"In this region, you just can't completely rule out hardly anywhere," he said. "And that's really an exciting situation to find yourself in when you climb in the stand."

NORTHEAST REGION
Hunters found the 2007 season particularly tough for locating trophy-class whitetails in the Northeastern Region. Yet one off-season doesn't mean production is over with.

Time and again, history has proven that several counties have been very good for trophy bucks -- especially in 2006, when nearly 10 were brought to the taxidermists in the region.

In 2007, one lone trophy buck was registered with the KDFWR deer program out of the Northeast.

It came from Bracken County, where Dennis Sharp claimed a 201 1/8 score for his non-typical bruiser -- and sole rights for the entire region in downing a record-book buck that qualified for the B&C Club.

"It didn't happen last season," noted biologist Yancy. "But for years we've consistently seen some big bucks from the Northeast Region, and ones of extremely high quality from Lewis, Bracken, Pike and Lawrence counties."

There will be years when hunters just don't come across a trophy animal during a season, which was much more likely the case last year.

Chances remain good that a solid half-dozen trophy bucks will hit the ground in 2008, and likely from the counties Yancy mentions.

The track record in this region is just too strong to believe otherwise.

But it's possible that other counties less hunted could also give up a big buck of a lifetime. That seems to be happening in other regions, and there's no reason it can't happen in the Northeast as well.

SOUTHEAST REGION
In general, this region has the overall worst quality habitat for whitetails.

But surprisingly, the Southeast has been giving up trophy deer over the last two seasons.

In 2006, seven records were reported, and last season it jumped by three more to 10 reported trophy qualifiers.

The No. 1 typical for 2007 came from the Southeast Region -- Breathitt County to be exact. Archer Tom Oaks, who arrowed that 180 4/8 buck, joins a good list of deer hunters from Breathitt County who have their name inscribed beside a Kentucky trophy buck.

John Morgan's Leslie County monster buck taped out at 214 7/8, which ranks it second in Kentucky among non-typicals reported for 2007.

Is the "South going to do it again" like the Southern rock song says?

It now has two excellent years behind it, so you need to be watching the old favorites like McCreary, Pulaski and by all means, Casey County -- which posted a pair of trophies in 2007 right after another in 2006.

In recent years, Casey County has perhaps been the most consistent trophy buck producer in the region.

To round out where good things happened last year in the Southeast, Rockcastle and Estill counties to the northern portion of the region reported trophies.

So did Leslie and Harlan counties near the southern state line.

The Southeast can't be credited with the biggest numbers of deer in Kentucky, but in terms of quality bucks, the Bluegrass and Green River regions are certainly holding their own.

If Kentucky's 2008 season holds true, nearly 35 more bow and gun hunters are going to find a world-class quality buck in their sights this season.

Now you know where the most likely spots have been in recent years. And hopefully, you understand that in Kentucky -- one of the top producers for its size in the nation -- a big buck could show up anywhere, anytime.

You just gotta be there when it does!