Working Paper 114 · Herd & HarvestSouth Carolina · 46 counties · Adjusted harvest · October 2026 snapshot
South Carolina Deer Counties Ranked: Orangeburg Leads, Anderson Has the Higher Rate
FDR Research Desk · Published FDR county analysis · Agency sources and methods linked below
Orangeburg leads South Carolina's 2024 adjusted county deer harvest with 10,976. Anderson follows at 7,773, but takes first on the agency's habitat-area rate at 22.7 deer per square mile. Bamberg makes the difference between those measures especially clear: twenty-second by total, fourth by rate. Reading both columns reveals counties that a simple total-harvest list would miss.
KEY FINDINGS
- Orangeburg leads adjusted total harvest at 10,976. Anderson follows at 7,773 and Williamsburg at 7,440.
- Anderson leads the habitat-area rate at 22.7. Spartanburg follows at 16.9 and Orangeburg at 13.9.
- Bamberg rises from twenty-second by total to fourth by rate. Its 3,977 adjusted harvest corresponds to 12.9 deer per habitat square mile.
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SCDNR adjusted estimates, 2024. Derived ranks by total. Secondary rates use agency habitat area, not all county land. County totals differ from the source statewide row; see methods.
10 of 46 entries shown
| State rank | County | Adjusted harvest | Deer / habitat sq. mi. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orangeburg | 10,976 | 13.9 |
| 2 | Anderson | 7,773 | 22.7 |
| 3 | Williamsburg | 7,440 | 9.3 |
| 4 | Spartanburg | 7,040 | 16.9 |
| 5 | Colleton | 6,136 | 7.8 |
| 6 | Laurens | 5,891 | 11.9 |
| 7 | Aiken | 5,734 | 7.3 |
| 8 | Berkeley | 5,557 | 6.3 |
| 9 | Florence | 5,458 | 8.8 |
| 10 | Hampton | 5,110 | 10.1 |
01County comparison
Orangeburg leads the total, Anderson leads the rate
In SCDNR's 2024 report, Orangeburg's adjusted 10,976 deer exceed Anderson's 7,773 by a derived 3,203. Williamsburg is third at 7,440 and Spartanburg fourth at 7,040. Colleton, Laurens, Aiken, Berkeley, Florence and Hampton complete the top ten by total.
The area column helps explain why Anderson takes first on rate. SCDNR assigns Orangeburg 504,516 habitat acres and Anderson 219,068. Orangeburg's larger harvest is spread across a much larger habitat denominator. Its printed rate is 13.9 deer per habitat square mile; Anderson's is 22.7.
02County comparison
Bamberg and Berkeley change places when area enters
Bamberg ranks twenty-second by adjusted total at 3,977 but fourth by the printed rate at 12.9. Berkeley is eighth by total at 5,557 and prints a rate of 6.3. The source assigns Berkeley 567,530 habitat acres and Bamberg 196,573. Those different denominators make a large total and a high rate very different county descriptions.
Williamsburg is another useful comparison: third by total at 7,440, with a rate of 9.3. Laurens is sixth by total at 5,891 but fifth by rate at 11.9. Abbeville and Cherokee each print 11.7 despite ranking twenty-first and thirty-eighth by total. The county finder keeps these contrasts visible.
03County comparison
The total includes more than antlered bucks
Orangeburg's adjusted total includes 4,995 antlered bucks, 5,147 does, 505 button bucks and 329 unknown. Anderson's printed antlered-buck value is 3,798 and its doe value 3,081. A claim that the total-harvest ranking is a buck ranking would discard those differences in composition.
The rate is also harvest per habitat area, not an estimate of living deer density. SCDNR uses habitat acreage rather than all county land. Hunting effort and harvest rules can affect the outcome, so a high rate cannot by itself establish the odds on a particular property.
04County comparison
The reporting change and a discrepancy readers should see
Mandatory electronic reporting through SC Game Check began in 2024. SCDNR used a postseason survey to estimate reporting noncompliance and adjusted the harvest figures. These county values are corrected estimates, not untouched check-in counts.
The printed county totals in Table 2 sum to 190,644. Its statewide row says 190,707, a derived difference of 63. We preserve the county figures and disclose the mismatch rather than silently altering them or calculating statewide shares from inconsistent totals. The ranking follows the printed county total column; the second column keeps SCDNR's published habitat-area rates.
05Basis of this report
Sources and method
SCDNR's 2024 Table 2 supplies adjusted estimates and printed habitat-area rates for 46 counties. FDR derives ranks from the county total column. Values retain the source's correction for reporting noncompliance and are not raw registrations. County totals do not reconcile to the source's statewide total row; both figures are disclosed in the text. Source retrieved October 5, 2026.
Compare the other states in the FDR county report series.
NOTES AND SOURCES
- SCDNR adjusted estimates, 2024. Derived ranks by total. Secondary rates use agency habitat area, not all county land. County totals differ from the source statewide row; see methods.
Fully Drawn Research is an independent data analysis desk, not affiliated with any state wildlife agency, transportation agency, mapping provider or outfitter. FDR county scores and interpretations are independent analysis. A county ranking does not evaluate an individual property.
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