Bricken said Pee Dee permit hunts could appear crowded. However, anyone with patience or a loose foot can find a good hunting spot.

"Very few of our hunters use all three of their hunting days," he said. "Some may hunt only on Saturday. Others may hunt only Friday and Saturday. The hunting can get pretty crowded the first two days and that discourages some hunters, who head to other spots on Saturday. But there's room for hunters to spread out if they get away the roads. It's normal to find hunters' vehicles parked at all the gated access trails and turnouts."

Bricken said only 250 hunters are drawn for each hunt and a total of 2,500 applications are sent out. An average of 200 out of each 250 hunters drawn actually pay the hunt fee. Out of those hunters, no more than 150 typically hunt on any day. Thursday and Friday seem to be the peak hunting days. By Saturday, usually only 40 to 50 hunters are still trying to take a deer.

Over the course of my three-day hunt, I had chances at does, but was waiting for one of Pee Dee's legendary refuge bucks. I finally had a chance at one, but he passed into thick cover before I could align my riflescope.

Hunters brought harvested bucks and does to the check-in shed consistently and many said they applied year after year for the Pee Dee River NWR hunt. Several hunters had hunted during the bow season, when unlimited self-policing permits are issued, and their bowhunting experiences had helped them scout for the firearms or muzzleloader hunts, which require lottery permits.

To participate in the firearms hunts, hunters must obtain their permit application in June by calling the refuge headquarters. It must be submitted by the end of July. A pubic drawing is held in early August and successful applicants must pay a $12.50 fee that is due in September. Individuals can apply or parties of up to five hunters can apply. For party hunts, the applications must be stapled together.

Contact Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge by mail at Route 1, Box 92, Wadesboro, N.C. 28170, telephone (704) 694-4424, or visit the Web site at www.fws.gov/peedee.

PUNGO UNIT -- POCOSIN LAKES NWR
The 12,000-acre Pungo Unit of Pocosin Lakes NWR in Hyde and Washington counties offers another excellent refuge draw hunt. Like Pee Dee NWR, the Pungo Unit's initial hunt dates for firearms hunts open ahead of the regular gun season in the surrounding terrain, with a firearms hunt in September. Hunts continue through the rest of the season.

The Pungo Unit is mostly swampy terrain. However, like Pee Dee NWR, much of the land is planted for waterfowl. Soybeans, milo and corn planted for waterfowl also attract deer and incidentally grow some very big deer compared with much of the public land available to hunters in the same area.

The result is a high number of applicants for the hunts on initial hunt dates. But interest usually wanes in the later dates, once the regular firearms season opens in surrounding counties.