Game meat begins with measurable wildlife harvests. Recent state reports show the scale and variety behind venison, wild turkey, and bear meat, from Massachusetts season totals to South Carolina’s statewide deer figures. The numbers also show why geography, season timing, and hunting effort matter when interpreting game meat statistics.
Contents
- Massachusetts deer harvest
- Massachusetts deer seasons compared
- Venison sharing and food access
- Wild turkey harvest in Massachusetts
- Black bear harvest patterns
- South Carolina deer harvest
- What hunting effort adds to the picture
Massachusetts deer harvest
Massachusetts recorded a 2024 deer season harvest of 15,032 deer, according to Mass.gov Deer harvest data. The report describes that total as about 3% lower than the 2023 harvest and 5% lower than the 2022 harvest. These comparisons refer to Massachusetts season totals, not a national estimate, and the measurement period is the 2024 deer season.
The 2023 Massachusetts deer season harvest was 15,522 deer. Looking at the two annual totals together gives a useful picture of a relatively similar harvest scale across consecutive seasons: 15,522 deer in 2023 and 15,032 in 2024. The reported 2024 total is therefore best read alongside its season and state rather than treated as a general measure of venison supply.
Massachusetts’s 2024 harvest was distributed across several hunting opportunities. Archery accounted for 6,988 deer, a record high for that season. Shotgun hunters harvested 5,607 deer, while the primitive season harvest was 2,320. The youth deer hunt day produced 114 deer, and the paraplegic deer hunt produced 3.
The comparable 2023 figures were 6,385 deer during archery, 6,118 during shotgun season, 2,865 during primitive firearms season, 144 during youth deer hunt day, and 10 during the paraplegic deer hunt. Mass.gov Deer harvest data labels these as harvest figures for the respective Massachusetts seasons.
Massachusetts deer seasons compared
The season-level figures make the changes easier to see without combining categories or introducing unsupported calculations.
| Massachusetts deer season | 2023 harvest | 2024 harvest |
|---|---|---|
| Archery | 6,385 | 6,988 |
| Shotgun | 6,118 | 5,607 |
| Primitive or primitive firearms | 2,865 | 2,320 |
| Youth deer hunt day | 144 | 114 |
| Paraplegic deer hunt | 10 | 3 |
| Total deer season | 15,522 | 15,032 |
Archery is the standout Massachusetts comparison. Its 2024 total reached a record high of 6,988 deer, while the 2023 total was 6,385. Shotgun harvest declined from 6,118 in 2023 to 5,607 in 2024. The primitive-season figure also moved from 2,865 to 2,320. The youth and paraplegic hunt totals were smaller categories in both years, with 114 and 3 deer respectively in 2024.
These figures describe harvested animals, not pounds of edible meat. A deer harvest total does not specify carcass weight, processed yield, cut selection, or how much meat reached a kitchen. For cooking purposes, the statistics establish the size of the harvest, while the actual amount available for recipes depends on processing and use that are not quantified in the report.
Venison sharing and food access
Harvest statistics also connect wild game with community food distribution. MassWildlife’s Hunters Share the Harvest program distributed over 30,000 meals of venison during the 2024 deer season, according to Mass.gov Deer harvest data. Since the program began in 2022, more than 50,000 meals of venison have been distributed in Massachusetts.
The two figures use different periods. The first covers the 2024 deer season; the second covers the program’s cumulative activity since its 2022 beginning. Neither figure states the number of deer represented, the weight of each meal, or the exact share of the statewide harvest donated. They do show that venison distribution is being measured in meals as well as harvested deer.
For people cooking wild game, that distinction matters. A harvest count describes wildlife management and hunting activity. A meal count describes an organized food-sharing outcome. They are related, but they are not interchangeable units. The Mass.gov Deer harvest data supplies both measures and keeps their time frames separate.
Wild turkey harvest in Massachusetts
Massachusetts recorded a 2024 spring turkey harvest of 2,879 wild turkeys, according to Mass.gov Wild turkey harvest data. The total included 2,305 adult males, 565 juvenile males, and 9 bearded hens. Those categories add detail to the overall harvest and identify the sex or age descriptions reported for the birds.
The 2024 youth turkey hunt day harvest was 111 turkeys, the second highest on record, according to the same source label. This is a hunt-day figure within the spring turkey reporting context, not a replacement for the full 2,879-turkey spring harvest.
County results show how uneven a statewide total can be. Worcester County reported 699 turkeys, followed by Franklin County with 413 and Berkshire County with 391. Hampshire County recorded 277, Middlesex County 236, Plymouth County 188, and Bristol County 185.
Other reported county totals were Hampden County with 178 turkeys, Essex County with 126, Barnstable County with 90, Norfolk County with 71, and Dukes County with 25. Mass.gov Wild turkey harvest data identifies these as Massachusetts 2024 spring turkey harvest figures by county.
| County | 2024 spring turkey harvest |
|---|---|
| Worcester | 699 |
| Franklin | 413 |
| Berkshire | 391 |
| Hampshire | 277 |
| Middlesex | 236 |
| Plymouth | 188 |
| Bristol | 185 |
| Hampden | 178 |
| Essex | 126 |
| Barnstable | 90 |
| Norfolk | 71 |
| Dukes | 25 |
For wild turkey cooking, county-level statistics are useful context because the statewide number combines locations with very different harvest totals. The report does not provide processed meat weight, serving yield, or recipe-specific quantities, so those measures should not be inferred from the bird count.
Black bear harvest patterns
Massachusetts’s 2024 black bear harvest was 262 bears, the fourth highest harvest ever, according to Mass.gov Black bear harvest data. The harvest occurred across 7 counties. The report also separates the total by month: 189 bears in September, 43 in November, and 30 in December.
September was therefore the period associated with the largest reported monthly count, while November and December were smaller components of the 2024 total. These are reported harvest counts, not estimates of meat weight or the number of meals produced.
The east-of-the-Connecticut-River harvest reached a record 52 bears in 2024. This geography is a subset described by the report and should not be confused with the statewide total of 262 bears or with the 7 counties in which the statewide harvest occurred. The record statement applies specifically to the east-of-the-Connecticut-River figure.
Bear, deer, and turkey statistics cannot be compared as if each animal produced the same amount of edible meat. The supplied Massachusetts reports count animals and, in the case of the venison-sharing program, meals. They do not provide a common yield measure across species.
South Carolina deer harvest
South Carolina estimated that 198,171 deer were harvested statewide in 2023, according to the 2023 South Carolina Deer Harvest Report. The total included 104,353 bucks and 93,818 does. The report therefore distinguishes the statewide estimate by sex as well as presenting the combined deer figure.
South Carolina’s 2023 deer harvest was 10% higher than the 179,414 deer reported for 2022. It was also 39% below the record harvest of 319,902 set in 2002. These comparisons use the years and benchmark specified in the report: 2023 versus 2022, and 2023 versus the 2002 record.
The statewide 2023 harvest rate was estimated at 10.5 deer per square mile. County rates varied substantially. Anderson County’s rate was 23.5 deer per square mile, Bamberg County’s was 15.6, Hampton County’s was 15.5, and Abbeville County’s was 15.1.
| South Carolina 2023 measure | Reported figure |
|---|---|
| Statewide deer harvest | 198,171 |
| Bucks harvested | 104,353 |
| Does harvested | 93,818 |
| Statewide harvest rate | 10.5 deer per square mile |
| Anderson County harvest rate | 23.5 deer per square mile |
| Bamberg County harvest rate | 15.6 deer per square mile |
| Hampton County harvest rate | 15.5 deer per square mile |
| Abbeville County harvest rate | 15.1 deer per square mile |
| Wildlife Management Area harvest | 7,273 deer |
The South Carolina report also estimated 154,715 deer hunters in 2023. Wildlife Management Areas accounted for a reported harvest of 7,273 deer. The WMA figure is a designated-area harvest measure, while the 198,171 figure is the statewide estimate; the two figures describe different scopes.
What hunting effort adds to the picture
South Carolina’s 2023 deer hunting effort totaled 2,135,786 hunter-days, according to the 2023 South Carolina Deer Harvest Report. This measurement captures hunting effort across days in the field, while the statewide harvest estimate captures deer. Neither should be read as a pound-of-meat figure.
Putting the South Carolina measures side by side gives three different ways to describe the same year’s deer-hunting system: 198,171 deer harvested statewide, 154,715 estimated deer hunters, and 2,135,786 hunter-days. The report also provides 10.5 deer per square mile as a statewide harvest rate and 7,273 deer from Wildlife Management Areas.
For readers planning venison meals, the practical lesson is to keep the unit visible. Massachusetts reports include animals by season, county-level turkey counts, monthly bear counts, and meals distributed through Hunters Share the Harvest. South Carolina reports include statewide deer estimates, sex-specific counts, county harvest rates, a WMA total, hunters, and hunter-days. Each statistic answers a different question about the wild game behind the food.