By Brad Herndon
Deer
hunting is exciting and especially so when you’re trying to kill your first
trophy whitetail. Back in the 1980s, I remember opening the pages of a hunting
magazine and reading about The Magic Triangle in Illinois. My eyes lit up as I read
about a triangle of counties in west-central Illinois that were producing
quantities of some of the highest scoring deer in North America. As you
probably have, I could imagine myself posing with one of these magnificent
animals.
As
my knowledge about deer hunting increased, I began writing how-to deer hunting
articles back in 1987. In addition, I put into place databases in which I could
record various types of information pertinent to trophy whitetails. These
databases included all Pope and Young and Boone and Crockett entries, typical
and non-typical. With this wealth of information at hand, for the past several
years I have been able to predict trends within North America, such as the
hottest future locations for big bucks. In this particular article, I will
share some trophy trends that will be both fascinating and surprising to you.
I’ll even revisit that magic triangle of counties in Illinois to see how they
are doing. On the flip side, I’ll also share some roadblocks I see ahead in the
trophy-hunting road – problems that you will hopefully be able to avoid, or
cure. Now let’s take a look at the first shocker.
BUCKS
BY THE SQUARE MILE
Accompanying
this story you will find a chart showing the number of square miles it took for
a state to grow a Boone and Crockett buck, both all-time and over the past five
years. For your information, to make the all-time B&C record book, a
typical whitetail has to net at least 170 inches, and a non-typical buck has to
net 195 inches or more. These are obviously brute bucks. The figures were
obtained by taking the square mile figures for each state from a Rand McNally
Road Atlas and then dividing them by the B&C entries from each state. These
types of figures are important to us as deer hunters because, when coupled with
other statistics, they more accurately reflect the true possibilities we have
of tagging a book buck within each state. For example, one state may have a few
more record book entries than another state, but if its land area is four times
larger, it generally doesn’t present you with the highest odds of success. Going
to the square mile chart, you will see that over the past five years Illinois
has produced more Boone and Crockett bucks per square mile than any other
state. This is probably no surprise to you. Kentucky, on the other hand, may
raise some eyebrows with its No. 3 ranking. And when you see Delaware placed in
the No. 6 position over the past five years, you may think I’ve lost my mind.
Maryland may also be a surprise to you. Well, there are reasons why each state
is currently ranked where they are in the chart. Let’s take a look at those
reasons and what we can learn from them.
MANAGEMENT
PLAYS A KEY ROLE
Illinois
has a three-day firearms season in November and a four-day firearms season in
December, a management strategy they have used for a long time. This low firearm
hunting pressure during the rut allows many of The Prairie State bucks to grow
to old age. Of course, the fact that Illinois contains outstanding deer
genetics and some of the richest soil on earth also factors into the successful
trophy- buck-growing formula. When it comes to top-end trophies, Illinois is
unbeatable. Over the past five years, Illinois has produced 75 percent more
typical bucks (28 to 16) scoring more than 180 inches than the second best
state, Ohio. When it comes to non-typicals scoring more than 210 inches, Illinois
has cranked out 140 percent more of these brutes (43 to 18) than the second
best state, which is a tie between Iowa and Kansas. Regarding The Magic
Triangle in Illinois, it’s still producing quantities of megabucks. Eight out
of the top 10 B&C counties in Illinois are still found in this magic
triangle. Kentucky, meanwhile, a state I’ve been telling hunters to watch for
many years, cranks out B&C bucks at an ever increasing rate because of a
change in management plans 13 years ago. This was when they switched to a one antlered-
buck-only limit; and despite a fairly long rifle season during November, their
record book numbers are truly impressive. Indiana switched to a
one-antlered-buck limit three years ago, and over the past two years, Indiana
and Kentucky have recorded the greatest percentage increase in bucks scoring
more than 150 inches. Ohio just recently changed to the one-antlered-buck rule
as well, and I expect an increase in The Buckeye State’s already great book
entry numbers. Their firearms season in 2005 was from Nov. 28-Dec. 4. This
season falls out of the rut, and with a short four-day muzzleloader season in
December, high firearm hunting pressure is of short duration. Coming to Iowa,
it can’t be beat for top-end typicals. In history, there have been 137 typical
bucks that have netted 190 inches or better. Iowa has grown 22 of them,
Illinois 15. The top Iowa typical is the Wayne Bills buck at 201 4/8 inches.
With their buck firearms season not starting until December, great whitetail
genetics and fertile soil statewide, farm-rich Iowa will continue to crank out
topnotch bucks for the foreseeable future. In the near future, both Kansas and
Wisconsin will continue to grow numbers of book bucks. Kansas because it has
always had an excellent deer management program in place, and Wisconsin because
it is taking serious measures to control their deer herd size (more on this
later). In 2006 Wisconsin is proposing several novel changes, including a free
antlerless tag with a bow or gun license in some zones and an unlimited number
of anterless tags in some regions. And where required, the Earn-A-Buck program
will be implemented, meaning you must harvest a doe before an antlered buck can
be harvested. Before continuing, I want to mention Delaware and Maryland.
Delaware is a small state (only 1,955 square miles). The Atlantic Ocean forms
its eastern border. Maryland lies to the west. With 40,000 deer, and 85 percent
of its land private, Delaware does its best to keep the deer herd in check with
liberal deer harvest limits. It even has a quality deer management program in
place; and as unlikely as it seems, some real boomer bucks roam this coastal
state. The state’s top typical goes 185 4/8 inches. Maryland is also an
excellent big-buck state and has been for many years. Obviously the biggest
problem in these two eastern seaboard states is obtaining permission to hunt on
the private land. If you have a relative who owns land there, consider giving
them a call. You might be surprised what walks by.
DANGER
STILL LURKS
Thus
far, most states I’ve discussed have been from the Midwest, the breadbasket of
bucks, so to speak. However, even in this hotbed of trophy whitetails, there is
a danger lurking when it comes to growing trophy bucks, one that Midwestern
deer managers – both at state level and individuals – must be on the alert for.
This danger involves an everincreasing deer herd, a factor that can negatively
alter deer health and antler size. Without doubt, the Midwest, overall, is the
top producer of book bucks in our nation, especially the areas bordering our
river drainages. In 1988 one expert I know mentioned that fact, and he also
made some comments worth reviewing at this time. “It is my opinion,” he noted,
“that areas in which the deer herd has exceeded the carrying capacity of the
land and has crashed two or more times, that it never again will produce large
quantities of quality animals.” Certainly this is a statement some hunters
might not agree with. Let me pitch in another comment he made in 1988 before
you judge his accuracy. “Recently, I conducted research in Kentucky, near the confluence
of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers,” he said. “Never have I seen such potential
for trophy buck production. Yet, the hunters of that region have not realized
the trophy quality of the area.” Obviously he was way ahead of his time in
realizing what makes, or doesn’t make, a big buck factory. Certainly he was
right in picking Kentucky as a great book-buck state, and I agree with his
statement regarding the consequences of too many deer in a region. Even back in
1988, when he was predicting big buck hotspots, he noted that “The Mississippi
River Delta contains some of the finest soils and genetics to be found anywhere
within the whitetail’s range; however, population and management problems in
the extreme southern delta eliminate this region from consideration.” As you
may have noticed, no state in the southeastern part of our nation has been one
of the top picks for trophy bucks. Some say the genetics just aren’t there to
consistently grow high-scoring whitetails. James McMurray of Louisiana would
argue this point.
THE
BAYOU BRUISER
During
the late 1980s, James McMurray was a member of a hunting club that leased the
land now known as Big Lake Wildlife Management Area. It was typical to see 100 deer
per day and never see an antler. Then the state purchased 20,000 acres of this
private land, and the federal government bought 50,000 acres adjacent to it.
The state opened this region to the public, and deer hunters flocked into the
area and used either-sex deer hunting permits to dramatically reduce the deer
herd. As the herd became smaller, hunters headed elsewhere. Soon there were few
hunters and few deer, but an abundance of food was now available for the
remaining whitetails. James McMurray realized the potential of this region, and
on Jan. 4,1994, he dropped the hammer on a 29-point brute of a deer that scored
281 6/8 inches! It stands as the ninth best non-typical of all-time. This buck
was tagged in Tensas Parish, which is located along the fertile Mississippi
River basin. Again, consider what our expert said in 1988 about the Mississippi
River Delta and the overabundance of deer. Also consider the results when the
deer herd was brought down to the carrying capacity of the land.
WHAT’S
HAPPENING IN THE SOUTHEAST
In
2004, Tony Lewis dropped a 6x5 Dooly County, Ga., typical that stretched the
measuring tape to 181 4/8 inches, making it the seventh best typical in state
history and the highest-scoring typical killed in the state in 18 years. It’s
not surprising this monster came from Dooly County since it has been under an
experimental state quality deer management program since 1993. Certainly the
McMurray and Lewis bucks show the potential of southeastern bucks if they are
given the opportunity to grow to maturity in regions with a plentiful amount of
highly nutritious food. Unfortunately, effective statewide quality deer
management programs are not the norm in the Southeast. Alabama, for instance,
had a 3-point antler restriction in only Barbour County during the Hunter’s
Choice gun season in 2005, which ran from Nov. 19 to Jan. 31. The limit during
this long season was two deer per day, and one could be an antlered buck.
Certainly these regulations allow an incredibly high harvest of antlered bucks
each year. And while these regulations also encourage hunters to kill a high
number of antlerless deer, the state’s hunters don’t harvest a sufficient
number to keep the deer herd in check. If we could suddenly switch the deer
population of Illinois to 2,000,000 animals (Alabama’s present total), and give
the hunters there a buck-a-day limit for 74 days, how many Boone and Crockett
bucks do you think would be coming out of Illinois? I’ll answer the question.
Not many. So while there are certain regions of the Southeast under quality
deer management that do produce good bucks, a little research quickly reveals
most deer management strategies in the Southeast are not geared toward growing
more mature bucks. Fortunately, private property under management can be
another matter, especially when surrounding property owners have a similar
management strategy.
FOOD
PLOTS AND THE RECORD BOOKS
A
few years ago I wrote an article about the high number of record book entries
over the previous 10 years and how these high numbers were at least somewhat
tied in to the food plot revolution started by the Whitetail Institute in 1988.
They started providing the quality products and information and hunters started
drastically expanding the use of food plots. I believe food plots played a big
role in the 500% increase in record-book bucks, but in saying that, we must
also remember that the deer herd in many parts of the nation at that time was
still expanding, meaning excellent native browse was still available in most
regions to complement the nutritious food plots. However, when it comes to
whitetails, things change rapidly. In the past two years I have seen a continuing,
and alarming, trend occurring throughout the nation. Namely, too many deer
hunters, including hunters managing property, are not harvesting enough does. This
results in the deer population getting out of control and the native browse
being destroyed. Once this occurs, it takes an incredible effort to restore a region
to its true deer-growing potential. An accompanying picture shows Henry
Reynolds with a basic 8-point buck that grossed 160 inches and fielddressed 247
pounds. It was taken in 2004 in Indiana farm country with few deer. Only 34
miles away, deer hunters have leased a majority of northwestern Washington
County hunting land. Mature bucks there will field-dress 100 pounds less and
score 40 to 50 inches less in antler size because the region is overpopulated
with deer. Other than farm fields, food plots and acorns, the thousands of deer
in this county have very little food supply.
THE
CURE
Nationwide,
I see this trend happening in pockets in some of our best trophy whitetail
states. Hunters must be educated to the fact they must harvest does, and
quantities of them, or this trend will continue. Once the herd is under
control, then products such as Imperial Whitetail Clover, Chicory Plus,
Alfa-Rack PLUS, Extreme and others, can be planted in food plots to keep the
deer fat and healthy while the native browse is allowed to recover. As I see
it, the trend of the future will be for states to implement regulations that
will in some way result in hunter’s taking a sufficient number of does each
year to keep the herd in check. The states that do this job best will be the
top buck states in the future. In addition to the Wisconsin regulations I’ve
already noted, several more methods are listed in the sidebar.
Illinois – Top 10 B&C Counties 1. Fulton
2. Pike
3. Adams
4. Morgan
5. Jo Daviess
6. Schuyler
7. McHenry
8. Greene
9. McCoupin
10. Jersey
Iowa – Top 10 B&C Counties
1. Allamakee
2. Clayton
3. Dubuque
4. Jackson
5.
Jefferson
6. Appanoose
7. Marion
8. Monroe
9. Madison
10. Warren
Kansas – Top 10 B&C Counties
1. Barber
2. Clark
3. Butler
4. Lyon
5. Stafford
6. Coffey
7. McPherson
8. Reno
9. Kingman.
10. Sumner
Kentucky – Top 10 B&C Counties
1. Hart
2. Christian
3. Lewis
4. Henderson
5. Ohio
6. Butler
7. Grayson
8. Hopkins
9. Kenton
10. Casey
Ohio – Top 10 B&C Counties
1.Adams
2. Geauga
3. Highland
4. Licking
5. Preble
6. Pike
7. Portage
8. Clinton
9. Meigs
10. Fairfield
Indiana – Top 10 B&C Counties
1. Warren
2. Porter
3. Franklin
4. Greene
5. Fayette
6. Putnam
7. Lake
8. Parke
9. Bartholemew
10. Jennings
Wisconsin – Top 10 B&C Counties
1. Buffalo
2. Outagamie
3. Vernon
4. Waupaca
5. Shawano
6. Douglas
7. Chippewa
8. Crawford
9. Grant
10. Dunn
Missouri – Top 10 B&C Counties
1. Pike
2. Adair
3. Macon
4. Lincoln
5. Callaway
6. Knox
7. Warren
8. Franklin
9.
Harrison
10. Mercer
Maryland – Top 10 B&C Counties
1. Charles
2. Kent
3. Queen Anne’s
4. Prince George’s
5. St.
Mary’s
6. Talbot
7. Anne Arundel
8. Caroline
9.
Wicomico
10. Baltimore
Minnesota – Top 10 B&C Counties
1. St. Louis
2. Lake
3. Otter Tail
4. Houston
5. Wabasha
6. Winona
7. Chisago
8. Todd
9. Koochiching
10. Morrison
My Top 10 Picks for a Pope and Young Buck
Illinois – Top 10 P&Y Counties
1. Pike
2. Lake
3. McHenry
4. Lasalle
5. Brown
6. Peoria
7. Jo Daviess
8. Kane
9. Will
10. Clark
Iowa –
Top 10 P&Y Counties
1. Allamakee
2. Dubuque
3. Van Buren
4. Warren
5. Winneshiek
6. Appanoose
7. Linn
8. Marion
9. Des Moines
10. Monroe
New Regulations >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
States
can pass regulations to try and control their deer populations, but without the
cooperation of the hunters, these regulations will be worthless. Iowa is one of
several states taking serious measures to try and control their deer herd size.
Last fall they had a three-day firearm season the Friday, Saturday and Sunday after
Thanksgiving where only antlerless deer could be killed. In addition, in their southern
zone, Iowa enacted a seven-day special rifle season in late January to shoot antlerless
deer. They also allotted a total of 19,000 more antlerless permits. A hunter can
buy an unlimited number of antlerless permits for $10 each, as long as they are
available for his area. One bow hunter I know killed 16 does and two megabucks
from his property last November in Iowa. Another killed 40 does from his
property and only one monster buck. These are smart deer managers who are
assuring their deer stay healthy by keeping the deer numbers within the
carrying capacity of the land. You should do the same. In upcoming years, you
will see more and more unique hunting regulations that will encourage the
harvest of does. Here’s one of my ideas. When the deer herd gets too large in
states with one-antlered-buck limits, 10 bonus points could be issued to a
hunter for each doe harvested. Once a hunter accumulates 50 bonus points, he would
be entitled to one more antlered deer for that year only. This rule would absolutely
result in a higher doe harvest. If you’re reading this article, you obviously
have an interest in trophy bucks. If you want to go to another state to kill a
buster deer, the information I’ve listed in the accompanying charts will show
you the top states and counties in which to hunt. Keep in mind when reading the
charts that I consider many factors when making my predictions. B&C bucks
per square mile are a factor, but so are the number of deer hunters in each
state, the deer herd size and even the type of terrain in each state and how
easy it is to hunt. Kentucky, for instance, contains vast stretches of hilly
land, a type of terrain where the wind is tough for a bow hunter to shoot.
Therefore Kentucky might rank much lower for the bow hunter than for the
firearm hunter. If you can’t go out of state to hunt, then you will be
concerned about what you can do on the property you hunt to increase the
quality of your deer. The first thing you must do is be honest with yourself.
Look at your forested areas and evaluate whether the timber is over-browsed. If
you have what looks like a high-water line in your woods, then you have way too
many whitetails. Similarly, if you can see 100 yards in the woods because it’s
so open, you may have a deer overpopulation problem. If you can see 200 yards
in the woods, you clearly have a problem. If this is your situation, you must
take action, and quickly. Killing 10 to 30 does per year and properly taking
care of them is hard work, but in many areas it must be done. You can’t see 100
deer per day and have trophy bucks too. It just doesn’t work that way. You must
keep your deer herd within the carrying capacity of the land. I hunted in
Indiana for 25 years before I ever saw a spike buck on private land. Now they
are common in many regions. That indicates too many deer and not enough food.
This brings up another factor you should consider – antler quality. If mature
bucks 10 years ago were scoring an average of 135 inches in your area and field-dressing
180 pounds, and weigh 40 pounds less and score 110 inches, then you probably
have a significant deer overpopulation problem, insufficient food for the deer,
or both. As the deer’s food sources decline, you will notice the following
change in the mature buck’s antlers: a decrease in inside spread; fewer points
on their main beams; less main beam length; and less mass in the main beams,
especially as they go past the midway point in their length.
