"Squirrels are one of the most underutilized small-game resources we have," Dukes said. "With so much emphasis on deer, we have seen the number of squirrel hunters in the state drop. We had about 120,000 squirrel hunters back in the 1970s, which has now declined to about 17,000 hunters."

Dukes listed several public lands as good squirrel hunting spots.

"There is a lot of opportunity for squirrel hunting on the national forest lands of the state," he said. "There has been a reduced emphasis on timber harvesting on national forest lands, so there is a lot of mature timber now. Further, the diversity of these lands bodes well if you are a squirrel hunter."

The Francis Marion and Sumter national forests encompass over 616,000 acres. Dukes didn't suggest a particular section of either national forest to hunt, but with that much land a simple scouting trip, such as a day hike, should nail down several good spots. The great thing about the national forest system is there is acreage within an hour's drive of every major population center within the state.

Beyond the national forest system, Dukes recommended several WMAs for good squirrel hunting.

"The Webb Center complex in Hampton and Jasper counties is a good spot for the same reasons as the national forest," Dukes said. "While obviously not as large as the national forests, Webb, Palachucola and, more recently, Hamilton Ridge WMAs cover over 25,000 acres of diverse habitat. It's like a national forest in miniature."

Another recent addition to the WMA system that Dukes suggested is the 25,668-acre Woodbury WMA in Marion County. While the property has seen much timber cutting over the years, there are several mature stands still available that support squirrels.

Other WMAs worth investigating for squirrels are Wee Tee, which is about 90 percent hardwoods but is prone to flooding from the Santee River, Draper in York County and tracts that comprise Jocassee Gorge. Like the national forests, Dukes said the diverse habitat found on state forest lands and national wildlife refuges also hold populations of squirrels.

"Rabbits track squirrels pretty closely," Dukes said. "Access and a changing countryside on private lands has affected where you can go rabbit hunting.

"Our rabbit hunter survey that we conduct each year shows that most of the rabbit hunting occurs in the Piedmont, with a lot of that effort focused in the region around Anderson, Newberry, Laurens, Abbeville and Edgefield counties. The least amount of hunting was in the Pee Dee region, even though this area had the second highest rabbit jump rate in the state."

The survey has been conducted for over 10 years. During that time, rabbit populations, as measured by jump rates, has varied little. Hunters jump between 1.39 to 1.76 rabbits per hour of hunting and harvest about a rabbit per hour. Statewide, it is estimated there are about 12,000 rabbit hunters who take about 123,000 rabbits annually.

"Even though they are large and diverse, the national forests don't support much rabbit hunting," Dukes said. "Without much timber cutting, there is very little early succession habitat that rabbits need.

"The places to look on national forests would be near any recent timber harvest operations. Most of these spots may be areas where they cut trees as a result of southern pine beetle damage. So, if you stop at a district office for help, ask about these types of areas.

"Other good spots on national forest lands or on SCDNR WMAs is around public dove fields. The field borders usually hold a few rabbits."

Dukes said the Webb Center complex is good for rabbits, too. There is a good mix of agricultural fields and field borders on the properties, and the area has supported timber cutting, which is good for rabbits. The fact that a former employee down there used to keep a pack of beagles is a good indication about the rabbit hunting on the properties.