SC's Deer Hunting Season, Longest In The US, Could Be Extended ...

"But when the hunter dresses the doe and sees the larger fetuses, a lot of them kind of get off-put by that," said Charles Ruth, DNR's big game program coordinator. 

Harvesting a buck with a nice set of antlers, meanwhile, is like winning a trophy to some hunters. 

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"Some people are just looking for meat, and some people don't care about the antlers," said Michael Cordray, owner of a meat processing company in Ravenel. "But you very seldom see somebody bring a deer here with a nice, big set of antlers that's not puffed up a little bit and proud of what he brought in."

If the animals don't have antlers, it is sometimes harder for hunters to discern whether they are shooting a smaller buck or a doe. 

In addition to those drawbacks, the deer harvest would be minimal further into January. The harvest tends to taper off by the first of the year, Ruth said. 

Cordray's Processing is one of the state's larger meat processers, specializing in venison, wild hogs and alligators, among other animals. Cordray said the amount of deer brought into his business begins to slow down in December because the animals are not moving as much as earlier in the season.

"The last week of deer season, we do get a lot of deer in, and I attribute that to lots and lots of people being in the woods because it's the last week of the year," Cordray said. 

But he said he doubts many people would utilize an extra 10 or so days because "they've had ample time all year to hunt."

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Kip Adams, chief conservation officer for the National Deer Association, said the organization wants hunters in the field with enough time to pursue the animals and fill their freezers. But in most cases, he said folks can harvest an adequate number of deer before the new year. 

"We certainly would take a listen to what the biologists at DNR are recommending and follow the science," Adams said. "If the science says 'hey, we can handle another two weeks of hunting,' then our organization would be more apt to support that."