Outdoors: Meetings to provide arena for opinions on impending white-tailed deer hunting laws

With major changes to South Carolina’s white-tailed deer hunting laws potentially on the horizon, the state’s deer hunters have one more opportunity to voice their opinion.

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources has scheduled a series of meetings throughout the state in order to receive more input from hunters on current legislation that would revamp deer harvest laws in the Palmetto State.

Senate bill 454, sponsored by Senators Chip Campsen III of Charleston and Ross Turner of Greenville, was filed in February and approved by the Senate in March.

The bill currently resides in the House of Representatives, where it will be considered when the 2016 legislative session begins in January.

The bill proposes a limit of four antlered bucks per year and that all deer harvested must be tagged. The Antlerless Deer Quota Program (ADQP) that numerous landowners and hunt clubs utilize would continue to be available with quotas being issued for both bucks and does.

Currently, only the state’s two upstate game zones have a limit on bucks (five per season). The rest of the state, comprising the majority of the state in the midlands and the coastal plain, has never had a limit on bucks.

South Carolina is considered to be the only state in the United States that does not have a statewide limit on bucks.

Getting the bill passed and put into law is “an agency priority,” said Charles Ruth, S.C. DNR Deer and Wild Turkey Program coordinator.

Since around the year 2000, the harvest of deer in the state has decreased by around 35 percent, a clear indication of a declining population.

“Reasons for the decline include habitat changes related to forest management, extremely liberal deer harvests over the last two decades and the colonization of the state by coyotes since the turn of the century,” said Ruth.

The closest of the seven meetings to Horry and Georgetown counties will be held Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Florence at the Pee Dee Research and Education Center Auditorium located at 2200 Pocket Road.

“These are meetings to get public input (on the legislation),” Ruth said. “We’ve already had 17 meetings over the years but some of the (House of Representatives) members felt like we need to test the waters a little more.’’

The meetings will feature a presentation of deer harvest data, information on the coyote study done on the Savannah River Site in recent years and background information on previous public meetings.

After an open question-comment session, attendees will be asked to answer questions regarding pertinent deer and deer harvest issues.

For those unable to attend one of the meetings, there will be assimilated meetings available online at www.dnr.sc.gov.

“(The assimilated meeting) allows you an opportunity to go on the website, look at what the data says, essentially sit in on a meeting,” Ruth said. “We will have the presentation they can look at and then have the same opportunity to answer questions as if they were attending the meeting.’’

All meetings begin at 7 p.m. The full schedule follows:

▪ Tuesday, Florence, Pee Dee Research and Education Center Auditorium, 2200 Pocket Road, Florence, SC 29506

▪ Thursday, Lancaster, University of South Carolina-Lancaster, Stevens Auditorium, 476 Hubbard Drive, Lancaster, SC 29720

▪ Sept. 29, North Augusta, North Augusta High School Auditorium, 2000 Knobcone Ave., North Augusta, SC 29841

▪ Oct. 6, Pendleton, Pendleton High School Auditorium, 7324 Hwy 187, Pendleton, SC 29670

▪ Oct. 8, Greenwood, Piedmont Technical College, James Medford Family Event Center Auditorium (Building N), 620 North Emerald Road, Greenwood, SC 29648

▪ Oct. 13, Orangeburg, Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College, Roquemore Auditorium, Building R, 3250 St. Mathews Road, Orangeburg, SC 29118

▪ Oct. 15, Walterboro, Hampton Street Auditorium, 491 Hampton Street, Walterboro, SC 29488

SALTT Fundraiser

Charles Beverly weighed in a 21.75-inch, 4.39-pound flounder to win the Student Angler League Tournament Trail (SALTT) Flounder Fund-raiser Tournament Saturday in Murrells Inlet.

Mike Brady was second with a 2.08-pounder followed by Michael Leach (2.05), Joey Mosakowski (2.02) and Donnie Strickland (2.00).

Ava Heise weighed in a 2.10-pound flounder to win the Youth Division followed by Coleman Bess with a 1.45-pounder.

SALTT is open to middle and high school students and participating anglers will be able to choose whether to target red drum or bass during trail events.

SALTT tournaments will be held Sept. 26, Oct. 10, Feb. 20, 2016 and March 5, 2016. All events will be held out of the Carroll A. Campbell Marine Complex in Georgetown.

Students can find more information on the trail and can print registration forms at www.salttfishing.com.

Waccamaw NWR Youth Hunts

The Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge is holding a drawing for youth deer and hog hunts on the Normandy Unit of the refuge.

Only 10 applicants will be randomly selected to participate on each hunt date which are set for the afternoons of Oct. 16, 17, 23 and 24. The application fee is $5. Application deadline is Sept. 27.

For applications and more information, visit www.waccamawpermits.com or call the refuge office at 843-527-8069.

This story was originally published September 18, 2015 at 4:27 PM with the headline "Outdoors: Meetings to provide arena for opinions on impending white-tailed deer hunting laws."