seasons on private lands.
Oconee CountySCDNR WMAsNational forestLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Deer, 2024 season | 2,314: 1,283 antlered, 95 button bucks, 803 does, 134 unknown |
|---|---|
| Per square mile of deer habitat | 5.2, 43rd of 46 |
| Place by SCDNR's total, 2024 | 41st of 46 counties |
| Deer hunters, 2024 | 3,566 (28th of 46), 13.2 days each on average |
| Days of deer hunting, 2024 | 46,940 (29th of 46) |
| Hogs taken by deer hunters, 2024 | 1,125 (2.5 per square mile) |
| Coyotes taken by deer hunters, 2024 | 563 |
| Game zone | Zones 1 and 2 (split) |
| Deer habitat (SCDNR) | 284,348 acres |
| Public land mapped here | 7 WMA properties with a page, 100,810 acres; 84,309 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 | Seneca, Walhalla, Westminster, Salem and West Union |
How many deer are killed in Oconee County each season?
| Season | Deer | Bucks | Does | Per sq mi of habitat | How SCDNR counted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2,314 | 1,378 | 803 | 5.2 | Reported (SC Game Check, corrected) |
| 2023 | 2,280 | 1,655 | 625 | 5.1 | Survey estimate |
| 2022 | 2,386 | 1,216 | 1,170 | 5.4 | Survey estimate |
| 2021 | 1,457 | 848 | 609 | 3.3 | Survey estimate |
| 2020 | 2,035 | 1,290 | 745 | 4.6 | Survey estimate |
| 2019 | 2,182 | 1,571 | 611 | 4.9 | 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 134 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 Oconee County?
SCDNR estimates 3,566 people hunted deer in Oconee County in the 2024 season, 28th of 46 counties, averaging 13.2 days each for 46,940 days in all (29th of 46).
The same report estimates deer hunters took 1,125 wild hogs (2.5 per square mile) and 563 coyotes (1.3 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 Oconee County?
Oconee County is split between Game Zones 1 and 2 (59% in Zone 1 and 41% in Zone 2, measured on SCDNR's game zone map). Game Zone 1 (the Mountain Hunt Unit) is the part of Oconee, Pickens and Greenville counties north of the Norfolk Southern Railroad main line, except that from Westminster the line follows SC Highway 183 until the highway meets the railroad again in Greenville (SCDNR's Game Zone 1 page).
Game Zone 1, private land
| Primitive weapons | Oct. 1-10 |
|---|---|
| Gun hunts | Oct. 11-Jan. 1 |
| Youth deer days | Sept. 26 (antlered only, 1 deer); Jan. 2 (either sex, 2 deer) |
| Antlerless limit | 2 a day, 3 total all seasons and methods |
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 Oconee County?
| WMA property | Acres in Oconee County | First deer hunt, 2026-27 | Deer reported, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sumter National Forest Andrew Pickens Ranger District | 83,744 | Oct. 1-10 (primitive weapons) | |
| Jocassee Gorges WMA | 7,648 | Oct. 1-10 (primitive weapons) | 44 |
| Brasstown Creek Heritage Preserve WMA | 3,192 | Oct. 1-10 (primitive weapons) | 2 |
| Fants Grove WMA | 2,851 | Oct. 15-Dec. 22 (archery) | 87 |
| Keowee WMA | 1,596 | Oct. 15-Dec. 22 (archery) | 41 |
| Stumphouse Mountain Heritage Preserve WMA | 1,254 | Oct. 1-10 (primitive weapons) | |
| Buzzard Roost Heritage Preserve WMA | 525 | Oct. 1-10 (primitive weapons) |
84,309 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 Oconee County compare with its neighbors?
| County | Deer, 2024 | Antlered bucks | Per sq mi of habitat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oconee County | 2,314 | 1,283 | 5.2 |
| Anderson County | 7,773 | 3,798 | 22.7 |
| Pickens County | 3,147 | 1,585 | 9.2 |
All from SCDNR 2024 Deer Harvest Report, Table 1 (county harvest).
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were killed in Oconee County, South Carolina last season?
2,314 in the 2024 season, by SCDNR's Deer Harvest Report: 1,283 antlered bucks, 95 button bucks, 803 does and 134 of unknown sex. These are SC Game Check reports corrected by SCDNR for hunters who did not report.
How does Oconee County's deer harvest compare with other South Carolina counties?
SCDNR puts Oconee County's 2024 harvest at 2,314 deer, 5.2 per square mile of deer habitat against 8.7 statewide. Ordered by SCDNR's harvest figures, that is 41st of 46 counties by total deer and 43rd by deer per square mile.
When is deer season in Oconee County?
On private land: Game Zone 1, primitive weapons Oct. 1-10; gun hunts Oct. 11-Jan. 1. 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 Oconee County?
Yes. SCDNR's map puts Sumter National Forest Andrew Pickens Ranger District (83,744 acres in the county), Jocassee Gorges WMA (7,648 acres in the county), Brasstown Creek Heritage Preserve WMA (3,192 acres in the county), Fants Grove WMA (2,851 acres in the county), Keowee WMA (1,596 acres in the county), Stumphouse Mountain Heritage Preserve WMA (1,254 acres in the county) and Buzzard Roost Heritage Preserve WMA (525 acres in the county) in Oconee County.
Can you hunt deer with dogs in Oconee County?
No. Oconee County is in Game Zone 1 and 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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