In addition, Aiken County was No. 10 overall in number of deer harvested in 2004. Plus, there was a whopping 29.6 percent increase in harvest in 2004 over 2003. Everything points to this being a hot area again this year, with late-season hunting a prime bet.

Another spot that I've hunted with excellent late-season success that also ranks good by the numbers is Orangeburg County. There's a tremendous diversity of deer habitat here, from swamps to agricultural land. Also, there are some public lands available, as well as private lands, that provide excellent hunting.

Orangeburg County was No. 1 in total deer harvest in 2004 and No. 4 in trophies harvested in 2004. In addition, it is the No. 1 trophy-producing county in the state on the all-time list.

I've hunted Orangeburg County throughout the season many times and personally rate the area high in terms of late-season hunting. Look for deer in and around the many swamps coursing through this huge county. After months of hunting pressure, many of the deer have retreated to these thick swampy areas. If you take a climbing stand and hunt out-of-the-way places, you can still see and harvest plenty of deer, including trophy bucks.

There are a couple of counties that haven't made any of the previous lists discussed in this year's outlooks that may be late-season sleepers. Both Darlington and Pickens counties experienced huge increases in deer harvest in 2004, compared with the 2003 harvest. Darlington County was up 43 percent and Pickens County was up 34 percent. During a year when the statewide average was down over 8 percent, these numbers are very impressive.

Pickens County has a lot of steep terrain and backcountry areas you can hunt. Preparation is a key to success here. Also, there are good opportunities for hunting public lands very successfully, especially during the late season.

Darlington County has a lot of agriculture and I'd look for thick bottoms and swamps near good feeding areas.

Anderson County did not make the top 10 list in terms of total deer harvested for the 2004 season, but it's another strong area to consider. First, there was a 44.3 percent increase in the 2004 harvest from 2003. In addition, Anderson County was tied for fourth place in the number of trophy bucks harvested last season. It is also No. 7 on the all-time trophy list.

McCormick County is another place that should be good for late-season hunting. The data doesn't verify that as impressively as some word-of-mouth reports I've received. The total harvest in 2004 did increase slightly over 2003, but not exponentially like some of the other counties we're noting.

However, several hunters who hunt that area reported having very good success there last year, particularly after Thanksgiving to the end of the deer-hunting season. They did report that there simply were not a lot of hunters in the woods during the later part of the season. After a slow start in the early part of the season, they reported better deer movement during the late season, when mast and food sources became less available.

Florence County is also a good bet, I believe. The number of deer harvested in 2004 over 2003 was down slightly, by about 7.5 percent. However, this same county had experienced a huge increase of 44.7 percent in 2003 over 2002. Overall, that's still way up from two years ago. I know several hunters who hunt this area and they reported having a good late-season flurry of deer activity. Again, as in McCormick County and many other areas across the state last season, the deer hunter activity was down by late season.