Generating $200 Million Annually: The Economic Power of South Carolina’s State Animal

The white-tailed deer is one of the most abundant deer in the United States. Native to all but a handful of states, it has also become a conservation success story after the white-tailed deer was found to be extinct in several states at the turn of the 20th century, but conservation efforts helped restore their populations.

Today, many states view the white-tailed deer as part of their history, both culturally and economically. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that so many have designated the deer as their state’s symbol. This includes South Carolina, which became one of the first to designate the white-tailed deer as its state animal.

Why Was the White-Tailed Deer Chosen as South Carolina’s State Animal?

The white-tailed deer may not seem like an obvious choice as South Carolina’s state animal. However, when the history of the state and its dependence on the white-tailed deer is explored, the reasons for selecting the white-tailed deer as the state animal become clear.

The white-tailed deer’s “abundance and significance” to South Carolina’s “ecosystem and cultural heritage” is why it was chosen to represent the state. During South Carolina’s early days, the white-tailed deer skin played a huge role in the state’s economy. The deer was also a popular game animal, as it remains today.

Hunting white-tailed deer has proven to be a significant economic driver, bringing in $200 million to the state. Consequently, the white-tailed deer is both tied to South Carolina’s past and present, showing that the white-tailed deer remains as important to South Carolina today as it was in 1663, during the state’s colonial era.

How the White-Tailed Deer Became South Carolina’s State Animal

South Carolina was among the first states to officially designate a state animal. In 1972, South Carolina became the third state to designate the white-tailed deer as its state animal, following Wisconsin (1957) and Pennsylvania (1959).

In 1972, Act Number 1335 was signed into law by then-Governor John C. West. It stated, “Section 28-2.2. The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is the official animal of the State.”

Since that time, other animals have been selected to represent the state as the official fish, reptile, duck, butterfly, and more. However, the white-tailed deer will always be the first animal chosen to symbolize what South Carolina stood for decades ago and stands for today.

The White-Tailed Deer Represent Multiple States

In total, the white-tailed deer has been named as the state animal or state mammal in 12 states, including South Carolina. While each state has its own reasons for choosing the majestic deer, the key point is that the white-tailed deer is an important part of the United States’ landscape.

The states other than South Carolina that have designated the white-tailed deer to represent them in one form or another include:

• Arkansas
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Michigan
• Mississippi
• Nebraska
• New Hampshire
• Ohio
• Oklahoma (the state’s game animal)
• Pennsylvania
• Wisconsin (the state’s wildlife animal)

In total, there are believed to be 735,000 white-tailed deer living in South Carolina. This means the Palmetto State does not have one of the largest white-tailed deer populations. That honor goes to Texas, Michigan, and Alabama, which have 5.275 million, two million, and 1.75 million deer, respectively.

Nonetheless, South Carolina is proud to call the white-tailed deer its state animal, given how much the state relies on the deer for its history, commerce, and the tradition of hunting, which is deeply ingrained in South Carolina.

Do White-Tailed Deer Have Any Natural Predators in South Carolina?

White-tailed deer have inhabited South Carolina since before Europeans arrived in 1521. While not as abundant as they are today, the population was still plentiful. The population was also kept in check by the white-tailed deer’s natural predator, the mountain lion, specifically the Eastern cougar.

At one time, the Eastern cougar, a subspecies of mountain lion, lived in South Carolina. The white-tailed deer was the staple of the cougar’s diet. Unfortunately, the Eastern cougar was hunted to the point of near extinction in the 1900s. The last one officially spotted in the state was in 1938. As a result, the Eastern cougar was removed from the endangered species list and declared extinct in 2011, with no evidence of its existence since the last confirmed sighting.

With mountain lions no longer present in the state’s mountains and foothills, the white-tailed deer population increased rapidly due to the absence of natural predators. However, this was short-lived. By 1900, there were fewer than 300,000 white-tailed deer across the United States, and several states had eradicated them entirely due to overhunting. This led to a moratorium on hunting until populations recovered.

Today, the white-tailed deer population in South Carolina is large enough to allow regulated hunting, but hunters must follow strict guidelines.

White-Tailed Deer Can Be Hunted in South Carolina

Like other states where the white-tailed deer is named as the state animal in some official capacity, the deer can be hunted in South Carolina. However, there are regulations in place to ensure the white-tailed deer population remains healthy and abundant throughout and after hunting season.

In South Carolina, the white-tailed deer hunting season runs from August to January. The exact timing, based on zone, is as follows:

• Game Zone One: From October through January, firearms and archery can be used to hunt deer
• Game Zone Two: From September 15 to September 30, archery only is allowed. From October 1 to October 10, only primitive weapons can be used. From October 15 to January 1, firearms and archery can be used to hunt deer.
• Game Zone Three: August through January 1, firearms and archery can be used to hunt deer.
• Game Zone Four: August 15 through August 31, only archery equipment can be used. From September 1 to January 1, archery and firearms can be used to hunt deer.

To hunt deer, a license must be purchased, and strict reporting requirements must be followed after each kill. There are also guidelines on which deer are acceptable to hunt and how many can be bagged. All of the information can be found on the South Carolina Department of Resources website for those seeking further information.

The white-tailed deer has always played an important role in the culture, heritage, and economy of South Carolina. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that it was named the state animal. While the deer nearly became extinct in the state in the early 1900s, conservation efforts gave the white-tailed deer an opportunity to rebuild their populations. As a result, South Carolina now has a large white-tailed deer population, serving as a reminder of what could have been lost if conservation efforts had not been implemented decades ago.