Okay, so the deer are out there. We still have to figure out where to hunt them.

Let's look at the top areas in the state for deer harvest in 2004. Based on this data, you can identify the hotspots near you and plan your deer hunting trips to put you in the most productive areas possible.

Ruth notes that there are no real surprises in the 2004 data. As expected, many of the historically top deer-producing counties remain strong. However, some new areas seem to be coming on as well.

We'll consider the data in two forms. First, we'll consider the straightforward number of deer harvested on a straight county-by-county basis, period. Second, we'll look at the harvest rate per unit of area. The second perspective is often considered more accurate to relative hunting success because it measures the amount of deer taken to the amount of land available for hunting in each of the counties.

As we look at the raw harvest numbers from the top 10 counties in 2004, we'll also add the percentage of harvest increase or decrease from the previous year. This can be important to help identify upward trends in counties.

SOUTH CAROLINA'S TOP 10 COUNTIES FOR DEER (2004 Harvest Data)
By Total Harvest -- 2004
County	Bucks	Does	Total Harvest
Orangeburg	5,788	6,062	11,850
Fairfield	4,809	6,085	10,894
Colleton	5,565	4,750	10,315
Hampton	4,745	4,665	9,410
Allendale	4,261	4,762	9,023
Williamsburg	4,416	4,594	9,011
Bamberg	4,345	4,564	8,910
Chester	3,984	4,331	8,315
Union	4,065	3,916	7,962
Aiken	4,102	3,677	7,779

Orangeburg County was the No. 1 deer-producing county in 2004 with a total harvest of 11,850 deer. This harvest was down 1.7 percent from the 2003 total. There were 5,788 bucks and 6,062 does harvested. Orangeburg was the No. 2 county in this ranking for the 2003 season.

Fairfield County dropped from No. 1 in 2003 to No. 2 this season with a total harvest of 10,894 deer. That's a whopping 18.7 percent drop from last year. There were 4,809 bucks and 6,085 does harvested in Fairfield County last season. That's still the highest number of does taken in the state in 2004.

Colleton County moved up from eighth in 2003 to third in 2004 with a harvest of 10,315 deer. Colleton County sported an impressive 20.8 percent harvest increase in 2004. The harvested included 5,565 bucks and 4,750 does.

Hampton County moved up from seventh to fourth with a total harvest of 9,410 deer in 2004. This reflects a drop of 1.8 percent from the 2003 harvest, but still was able to move up in the overall rankings. There were 4,745 bucks and 4,665 does harvested in Hampton County.

Allendale broke in the top group at fifth in 2004, up from 11th in the 2003 harvest. This county had a harvest of 9,023 deer in 2004, up 11.7 percent from the 2003 harvest. There were 4,261 bucks and 4,762 does harvested in 2004 in Allendale County.

In sixth place was Williamsburg County with a total harvest of 9,011, which dropped from fourth in the 2003 harvest. Williamsburg County also had a harvest decline of 17.9 percent in 2004 from the 2003 season. There were 4,416 bucks and 4,594 does killed there in 2004.

Finishing in seventh place in 2004 was Bamberg County, which made a big jump from 16th place in 2003. The 2004 harvest was 8,910, which indicates a hefty 33.2 percent increase over the 2003 harvest. There were 4,345 bucks and 4,564 does harvested in Bamberg County in 2004.

At the No. 8 spot was Chester County, which fell from No. 3 in 2003. The total harvest was 8,315 in 2004, which was a 26.4 percent drop from the previous season. There were 3,984 bucks and 4,331 does taken from Chester County.

In ninth place, the same as it ranked in 2003, was Union County with a total harvest of 7,982 deer. There were 4,065 bucks and 3,916 does harvested and Union County had a modest 6.1 percent harvest decline in 2004.