Committee reviews rule letting processors recover fees for donated deer; requests clarifying language on unclaimed carcasses

Charles Ruth, a wildlife biologist with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, described document 53 30 as an emergency regulation to implement a legislative change that allows deer processors to recover processing fees from donated deer. "This legislation passed late last session," Ruth said, and the regulation sets out recordkeeping and allowable practices for processors.

Ruth and committee members discussed scenarios in which a hunter or landowner delivers a carcass and later fails to pick it up. Ruth said processors should post signage or paperwork stating that unclaimed carcasses will be considered donated so processors can recover fees legally: "I tell these processors you need to post a sign at your place or on your paperwork that says if you do not pick your deer up, it is considered donated." He said DNR has no formal count of processors but estimates about 125 to 150 exist in the state and that roughly 35 contacted DNR after the law change.

Members asked whether the regulation should include a specific waiting period (for example, 21 days) before a carcass is declared donated. Ruth said he would consult counsel and consider whether that timeframe could be included in regulation. Committee discussion included a suggestion to send the recommendation to the full committee with the suggestion that it be withdrawn and resubmitted with language addressing the issue; no final committee vote on amended language was recorded at this meeting.

Ruth emphasized the rule's management aim: to reduce barriers to deer processing and thereby help with population management by encouraging more deer, particularly females, to be processed. He noted hunters' limited freezer space and processing costs as factors in harvest decisions.