Over the last three years, Kentucky's per-season average of trophy-class buck harvests has now risen from 32 to 34 animals.

The total number of Boone and Crockett Club (B&C) qualifiers reported by hunters from 2005, 2006 and last season has been 103.

They just keep coming, regardless of what Mother Nature throws at us -- including last summer's outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD).

During the 2007 season, Kentucky deer hunters scored 36 trophy buck kills of 160 or higher typical, or 185 and higher non-typical. Two more trophy non-typicals were found last season.

And though the bulk of last year's big bucks were taken out of well-known big-deer counties, there were also several surprises -- like trophy whitetails showing up in spots where historically, not too many have been taken.

That's exciting news for all Kentucky deer hunters.

When you chart the counties where big deer were dropped in 2006 and compare them with the 2007 crop, you'll quickly notice that in 2007, more than 10 bucks came from counties not on the list the season before.

This bears out what state deer biologists have continued to say over the years -- that Kentucky's herd structure is such that very high-quality bucks can be produced nearly everywhere in the commonwealth.

"For well over a decade now," said senior Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) biologist David Yancy, "our season framework and management approach have shaped our herd for quality bucks, and for excellent opportunities for deer hunting success.

"We just want to stay in that groove and let good things keep happening."

Indeed, Kentucky has settled into a strong pattern of producing big whitetail bucks. Yet some regions and counties carry an even higher potential for hunters to come across a trophy-class buck.

Hunting pressure, habitat availability, genetics and even dumb luck all play a part in determining the odds of seeing -- and getting a good shot at -- that buck of a lifetime.

To anyone who keeps tabs on big buck harvests in the Bluegrass, one quite noticeable thing was that last season, several counties had multiple trophies show up. In most years, the number of B&C bucks runs within five or so animals of the previous season.

To have more than one trophy taken from a single county is a little unusual. Occasionally, two might come from the same county. But last season, there were counties with three "Booners" apiece.

That's a very strong indication that even more are present.

Let's review what happened last year globally across the commonwealth, and gain a little insight into what might transpire this season during your search for a really big buck.

Perhaps some observations of recent seasons will help guide you to better spots in Kentucky for monster whitetails in 2008.

Let's start in the west.

Remember, not all the trophies that were reported last year appear on the list shown here.

But all 38 will be considered in the discussion that follows.

PURCHASE REGION
The Purchase Region -- Kentucky's far-western set of counties, grouped together for wildlife management purposes -- isn't a hotspot known for producing big bucks. Every season, however, it still cranks out a few B&C qualifiers.

Several counties have less than ideal habitat for deer, but the adaptability of the species still keeps a good population available in many places. A buck or two will sometimes survive long enough to grow a truly impressive headset.

In 2007, for example, hunters in the Purchase Region managed to locate two high-quality bucks, one typical and one non-typical.