Deer #3 for this season.

[rhomas]

Nice 140lb + doe, killed at 6:10 this afternoon with the T/C Encore .308 and Winchester 150 grain power point ammo. She came out at 5:50 and was directly down wind of my stand. I shot her in the neck at 110 yards and she was dead before she hit the ground. She was trying to figure out what she was smelling as she sniffed and licked her lips; but luckily I had sprayed down with Scent Blocker and applied Evercalm to my boots before I climbed in the stand at 3:45.

 

[big28hunter]

Congrats! Nice doe!

 

[1_pointer]

Congrats! Hope you have a BIG freezer.

 

[wingman1]

Should be a tasty one. How many can you harvest in SC per season?

 

[rhomas]

wingman1, in my part of the state, we don't have any limits. We have 14 antler less days when we can take two antler less deer and as many antlered deer as we have opportunities for. We also can purchase an addition maximum of 4 doe tags that may be used beginning Sept. 15th, and which are good any time there isn't an antler less day. There are no limits on bucks per day, regardless of the number of does killed, and no maximum number of bucks that can be killed during the season. I figured that if an individual killed one buck per day during the season (Aug. 15th-Jan. 1st), that would be 140 bucks. Then if the same person killed two does each antler less day that's another 28 deer, on top of 4 more if he purchased the maximum number of doe tags. That comes out to 172 deer, which doesn't include any antler less deer killed on lands enrolled in the state's management program, where land owner tags are used instead of personal tags.

1_pointer, I have three freezers; but I donate a good bit of meat every season and at my house we usually have venison at least 3 or 4 times each week, every week!

 

[RUT JUNKEY]

wow thats some liberal bag limits, I thought we had it good here in Indiana! Just curious as to what the statewide harvest is each year down there? I would imagine a 140+ pound doe is a giant down there. . Is that the case? Good luck the rest of the season. RJ

 

[rhomas]

Rut Junkey, we don't have to report or check in any kills other than those made on State WMA lands, so the SC DNR guestimates the total numbers based strictly on public land check-ins and information provided by licensed game processors. I believe last years guess was around 175,000; but I'd say the numbers are much higher than what DNR claims.

Most of the mature does will average around 100 to 120 lbs. I have killed a few that went 150, but those aren't common. I had some trail cam pictures of this old gal, along with a really nice 9 point and a very big 10 point, so I knew she was much larger than average.