"Woodbury and Marsh WMAs should have some good rabbit hunting because of the timber operations that have taken place," Dukes said. "The Bland and Oak Lea tracts of Manchester State Forest are good rabbit spots, too. There are fields and clearcuts scattered throughout both sections.

"In the mountains, the Garland Tract of Long Creek WMA in Oconee County is a rabbit mecca. The area is about 1,000 acres and it is abandoned apple orchard. It can be easily described as one big briar patch."

Dukes said Bear Island WMA in Colleton County is another good rabbit spot. The WMA is traditionally thought of as only a waterfowl area, but the regulars know the rabbit value, which can lead to fairly high pressure on some days. An alternative, Dukes said, was Donnelley WMA just up the road from Bear Island WMA.

Because they cut some timber on the property, Dukes said Crackerneck WMA in Aiken County has some rabbit hunting. It also shouldn't be overlooked for squirrel hunting.

It's hard to believe that it is estimated that there are less than 7,000 quail hunters in the state. There was a time that it seemed everyone had a bird dog or two, and Saturday mornings were spent shooting only birds from covey rises. In less than three decades, the prince of game birds, as some call bobwhite quail, has declined to almost an afterthought.

SCDNR has conducted a quail hunter survey since the late 1980s. During that time, the average number of coveys found per hour has been on a gradual decline. It used to be hunters found about a covey per hour. Today, it takes about twice as long to find a covey. Of course, this doesn't even compare to back in the 1950s before records were kept.

I once had an old guy from Horry County tell me that his brother, who was a rural mail carrier, carried a .22-caliber rifle with him and shot quail on occasion that were in the road along his route. That tells you how many there were in the good ol' days.

"All things considered, the quail hunting on public lands is not too bad," Dukes said. "Many of our WMAs have special regulations for quail hunting, and this actually creates fairly good hunting.

"Smart hunters figure out that the places with special regulations are the places to go. For example, McBee WMA in Chesterfield County has an excellent draw hunt. Other spots that have special regulations are Manchester State Forest and Draper and Canal WMAs."

Dukes said the local Quail Unlimited Chapter has six focus areas on the Francis Marion National Forest. He also mentioned that Carolina Sandhills State Forest and Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge are potential quail-hunting spots.

"The Webb Center WMA used to be a draw hunt area for quail," Dukes said. "It's first-come, first-serve now but on limited days. There are some coveys on this complex of lands."

There are other small-game species available and all of them have feathers. Woodcock, snipe, rails and crows all make sporting quarries and most aren't bad on the table either. There's no reason why you shouldn't be chasing these species on occasion, especially after deer season closes.

Woodcock are actually shorebirds that have found the uplands to their liking, as long as they can keep their feet fairly wet. Woodcock use their long bills to probe moist soil for earthworms. If the soil is too wet, earthworms can't survive. Therefore, you won't find timberdoodles in real boggy places.

The other habitat feature that woodcock prefer is cover, but not in the form of briar patches and weeds, like many upland species. They desire early succession habitat, usually in the form of high stem densities, either woody or vegetative. They use their cryptic appearance and the stems to avoid attacks from aerial predators.

Dukes suggested several areas to find woodcock. Almost any public land will have woodcock if there is a moist area on the property. Along the coast, the Francis Marion National Forest and places such as Donnelley, Santee Coastal Reserve, Edisto River and Webb Center WMAs will have woodcock.