USFS Deer Management Program
US Forest Service (USFS) Deer Management Program Mission
Dedication to maintaining a healthy balance between our deer population and the surrounding environment by reducing deer-vehicle accidents, protecting and balancing ecological communities, safeguarding essential site infrastructure and facilities, and reducing the potential of deer related disease spread, by conducting controlled and strategic public hunts.
USFS Statement
The US Forest Service is committed to providing a safe, secure, and welcoming environment for hunting activities, ensuring an enjoyable experience for all participants. Our program is designed to benefit the public by allowing access to controlled hunts to effectively manage the deer population within the SRS boundary, while maintaining uncompromising site safety and security.
2026 Important Updates
For the 2026 deer season the USFS will only utilize dog hunts for managing the deer population. The use of public stand hunts will be evaluated for possible use in the near future.
Current and newly added dog packs will be notified by USFS via email of their selected hunt dates. The historic wait list to get added to the hunt is still being utilized.
All Harvested Deer and Hogs must be field dressed (gutted) at the location of harvest (Minimum 15ft from any road) by the hunt participants before being brought back to the check station.
SRS Deer Hunt Overview
Since 1965, the Savannah River Site has provided optimal deer hunting opportunities for thousands of sportsmen. The site has over 150,000 acres of land that the annual deer hunts are conducted on. Hunters are allowed to harvest deer, hogs, and coyotes during all of the hunts. The use of both still hunts and dog drives has proven to be a safe and effective manner to manage the SRS deer population.
SRS deer hunts are open to the public and will start in October and last till early December. Current dog owner applicants, please read the Current Dog Owner Rules and Hunt Information page. There will not be an application to apply for this year’s hunts. USFS is working on establishing an online application system for all future hunts. Dog Owners will be notified by email of your selected hunt dates.
If selected, you would report to the Deer Hunt Building at the specified date and time of your hunt(s). Hunters will be required to show proof of hunting license, photo identification, and your email notification. All weapons and hunting gear will be inspected at sign-in location upon arrival. A mandatory safety briefing is conducted each morning before the hunt. Dog packs will be lined up in their designated pack lines post check in.
Hunts will begin and end at a specified time and will last approximately 3 to 4 hours. All harvested animals (except Coyotes) are to be gutted and have completed harvest tags attached before they are brought to a check point. At the check station, hunter information and animal data will be recorded before the animal is monitored for Cesium-137. SRS currently has a 22 millirem per year administrative dose limit to release harvested game animals. Hunters can claim their harvested animals at the Deer Hunt Check Station once hunting activities have been terminated for the day and the animal has been monitored.
Contacts
Questions or concerns? Email SRSF-DeerHunt@usda.gov, or contact Tal Mims at (839) 299-1110 for assistance.
At Savannah River Site, safety is our main priority. During the hunts, we have Safety Auditors that are placed throughout the hunting area to ensure safe execution of the hunts. SRS has a “Zero Tolerance” policy for unsafe hunters. This includes traffic violations (seat belts, speeding, texting or using a cell phone while driving). Anyone not obeying the Rules of the Hunt will be immediately and permanently removed from the SRS hunts.