I always thought the deer hunter costume was a lame choice, especially during my high school and college days. Typically, it’s what guys in my rural, South Carolina community chose when they actually didn’t want to dress up at all. Yet, they had to do something or they weren't getting into the Halloween costume parties or, if they did get in, they'd be shamed for wearing regular street clothes.

And getting shamed is no good when you're a young man trying to pick up women at a boozie Halloween party.

But now I view the deer hunter costume as more of a chance to represent. And based on what I’ve seen so far on social media, there are tons of people out there reppin’ the deer hunter life. This is validated by Google Trends, the Google feature that allows you to see what's going on with popular search terms. If a word or phrase isn't searched often, the tool will let you know there's not enough data to create a clear trend. But that wasn't the case with the phrase, "deer hunter costume." I was delighted to see there's enough data there to unveil some trends.

First, South Carolina residents searched for deer-hunter costume ideas more than people living in any other U.S. state.

Here's the Top 10 states where "deer hunter costume" was searched most often within the last 30 days:

1. South Carolina
2. Ohio
3. Alabama
4. Illinois
5. Missouri
6. Minnesota
7. Oklahoma
8. Tennessee
9. New Jersey
10. North Carolina

If you're wondering, in general, what the most popular costumes are for each of these Top 10 "deer costume" states, here's what USA Today reported:

1. South Carolina — Power Rangers
2. Ohio — Tinker Bell
3. Alabama — Mickey Mouse
4. Illinois — Mickey Mouse
5. Missouri — Pumpkin (In light of this, Missouri strikes me as a very pragmatic, literal state.)
6. Minnesota — Pumpkin (As does Minnesota!)
7. Oklahoma — Angel
8. Tennessee — Catwoman
9. New Jersey — Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
10. North Carolina — Wolverine

Now, back to deer-hunting costume trends. What about urban America? What metro areas are most likely to have deer hunters show up at their Halloween costume parties?

1. Cincinnati
2. St. Louis
3. Minneapolis-St. Paul
4. Cleveland-Akron
5. Washington, DC
6. Seattle-Tacoma
7. Salt Lake City
8. Nashville
9. Chicago
10. Boston

It's possible that trend data suggest the deer hunter costume is indeed an easy choice for those working on short notice.  Searches of the term didn't show a notable spike until October 20. And based on social media posts, historically, many who choose the costume are young couples. Usually the girl is the deer, even if the deer is a buck. But there were other twists on classic deer/deer hunter costumes too.

Some "bucks" appear to have a feminine, sensual side that we won’t try to understand, like Kenzie's iteration.

Here's an exception to the rule: a female deer hunter who looks pretty deadly.

Then there’s the tried-and-true, “I gave him buck fever," context to pair with the costumes. Saucy.

Some guys either don't have a girl at all or don't have one willing to dress as a buck, so they take to social media to try and find their “Halloween deer,” like Michael Jennings from Ohio did. Good luck Michael!

How about the most creative and original deer hunter Halloween costume? That's gotta go to Fuzzy Fonn. “Get it? Get it?” Fonn appears to be a gamer from Pennsylvania.

This is a sentiment you probably wouldn't find just anywhere. Ashley's over it.

Wanna take a guess where Ashley's from? That's right. Alabama!

Finally, the best comes last. Without a single doubt, the sweetest, most precious deer hunter I found on social media was this guy and his big sister:

If you've got an epic hunting-themed costume for Halloween, send it to me at amy.hatfield@grandviewoutdoors.com. We'll add it to the story!