Up Close with a White-Tailed Deer

Managing the deer herd is critical to the long-term ecological health of Spring Island's habitats since a herd lacking predators strips the forest of new vegetation growth. New growth supports a complex ecosystem of moths and butterflies (in their caterpillar stage), pollinators, songbirds, and small mammals.

A healthy heard density is approximately 1 deer per 10 acres in coastal South Carolina (northern forests support much lower densities of deer), so state wildlife biologists have recommended that Spring Island, which has approximately 2,500 acres of deer habitat on its 3,000 acres, should have a herd of no more than 250 deer. Given the high reproductive rates of deer in our region approximately 20-30% of the herd should be harvested annually to maintain a stable population.

The Spring Island Trust’s implementation of Quality Deer Management (QDM) maintains a healthy herd with larger bucks on the island. QDM is a strategy that involves herd habitat, hunter management and herd monitoring. Data are collected on every deer’s age, sex, body weight and antler spread (points and circumference) as well as reproductive success. Spotlight surveys are conducted annually to estimate the herd size. The results are tabulated before targets are set for the coming year.

Effective QDM produces healthy deer herds that are characterized by large, mature bucks and balanced adult sex ratios. This approach typically involves the protection of young bucks and an adequate harvest of female deer to maintain a population that is appropriate for existing habitat conditions.

During the 2020 season, the Deer Management Program harvested a total of 49 whitetail deer. The harvest included 27 females and 22 males. Spotlight surveys indicate a population estimated to be between 227 and 272 deer.