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BLUFFTON, S.C. – The decision to initiate a deer culling operation has sparked significant debate within a Bluffton community.
Residents of Rose Hill Plantation recently voted in favor of a plan to reduce the local deer population by 141. This decision came after a contracted culling company conducted surveys indicating the area was experiencing overpopulation.
According to Sue Wolford, who serves as the President of the Rose Hill Plantation Property Owner’s Association Board of Directors, spotlight surveys have been carried out annually since 2009 by teams of three to four surveyors. These surveys consistently revealed an excessive number of deer.
In 2024, representatives from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCNDR) visited Rose Hill and confirmed to the board that the deer numbers were indeed too high.
Wolford noted that previous boards had not taken steps to address the situation, and emphasized that action was necessary this year to safeguard the health of the deer, protect the environment, and preserve available food resources.
The neighborhood is in the initial culling phase and eventually will get to maintenance mode. Maintenance culling is typically around 10-40 deer, depending on the neighborhood’s population.
The vote to move forward with the culling this year was nearly split down the middle among around 1,000 residents.
Neighbors on one side agreed with the vote, while the other said they worried about the safety and legality of the process.
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) Suburban Deer Management Program allows for deer culling in private neighborhoods where recreational hunting is illegal. The program originated in Beaufort County because of the number of gated or private golf course communities, according to DNR.
“Deer populations get out of hand, they get to unhealthy levels, and they also start causing conflicts and problems with folks in the community. Either property damage, to you know, landscaping or gardens, interactions with people and pets, vehicle collisions, all the things where when you get deer populations at a high level living in and around people,” said Jay Cantrell, with SCDNR.
Wolford said the culling this year is not because the deer are eating people’s flowers or vegetation, but instead a holistic approach to maintain a healthy population.
One resident of Rose Hill, who chose to remain anonymous, said the decision to cull was because the food source for the population in the neighborhood was scarce, leading to several health issues posed for the deer.
While she said she doesn’t like seeing deer being killed, she understands it’s necessary for a healthy remaining population.
A company contracted by the Property Owners Association (POA) was hired to thin out the population. SCDNR requires that contracted cullers use suppressed weapons and they report everything from permits to surveys, deer processing, and venison donations.
Once deer are culled in a neighborhood, the neighborhood is responsible for funding the deer to be processed. They must donate the venison (deer meat) to a local food pantry or charitable organization, since processors selling venison is illegal in South Carolina.
Several neighbors did raise concerns about the company hired by the Rose Hill POA.
“The entity chosen to do the cull has been a main concern due to him doing the survey to count the deer that are going to be culled. He will also be doing the culling, which is not standard in the cull business,” said Nicholas Wright, a resident in Rose Hill.
According to SCDNR, the surveying process is usually done by an outside entity, like a private consulting wildlife biologist hired through the POA. But Cantrell reiterated that the decision on who is hired for the work is solely up to the POA.
Wolford said the survey conducted by the contracted company, Tims Properties LLC, took place at the end of October and into November of last year. The company surveyed 141 deer that needed to be removed. That survey was approved by SCDNR.
The culling company was officially registered as a business on January 6th, 2026.
Wolford said it is not required to be a registered company to do a spotlight survey. She also does not believe the company hired has been a conflict of interest, which she said has been brought up by several residents.
She said all contractual agreements have proper insurance and have been verified by Rose Hill’s board, and they have conformed with insurance and legal requirements like every contract with Rose Hill.
“There’s not a lot of people that do this work, the sharpshooting. It’s a small number of folks. There are some new people getting into it, but you know again, we don’t want to get into the level where we’re regulating it in that fine of detail, and saying who can do it or not,” said Cantrell with SCDNR. “We don’t permit or register or have any system on our end to say who’s allowed to do the targeted removal.”
Wright said the contracted company started culling Tuesday night after the meeting vote.
“The culling started Tuesday, and I didn’t sleep Tuesday through Friday,” said Wright. “My dogs are barking nonstop throughout the night, seeing people with flashlights and trucks.”
Lauren Martel, another resident, said she wouldn’t call what’s happening in the neighborhood culling.
“It’s turned into more of a free-range hunting ground in a gated community that’s being unsupervised,” she said.
Martel and Wright also said the company refused to tell residents when the culling would be taking place, which they said has led to several neighbors being fearful of any nighttime outside activities.
“He has these permits and he can do this day and night, and he does not have to disclose it,” said Wright. “He says it’s for the safety of his men and he doesn’t want to disclose.”
Wolford told that the culling didn’t start on Tuesday or Wednesday as many have claimed. She said culling took place one night last week, but wouldn’t say when, for the safety of the company and residents.
Wolford said the recommendation to not notify residents of culling came from SCDNR. She also said if neighbors hear gunshots, to call security, because it’s not from the culling.
Cantrell said when a neighborhood initially gets into culling, there is a lot of pushback at first. He said the decades-old program has been successful in many other neighborhoods in Bluffton, and he hopes that residents in Rose Hill will come to an understanding that it’s for the overall safety of the deer and community.
“There’s, you know, nervousness and angst about the safety on one side and then there’s, you know, some people who just don’t want to see the deer harmed,” said Cantrell. “I understand there’s people that feel strongly but you know, the deer are being utilized, they’re going to feed people in need. And it’s for the health of the deer and the safety of the community.”