BLUEGRASS REGION
This past season, it appears that Kentucky's bowhunting corps faired very well on trophy-caliber bucks in the Bluegrass Region. We'll see if that continues to be the case this year.

"The Bluegrass does have some good potential for big bucks. With the significant hunting pressure it gets during the gun season, maybe bowhunting is the way to go to see some of these bucks, early on," said Yancy.

Maybe that's so. Cliff Willoughby would probably agree that a long archery season is an advantage in hunting trophies, simply because it allows you to be out there the entire time. Last season, he dropped Kentucky's best typical archery kill, a big 179 0/8, in Shelby County. That county has an excellent deer herd and is consistently showing up with its counterpart, Owen County, as a top harvest spot in Kentucky.

We mention Owen because a second big bow kill in this region occurred last season, when Eric Henage stroked a 162 2/8 typical there as well. Statewide, in fact, string-pullers placed eight B&C bucks in the books, and another two were taken with crossbows in 2005. It was one of the best years for bowhunters, as they roared back on the scene after scoring only one trophy in 2004. Somebody got serious with the stick-and-string, didn't they?

A third entry from the Bluegrass, unsuspectingly by some, I'd guess, came out of Fayette County. In this highly urban county, the territory for gun hunting is limited, but Danny Jones managed to down a fine 163 6/8 typical last season. In recent seasons, there have been several excellent bucks taken from Fayette.

Deer do exist there, but a lot of land is not open for hunting. Eventually, bucks living the high life, like racehorses, get out of their usual haunts. And sometimes, you just get lucky when a big one steps out there in range.

"I expect we'll see a few more extra-high-quality animals from this region this time around, which usually averages six or eight over the course of a season," said Yancy. "There are a lot of eyes out there, and also a lot of deer. If hunters do their homework and practice restraint on shooting small bucks, they have a good chance to kill a nice deer -- perhaps even a record-class one," the biologist said.

The best counties in the region include Henry, Pendleton, Larue and Hardin. That last one has given up one trophy after another, the most recent being a huge 196 7/8 non-typical for Jamie Sadler last season. Hunters on Ft. Knox (when it's open) or in the surrounding area, tend to score very well on big bucks each year.

SOUTHEAST REGION
"We've suggested for some time that hunters in the Southeast Region will have improving chances of scoring big bucks. Last season may be a inkling of what we think can develop," said Yancy.

The Southeast Region contains Kentucky's poorest overall deer habitat, so it doesn't have the production of deer that most other regions have. Hence, the county has more protective management of does, so the land can reach the best numbers of deer that it can potentially support.

Not always, but when herds are being managed to grow, the increase in numbers often seems to yield a side benefit of more trophy-class bucks. Maybe it's because higher numbers of bucks are in the herd, or because some hunters are taking their one antlered deer as soon as they see any buck at all. This results in additional older bucks living one more season and reaching that elite size.