Fewer Deer, More Deer Problems?

South Carolina has fewer deer than it did during the early 2000s, but many landowners, farmers, homeowners, and drivers are experiencing more deer-related damage than in previous years. That may seem contradictory, but the issue is not simply how many deer are on the landscape. The issue may be that deer are increasingly being funneled and concentrated into sensitive areas such as roadsides, crop fields, gardens, landscaped yards, and suburban green spaces.

South Carolina’s deer population peaked in the late 1990s and early 2000s at about 1.1 million deer. Today, the statewide estimate is closer to 700,000 deer, and recent harvest trends suggest the population has started to stabilize. However, deer conflicts have not declined in proportion to that population reduction. Deer-vehicle collisions increased from 5,904 in 1996 to 6,628 in 2024 (+12.26%), Clemson researchers estimated that deer-related losses to cotton, soybean, and peanut farmers totaled roughly $114 million in 2022, and, in some counties, local density reports have exceeded 100 deer per square mile.

Several factors help explain this pattern:

1. South Carolina was the fastest-growing state in the nation from 2024 to 2025 and added ~80,000 residents, representing a 1.5% increase in the total population to about 5.57 million people. The continued increase in South Carolina’s human population is increasing development pressure, expanding the wildland-urban interface, and is intensifying wildlife conflicts in rural and suburban areas.
   
2. Closed canopy forests and unmanaged stands may produce only 50 to 100 pounds of browse per acre, while low-density woodlands or early successional habitat may produce 1,000 to 2,000 pounds per acre. When native forage is scarce, deer are more likely to concentrate in early successional environments that are heavily trafficked by people (e.g., crop fields, roadsides, landscaped yards, food plots, suburban green spaces). Food is easier to find, but more human-wildlife conflicts occur.
   
3. Feral hog populations in South Carolina have increased over the last several decades, with a statewide estimate of approximately 150,000 animals. Feral hogs destroy native habitat, outcompete deer and other wildlife for resources, and opportunistically prey on fawns and other young wildlife. As hogs degrade or occupy native habitat, deer and other wildlife may shift into more sensitive areas such as crop fields, roadsides, food plots, and landscaped areas where conflicts and damage are more visible.
   
4. Damage is often driven by highly localized deer pressure. High-nutrition crops such as soybeans, corn, peanuts, small grains, and clover can improve deer body condition, fawn survival, and artificially prop up local carrying capacities, especially where abundant food, nearby cover, and limited hunting access overlap.
   

South Carolina may have fewer deer statewide, but deer are increasingly concentrated in agricultural and other sensitive areas due to a complex mix of spatial, seasonal, and landscape-level factors beyond those discussed here. Reducing conflicts requires managing both deer and habitat through regulated harvest, forest stewardship, crop protection, attractant reduction, feral hog control, and targeted prevention of deer-vehicle collisions.

For more information on human-wildlife conflicts and wildlife damage management, please visit the Clemson Cooperative Extension Wildlife Damage Management website (https://www.clemson.edu/extension/wildlife/) or contact us directly at wildlifedamage@clemson.edu.

Citations

Jackson, D. R. (2024, September 3). Enhancing browse: A better way to feed deer. Penn State Extension. https://extension.psu.edu/enhancing-browse-a-better-way-to-feed-deer/

Ruth, C., & Cantrell, J. (2024). 2024 South Carolina deer harvest report. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Deer Research & Management Project. https://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/deer/pdf/2024harvest/2024DeerHarvestReport.pdf

Smathers Jr, W. M., Smith, M. R., & Wilkie III, G. R. (2001). Causal Factors and Possible Solutions to Reduce Highway Accidents Caused by White-tailed Deer in South Carolina, Phase I (No. FHWA-SC-01-10,).

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. (2022). South Carolina drivers should watch for deer on state roads. https://www.dnr.sc.gov/news/2022/oct/oct17-drivers.php

South Carolina Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office. (n.d.). Population estimates by county, 2010–2020, 2000–2009. South Carolina Census State Data Center. https://rfa.sc.gov/data-research/population-demographics/census-state-data-center/population-data/population-estimates-counties

Stalnaker, L. (2025). 2024 population estimates: Migration drives rapid growth in South Carolina. South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce. https://dew.sc.gov/labor-market-information-blog/2025-05/2024-population-estimates-migration-drives-rapid-growth-south

Sullivan JM (2011) Trends and characteristics of animal-vehicle collisions in the United States. J Saf Res 42:9–16. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2010.11.002

U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.). County population totals: 2020–2024 [Data set]. U.S. Department of Commerce. https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html

Author

Jacob Murray, Wildlife Damage Management Associate, Clemson Extension.

Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to people of all ages, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, political beliefs, sex, orientation, marital or family status and is an equal opportunity employer.