Bracken County also has several good deer in Kentucky's records. While gun hunting up there last season, Mike Florence connected with a 190 5/8 non-typical. His trophy was among an unusually high number of non-typicals for an average Commonwealth season. Twelve bucks were reported as non-typicals last year.

Bobby Crowe added his crossbow kill of 193 5/8 out of Montgomery County, where not too many big bucks have been taken. Who knows, maybe Crowe has started a trend?

Other top counties to hunt in the Northeast Region include those along the Ohio River corridor, where pretty good stretches of bottomlands provide higher-quality habitat for deer and to some degree, better hunting terrain for sportsmen. These are places where crops are grown that generally improve the health of individual animals, and offer the nutrition necessary for best antler growth.

"I think we'll have as many or more trophies out of the Northeast this season as we saw last time. This region still has potential for better quality deer hunting, as some of these county herds still are still growing, numbers-wise," said Yancy.

"Hunters have to scout hard, be selective and help do their part -- as the on-the-ground managers of our deer resource -- to have the best chance for a trophy whitetail to wander in their sights during the season," he concluded.

All told, there's nothing to concern Kentucky Fish and Wildlife biologists that the quality of buck hunting is in any kind of pending trouble. The state has enjoyed being among the national leaders in production for several years.

Managers have shaped the herd into one that hunters can be proud of, and that many have benefited from, in experiencing a deer hunt that they've dreamed of.

Perhaps your dream will be fulfilled this season, too.