Deer and the 1000 year flood

[JABIII]

I know the flood wiped the hogs off the map around here. I cannot find one to throw on the grill. Now, two long time landowners and wildlife managers whose opinion I absolutely respect are saying that they have very few deer this year. One has gone ahead and closed the season on his property and the other is allowing one deer per Member for the season.

My upland plots are grazed to the ground and my swamp edge plots are barely being touched and it has had me perplexed. A sack of corn can sit a week on the ground where, typically, 3 bags a night would not last.

Anyone else hearing anything? It certainly stands to reason that a flood of unprecedented magnitude could have severely hurt our deer herds as it unquestionably did our hog plague. We cannot afford to wait for DNR to catch up in a few years telling is we should not have shot all those does after the flood or some such as the data comes in. It is on us who operate in the flood plains to take the lead. We will start hunting soon and see what we see. Y'all who hunt swampland keep us informed on what you are seeing/hearing/ etc. Thanks.

[Rodney]

Sat the last three mornings on what I would call confidence stands on good wind and have not seen a deer. Very odd.

[Glenn]

I've heard the same from down that way.

[Coastal Woodie]

I've seen more deer this year than ever before and I hunt a large swamp about 2 or 3 miles from the waccamaw river. My area flooded pretty bad and I've got the some of the same bucks on camera now that I had last year before the flood. I haven't seen an impact on the herd in my area

[Saltydog235]

Haven't seen shit from stands this year. Seen quite a few coming and going. Hogs are here bad. Deer have just been nocturnal as hell.

[Southernduck]

I have not sat once this year but I spent A LOT of time hunting a large tract (2500ac+) on the Edisto river last November and December after the flood and deer were absolutely plentiful. This entire tract was under water (1-5') for over a week after the flood. I do think it moved some deer around as far as their historical ranges but do not think it wiped them out in these areas. Crop damages from deer this year have not told that they were significantly impacted last October.

[Highstrung]

I've definitely not seen the deer that I'm used to. My father has talked a lot about, the flood imacts. I've got a few on camera, but it's been nothing like years in the past. We haven't sat in a stand yet, both of us. We took a father and son last week that just wanted to watch, that's it.

[santee11]

The folks that hunt the Clarendon County side of Santee River swamp below the dam are seeing the same thing. Deer numbers are down drastically in that swamp.

[uga_dawg]

Haven't seen shit from stands this year. Seen quite a few coming and going. Hogs are here bad. Deer have just been nocturnal as hell.

This has been my experience (minus the hogs). Deer are here and are feeding, but its all at night. More so than normal.

[catahouladogs]

Our deer numbers are down drastically and the hog population is worse then ever. Doesn't make any sense. This property borders the old Santee for several miles.

[jwilliams]

I am quite confident our herd is down 70% from last year. the real kicker......I called last year about closing the season in the river basin on our 2nd and 3rd flood last year.....it wasn't a popular decision, so, at the expense of the population, the season remained great one for hill folks shooting "fish in a barrel". Fair chase and all.....lol

[jwilliams]

hogs are worse than ever. If they could fly, the mosquitoes would be wiped out.

[2thDoc]

i had trouble growing a sunflower up top but have corn germinating in my corn piles in the bottom.....

[JABIII]

I would like to see the electric chair for anyone found importing hogs back into areas that God did us a favor in removing...

[skrimp]

I hunt a 20000+ac tract between two rivers near the coast. It was 75℅ flooded during most of the fall and winter. I can't tell any difference in the deer population but there's not near as many hogs. 2 of us killed 51 hogs in two days and I know 2 other groups that did about the same so I'm sure that help. It probable wasn't a drop in the bucket though compared to what the flood took out. I hate a damn hog.

[Luvin' Labs]

There was a article/video in the state paper a few weeks ago with Charles Ruth talking about the impact the flood had on deer herds. I'm surprised no one posted it with all the love around here for him.

[Elcid_Fowler]

The deer are alive and well in the Upstate around parts I frequent when visiting my Mother or Sisters back home. All the deer in the Columbia flood areas must have migrated to Charlotte and our neighborhoods. I swear I could have 3 - 4 absolute awesome wall hangers just sitting on our back porch in the neighborhood. I'm in Quail Hollow and the neighborhood heard is busting will numbers as well as good genetics!

Edit - I'm only talking Greenville / Anderson area of upstate and not plantation size tracts of land. 600 continuous acres at most. I'll ask my brother-in-law what he's seeing on their farm in Ninety-Six.

[TJ_11]

I'm hearing the same from a piece of property that borders the Santee. Deers numbers are down, and just like JWILLIAMS spoke of, the people on the higher ground around these areas benefited.

[ecwooduck]

I hunt in Colleton County the deer are plentiful on our property

[flockbuster]

I'm hunting a place for the first time this year so I have no idea what is was like before, I just know I aint seeing much in places that look like they should be slam full of deer. Then again, I suck at deer hunting.