The fourth spot all time belongs to Colleton County with 204 bucks, with a breakdown of 192 typical and 12 non-typical racks. Fifth is Williamsburg with a total of 172 racks, 170 of which were typical and two non-typical. In sixth place is Abbeville with 171 total record-book bucks; 162 of these were typical and nine were non-typical. Seventh place belongs to Anderson County with 169 total record-book bucks. Of this total, 165 were typical and four were non-typical.

In the eighth slot is Allendale County with 167 racks making the list. Of these, 158 are typical and nine are non-typical. In ninth place is Kershaw County with 160 deer in the records list, with 155 being typical and five being non-typical bucks.

The 10th-place county is Barnwell with an all-time tally of 148 record-book bucks. There were 146 typical and two non-typical deer taken in this county.

In the rank per square mile of land category, there are seven of the above counties that make this list. This can be a very revealing bit of information. The order changes somewhat, but you'll recognize most of the names from other lists already noted in this feature.

In first place in this category is Allendale County. Allendale was eighth in the total record book list. Second is Anderson County. Anderson County was seventh on the total number list. Third was Abbeville, which was in fifth place in the totals list. Fourth place belongs to Orangeburg County, which is No. 1 on the total number record book list. The fifth slot is Bamberg County, which is also a respectable 15th place on the total numbers list. In sixth place is Fairfield County, which was ranked third on the total number list. In seventh is Calhoun County, which ranked 17th on the total numbers list. Eighth place belongs to Aiken County, which is a strong No. 2 on the total number list.

In ninth place is Barnwell County, which was No. 10 on the total number list. And finally, No. 10 in this category is Hampton County. Hampton County was No. 11 on the total record-book bucks list.

Ruth summarized the antler scoring data with some interesting thoughts.

"Although some of the top counties have relatively high deer populations, some of these counties have more moderate numbers. It is important that hunters and land managers understand how the density of deer in an area affects the quality of the animals," he said. "Areas with fewer deer typically have better quality animals because natural food availability and nutritional quality is higher. Good nutrition is important in producing good antlers, but deer reproduction, recruitment and survival are also directly tied to nutrition. To continue to have good numbers of large-antlered bucks, the harvest of female deer must continue to be emphasized in many areas in order to keep deer numbers from becoming too high. Over the last 10 years, most hunters have realized the importance of harvesting doe deer. These hunters should be commended and encouraged to continue this trend where needed."

Many counties were noted in the above information and odds are excellent that some of these trophy-rich areas are close to you. Ruth also emphasized that a trophy buck can be harvested from any county in the state. Large tracts of private land can even be managed to enhance your odds of big-buck success. If management principles designed to improve the size of bucks and the health of the herd are observed and supplemented with good nutrition for antler growth, hunters can do much to have better deer on the land they hunt.

Use the above information to help you plan where to get your big bucks for the 2006 hunting season.

Find more about South Carolina fishing and hunting at: SCgameandfish.com