Finding quality places to deer hunt is a primary quest for any South Carolina deer hunter. If that place has a good population of deer and a limited number of hunters, that's even better. If it's actually managed for deer and wildlife, it can be a very special place.

Fortunately, for South Carolina deer hunters, there are such places, and they are open to public land hunters. While the popularity of public draw hunts on South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) wildlife management areas has been on the rise, according to SCDNR, the potential to get in on one of these quality hunts is still very good.

Not all WMAs are public draw hunt areas. Many are open to the public through pre-established seasons. The Public Draw Hunt WMAs are different and these specific WMAs have an application process that is the key to getting drawn. We'll take a look at the draw hunt process, how to do it correctly and add some information about each of these deer-hunting areas. Timing is everything and July is the time to complete and submit applications for these public draw hunts for this hunting season.

According to Charles Ruth, Deer and Turkey Project Supervisor for the SCDNR, the public draw hunts offer deer hunters a controlled environment for hunting.

"All of the public draw hunt WMAs are well-managed hunts, and the opportunity to see and harvest deer is good," Ruth said. "As is the case anywhere, weather and other external factors will play a role in hunting success. Some of the areas are well suited to numbers of deer and others seem to have more potential for producing large bucks. One public draw hunt WMA, the Webb Wildlife Center, is an overnight hunt and the success rate at the Webb WMA is very good. This is actually the most popular public draw hunt we have, but there are a lot of other opportunities that many hunters may not know about. In addition, there is one public draw hunt for dog drives at the Manchester State Forest WMA in Sumter County."

Patty Castine works with Ruth in many capacities at SCDNR, one being Public Draw Hunts Coordinator. Castine listed several separate public draw hunts that outdoorsmen can consider. She added that although most of the pubic draw hunt areas are located in the Lowcountry portion of the state, there are some in other sections. Most hunters can find an opportunity within reasonable driving distance.

Castine said the public draw hunts are divided into separate drawings for specific hunts. The Webb Center hunt is a standalone draw as is the Manchester Club Dog Drive hunt. Also, the Fants Grove WMA is a standalone application. The WMAs grouped together as Lowcountry applications include the Donnelly, Botany Bay, Bear Island, Palachucola, Hamilton Ridge, Santee Cooper and Bonneau Ferry WMAs.

Castine added that there is also a separate public draw hunt for women only at the Webb Center.

"This is an exciting opportunity for women and we really want to get the word out that it is available," she said. "The deer hunting is very good at the Webb Center and it gives women, especially newcomers to the sport, a great opportunity to gain confidence in their hunting abilities."

Castine added that there are a few keys to getting consistently drawn for these hunts.

"We already get enough applications that not everyone can be drawn every year for the hunts," she said. "The Webb Center hunt is a good example because that usually takes a couple of years of applying to get drawn. We have almost as many hunters applying for the Webb Center Hunt as we do for the multi-site hunts combined. But the key to getting drawn is the preference procedures that are in place. To equitably allocate hunt slots for the more popular hunts, applicants are issued a preference point for each consecutive year not drawn. Applications with the most preference points are drawn first, the next high number second, etc., until all slots are filled.