Photo by Kenny Bahr.

During the 2006 deer season, Kentucky whitetail hunters returned with a bang to post a near-record harvest of 122,233 animals -- just shy of being 10,000 more than the previous season. Following the highest harvest on record in 2004, the 2006 season missed the mark of 124,752 by just 2,500 deer. Hunters obviously found a good deal more success in the Kentucky woodlands last season.

Or else it was time to restock the freezer from the big harvest two years before.

Either way, the numbers certainly show that whitetails in the Bluegrass are alive and well -- and plentiful.

Over the past five seasons, harvest numbers had climbed steadily from approximately 115,000 in 2002, to 116,000 in 2003, and then the record season of about 124,000 in 2004.

In 2005, the significant drop in the kill back to 112,000 or so didn't seem to fit the upward trend. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Department Resources (KDFWR) deer biologists weren't sure why the decline occurred. After a record season, the chances of topping it the very next year are normally slim. Yet a reduction of more than 10,000 was somewhat unexpected.

Perhaps the hop up from 2005 to 2006 of about 10,000 animals was likewise a little unusual. With the additional harvest data from 2006 now in hand, it's certain that the herd remains in excellent shape -- and that in 2005, hunters just didn't take as many deer as they did the year before, when the record was set.

That year, the weather was quite warm early in the season. Perhaps deer didn't move as much as usual. Or maybe other conditions made hunting tougher than it normally is.

Whatever the reason, 2005 was an off year, though the 2006 season was another story altogether. Hunters got on track and took very nearly the minimum 125,000 deer that KDFWR biologists would like to see harvested each season.

It's interesting to note that of the 20 counties with the highest density of deer per square mile from last year, only one county within that list changed for this year.

Using harvest numbers versus the number of square miles of habitat as an indicator, Logan County entered the top 20 counties for highest density, while Scott County dropped out. All of the remaining counties listed using 2005 season data stayed on the list after 2006 data was calculated.

Of the top 20 Kentucky counties, eight show a density of 10 deer per square mile, while all the other 12 have better than seven deer per square mile. Note that the counties with the best densities aren't necessarily the counties with the highest harvests. Counties with less habitat can have a lower harvest, yet rank high in deer per square mile -- just because in general, fewer deer are taken from smaller counties.

Statewide, the Commonwealth had 37 counties with a harvest of 1,000 animals or more, eight with over 2,000 and two more with more than 3,000 deer taken. Last year, then, more than a third of Kentucky counties produced harvests of 1,000 deer or better.

Likewise, five other counties on the top 20 deer-density list had fewer than 1,000 taken, but scored very well using that parameter as an measure of herd size.

From all indications, the 2007 season should give hunters the same opportunity to be successful, reach that magic mark and help keep the herd in balance and in check.

Here's the breakdown by wildlife region of the trends in herd growth throughout Kentucky, and where you can expect to find the highest concentrations of deer this fall.

SOUTHEAST REGION
Last season, if you recall, in Kentucky's toughest region for deer hunting, one lone county topped the 1,000 deer-per-county harvest minimum we use to help determine the better places to find numbers of whitetails.

Last season, three counties came on strong and made the cut -- although interestingly, the county wasn't one of the three in 2005.

Whitley County had a harvest of over 1,000 animals in 2005, but reported a few less in 2006. But a reported 958 whitetails wasn't too far off the mark. Likewise, Casey and Cumberland counties also nearly broke the 1,000-mark harvest club. Each had more than 970 deer taken last year.

This indicates that these three counties are knocking on the door of having much improved herd numbers, say, over just five years ago -- despite having less-than-ideal habitat for deer to thrive in.

In the Southeast Region last season, top performers were Green County at 1,225, Pulaski County at 1,009 and Adair County at 1,001. You'll note by looking at the map that these counties, as well as the others mentioned, are not in the heart of the Cumberland Plateau. Rather, they lie on the outskirts of the more mountainous Southeast Region.

That's a key in locating where more whitetails will potentially be in this neck of the woods. Yet in much of the region, things are starting to blossom nicely, given the Southeast's overall habitat quality.