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It is important that hunters and land managers understand how Although some of the top counties have relatively high deer populations, some of these counties have more moderate numbers. Once again, Aiken County was this years’ top producer of State Record entries with 21 followed by Horry and Laurens with 13 entries each, Anderson County with 12, and Orangeburg with 11 entries. This would make sense because fewer deer in the population would benefit from increased nutrition. Although the total deer harvest in South Carolina has trended down, indications from the antler records program are that deer quality remains good. Statewide population estimates put the deer herd at about 730,000 animals with an estimated harvest of approximately 190,000 each of the last few years. South Carolina’s deer herd is in good condition and after many years of rapid population growth the herd stabilized in the mid-1990s followed by a decreasing trend since about 2002, according to Ruth. When particular areas stand out it is important to attempt to recognize the underlying characteristics that produce outstanding animals. Second, it provides management information that allows DNR wildlife biologists to identify areas that produce quality deer.
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First, because of the great interest in deer hunting exhibited by sportsmen, it is a way to recognize outstanding white-tailed deer taken in South Carolina. The purpose of the Antler Records Program is two-fold. With both deer netting 162 7/8, there was a tie for the top non-typical buck between Daniel Barnhill’s November 2018 Horry County buck and a buck taken in October of 2017 in Abbeville County by Joseph Hozey. The second and third highest scoring typical deer in 2018 were a 154 6/8-inch McCormick County buck taken by Russell Porter in November and a 154 1/8 inch Aiken County buck taken by Mike Johnson in November. Sims’ buck qualifies for the Boone and Crockett Club’s Three Year Awards Period and is the new Fairfield County typical record. The top typical buck was a 160 2/8-inch buck taken by James Sims in Fairfield County in November. Records are based on the Boone and Crockett Club scoring system, which measures the mass and symmetry of deer antlers in two categories-typical and non-typical. Racks must score a minimum of 125 points typical or 145 points non-typical to qualify for the South Carolina state records list. Although all of the records were not taken during the 2018 season, 198 were taken during the 2017 or 2018 season. This figure was up from the 232 records entered in the spring of 2018.
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Of the 483 sets of antlers measured this spring, 242 met the minimum score for entry on the state records list including 232 sets of typical and 10 non-typical racks, according to Charles Ruth, Big Game Program coordinator for SCDNR. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) Wildlife Section personnel make a concerted effort to measure deer racks throughout the state, with a major session during the Palmetto Sportsmen’s Classic in Columbia.