Last season, the total number of deer taken in the Southeast Region was 17,770, a significant jump from the previous season. Most of the 29-county region saw a jump in individual county harvests last season. Generally, these counties still register as the lowest in density, or deer per square mile, but numbers do appear to keep climbing slowly.

Several counties in the middle of the pack for this region saw jumps of 50 to 100 more deer harvested last year. Last season, more than 20 counties reported harvests of over 400.

Counties in the region that ranked highest in deer density were Cumberland, Taylor and Adair, all of which are carrying about three deer per square mile of habitat. In this region, Cumberland and Taylor counties -- though not among the counties with 1,000 or more deer harvested -- are still good spots to find more deer this season.

NORTHEAST REGION
In 2006, the Northeast Region reported more than 16,000 deer taken, which was also an increase over the previous season. In terms of harvest, the better counties remained the same as the previous season. Once again, Bracken County is tops in the Northeast in terms of highest deer density, holding 7.66 deer per square mile. But Boyd and Robertson counties are barking at Bracken's heels, with six deer per square mile -- give or take.

The biggest harvest numbers from last year were posted in Lawrence, with more than 1,500 being taken. In this region, Bracken (with 1,450), Carter (1,427), Lewis (1,303) and Greenup (1,220) all posted high deer densities, at almost four deer per square mile.

Lewis comes in just shy of three deer per square mile, and Carter and Lawrence fall in between the highs and lows out of this bunch.

In this region, the top five counties all saw good increases in harvest over the previous year, a sign of the excellent 2006 season throughout Kentucky. They'll likely top the 1,000 mark again this season, and perhaps be joined Morgan or Boyd counties, which narrowly missed the list last year. Both counties had takes well over 900 in 2006.

Counties in the Northeast Region continue to be generally managed under a four-deer season limit. In some cases, only two of those four may be taken with a firearm. This restriction cuts down on the number of antlerless deer being taken, given that most hunters are going to hold out to take their one buck with a gun.

In fact, a majority of hunters take only one deer anyway, often taking a doe late in the season when if no buck can be found.

Counties with some of the lowest harvests and densities in the region are Martin, Montgomery, Magoffin, Menifee and Floyd. Although deer are present, hunting these counties will be no doubt tougher. For their best chance of success, hunters in these counties will need to scout for pockets of higher deer numbers.

Generally, counties like these remain under a stricter management approach, trying to maximize herd growth in the shortest amount of time. During some periods of the season, that may mean no hunting of antlerless deer with a firearm, so be sure and check seasonal regulations for all the details.

BLUEGRASS REGION
During the 2006 deer season, both the Bluegrass and Green River regions placed 16 counties apiece in the 1,000-harvest club. But overall, the Bluegrass Region was responsible for adding about 3,000 more animals to the total statewide harvest than was the Green River Region. These two counties are tops in Kentucky for producing large numbers of white-tailed deer. Both contain the best habitat and receive the most hunting pressure, which adds up to higher harvests. Bluegrass Region hunters took more than 36,500 deer in their 31-county area of central and north-central Kentucky.

The Bluegrass Region is where hunters will find the most generally liberal gun-hunting season. A large number of counties open to a 16-day modern gun season, for either sex of deer the entire time.

Most counties also offer unlimited doe harvest -- a reflection of how well a county's herd is doing.

A majority of the counties (16, to be exact) on the top 20 deer-density list are located in the Bluegrass Region. Ironically, that region also carries some counties such as Bourbon, Fayette and Jessamine that lie right at the bottom of the list. They offer extremely limited habitat, compared to other more rural counties in this region.

Outside the top spot, Bluegrass Region counties occupy all the rest of the first 10 slots for highest numbers of deer per square mile. Statistics for Boone, Shelby, Owen and Gallatin counties are right at or above the 12-deer-per-square-mile mark, while Anderson, Campbell, Spencer, Henry and Pendleton all offer nine to 10 deer per square mile.