Bluegrass State Deer Special Part 1: Our Top Harvest Counties

Article taken from 

We've done all the legwork to let you know the Commonwealth's top harvest counties from last season. Is one near you? (October 2009)

By Norm Minch

Just over 200,000 licenses or permits that allow the purchaser to hunt deer were sold in Kentucky last season. While some of this group, such as seniors or disabled persons, may have not actually hunted deer though their license included that privilege, that's still a good number of people interested in bagging a whitetail. When license-exempt landowners are added in, the number of active hunters easily makes up for those who get a multi-license package but choose not to hunt deer.

Comparing the 120,000-plus animals reported harvested last season with the statewide herd estimate of more than 900,000 deer, there's little doubt that the resource is sufficient to meet the needs of hunters. At the same time, though, Kentucky's white­tail herd is not neatly distributed in equal proportion across its 120 counties. A study of the harvest of recent seasons is an excellent way to predict where the best odds of success lie, and that's what we're going to give you in this review of top harvest counties in the Bluegrass State.

Before we concentrate on how things panned out during the 2008-09 season, let's practice a little biology without a license, and look at a couple of interesting short-term trends over the past three years.

During each of the past three years, more than 40 counties in Kentucky have produced 1,000 harvested deer. There were 47 counties over the 1,000 mark in 2006, 42 in 2007 and 44 last season. Also, during that period, fewer than 10 counties changed to either join the 1,000 harvest club list, or dropped off the list. In other words, most of the leading counties for deer harvest have remained very stable for the past three seasons. We can conclude that will likely be true this year, and into the future, barring any unforeseen catastrophe.

Here are a couple of other interesting facts about the development of Kentucky's deer herd. Ten years ago, the 1998-99 season marked the first time Kentucky hunters reported over 100,000 animals taken -- 103,907 to be exact. It was the first year the tele-check phone-in harvest system became the only way to report a harvested animal, despite a widespread fear that the system wouldn't work. Bowhunters were permitted to buy a bonus deer permit for an extra doe in Zone 1 counties for the first time. Kentucky's statewide herd was estimated at 700,000 to 750,000 white­tails, and the highest deer density county was Owen County with 10.11 deer per square mile of habitat.

Since the 2000 season, Kentucky hunters have remained above the 100,000-harvest mark for eight straight seasons. That speaks well for the consistency of opportunity. The last three seasons have all given up more than 113,000 whitetails, including last season, which surpassed 120,000. There should be equally good results possible this fall.

"We had a good bounce-back season in 2008, after the reduced take in 2007, which was probably somewhat due to the loss of some animals to hemorrhagic disease," said Dr. Tina Brunjes, big-game program coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.

According to Brunjes, Kentucky's whitetail harvest jumped up almost 7,200 deer last season. Blackpowder hunters really turned it up a notch or were seeing more deer last season, bagging more than 3,000 more white­tails than the year before. The bulk of the rest of the increase can be attributed to modern gun hunters, who found about 3,800 in their scopes.

Bluegrass State Deer Special Part 1: Our Top Harvest Counties

In fact, last year's final figures wound up as Kentucky's third-best deer season on record. If Kentucky hunters can knock down 122,500 or more deer this season, the 2009-10 year for deer would take over second place all-time. The best year so far was 2004 when 124,752 deer were reported -- and even that figure is well within the possibility to eclipse.

Now, here's one final trend to watch. Since the 1999 season, Kentucky's deer harvest has been characterized by one lower harvest year, followed by a big increase year. Except between 2002 and 2003 when the harvest was within about 1,500 of each other, the seesaw pattern has been amazingly consistent for the last decade -- especially the last six seasons in a row.

Starting with 2003, for example, the deer harvest bounced from roughly 116,500 to 124,700 in 2004. In 2005, it dropped back to 112,400, followed by 122,200 in 2006. The two most recent seasons repeated the pattern a third time, with the 113,400 down cycle right on cue in 2007 and the rebound to 120,600 last year.

If the trend holds, it would suggest the 2009 season wouldn't be as productive as last year, all else remaining equal. Ironically, Kentucky's deer to hunter ratio is about 3:1, which is as high as it has ever been, and indicates that a greater harvest is certainly possible based on deer availability.

It should make the results interesting, don't you think? Will hunters come through again with a highly successful season and break the trend? Brunjes and the fish and wildlife agency hope so, especially in terms of taking more does from Zone 1 counties. It's the biologist's ongoing objective in high-density areas.

From a regional standpoint, Kentucky hunters will have several choices available to encounter good deer numbers this season. Based on last year's best harvest counties and how the harvest converts into deer density, we can project some of the better places to be for success this time around. Let's look at each region, and see what's "jumping" in your favorite hunting zone.

PURCHASE REGION

Though the Purchase Region in far western Kentucky added no more counties to the 1,000 harvest list last season, it did post two more counties in the top five overall harvest counties for 2008. With Christian and Graves counties joining steadfast Crittenden County, the Purchase Region by-passed the Bluegrass Region in claiming the majority of the top five kill counties last season.

Seven of the Purchase Region counties have reported over 1,000 deer taken each of the past three years, and are the obvious choices for locating some hunting ground in 2009. Crittenden and Livingston counties ranked highest in the region for deer density, with over 11 animals and eight deer taken per square mile last season, respectively. That really shows a lot of deer availability, despite the consistently top shelf deer harvests in these counties year after year.

Bluegrass State Deer Special Part 1: Our Top Harvest Counties

Graves and Christian counties are two spots in the Purchase Region that hunters should take a hard look at. Both areas are checking in with about six deer harvested per square mile, though both counties posted approximately 2,500 deer each in the kill column last season. The density of whitetails in these counties is lower simply because there's a lot more deer habitat in these counties. Both counties have more than 400 square miles of habitat, compared with Crittenden and Livingston with 200 to 240, respectively.

Region-wide, nearly 1,500 more deer were checked in from the Purchase Region during the 2008 season versus in 2007. The statistics say there are more than enough whitetails to sustain the 1,500 increase experienced last season. Hunters just have to get in the woods and do their thing.

GREEN RIVER REGION

One of Kentucky's "powerhouse" places for producing and growing whitetails, the Green River Region in midwestern Kentucky shows up nearly completely shaded in on our Top Harvest county map -- and it does so consistently.

With a good smattering of scarcely populated counties people-wise, this big chunk of farmlands and woodlands provide deer very good overall habitat. Their flourishing numbers allow hunters in this area to "rack up" a lot of venison steaks annually. You don't find any of the even dozen Green River Region counties in the top 20 for deer density primarily because there is so much habitat in these counties. The animals are spread out over more territory that can support deer.

The Green River Region as a whole reported a very noticeable upswing in harvest last season. Some 2,100 more deer were taken in the region in 2008 as compared with 2007. Every county that posted more than 1,000 deer harvested reported more animals taken last season than the one before, except Grayson County. Several counties were up 150 to 200 animals, like Hart, Logan and Henderson, indicating growth in those counties is likely occurring.

At the other end of the spectrum, Simpson, Edmonson and Hancock counties have settled into the lowest three harvest counties in this region. However, all three areas saw better harvests last season, which is also probably a result of the herd increasing slowly in those counties.

BLUEGRASS REGION

If there's anywhere in Kentucky where hunters ought to be able to find deer in abundance, it's the Bluegrass Region. The Bluegrass Region holds 17 of the top 20 highest deer density spots based on harvest. Wow! It now takes a ratio of eight deer harvested per square mile of habitat to even break into the top 20 counties, which is where Jefferson County happens to be situated.

The cream of the crop top five counties in the Bluegrass Region last season all posted more than 2,000 deer taken. Combined, these counties produced 13,000-plus animals for hunters, or one-third of the harvest for the entire region. Bottom up, Anderson, Grant, Shelby, Pendleton and Owen counties really rocked last season and should be focal points this year as well.

Bluegrass State Deer Special Part 1: Our Top Harvest Counties

And what about Owen County -- the top producer statewide in 2008? Yeah, it blew the doors off last year with an incredible 3,910 deer reported. That might also explain why it comes in as the county with the highest deer density in Kentucky, running at 14 deer downed per square mile of habitat last season.

The Bluegrass Region to some degree is almost like feast or famine for finding good numbers of deer. Counties located adjacent to Fayette and south of the Lexington metro area don't have the same ability to generate big deer herds because of less favorable habitat. To the north and west of UK's hometown, nearly anywhere within the region, hunters are going to encounter a reasonably high number of deer.

There are 10 counties showing more than 10 animals harvested per square mile on our chart. Hunters ought to be finding these animals on the ground this season in these spots as well. Bowhunters have been faring particularly well in Owen, Oldham, Jefferson, Scott, Shelby and Spencer counties in the Bluegrass. In the more urban counties, this is definitely the way to go after deer. Archery is perceived as less intrusive and potentially dangerous in areas closer to people and domestic animals, and hunters can often get permission easier to bowhunt in places where a lot of deer are obviously present.
Selecting the higher density counties for archery hunting just makes sense. The chance of getting an animal in close is simply a greater probability on lands where more deer are living. It helps put the odds in your favor.

NORTHEAST REGION

The Northeast Region roared back this season with nearly every county showing an increase in harvest, and collectively, this region reported just shy of 1,800 more deer taken in 2008 than in 2007. One of only two regions to actually add a county to the 1,000 or more harvest club, the Northeast placed Morgan County on the chart for last season. Mason and Boyd counties missed the list by less than 50 animals each.

The top three recommendations for finding deer this season in this 21-county area will be Bracken, Lawrence and Carter counties. All three areas posted a healthy 1,500-plus deer kill last season. Bracken and Robertson were the only two Zone 1 counties in the Northeast Region last season with unlimited doe harvest.

Lewis and Greenup with their good Ohio River bottom country round out the best of the best in the Northeast for 2009. Both went well over the 1,000 mark in 2008. Zone 2 management and harvest restrictions are generally used for counties that have herds developed in best proportion to the habitat available.

A good portion of the Northeast Region continues to be managed for some herd growth, with some restriction on antlerless deer limits for hunters. That approach will continue into the near future to permit county herds toward the southern half of the region to keep expanding. Deer densities in many of these counties are hovering between one and three deer taken per square mile, which is fairly low.

Bluegrass State Deer Special Part 1: Our Top Harvest Counties

SOUTHEAST REGION

The monster harvest year in 2006 kicked three counties over the 1,000 mark for the first time in the Southeast Region. In 2007, the region couldn't quite manage a single county, though the top three all posted over 900 animals.

Last season, the Southeast Region climbed back in with at least one county above the 1,000 kill threshold -- Green County, which gave up 1,107 animals to successful hunters. Pulaski and Adair counties posted a harvest of 986 and 984, respectively. Overall, the region managed to see just 81 more animals taken in the total harvest of 16,623 in 2008.

Green and Taylor counties, in terms of harvest density, rank higher than Adair and Pulaski for deer per square mile. Green is holding just above four deer per square mile, which is highest in the Southeast, followed by Taylor with just above three deer per square mile harvested. Adair County checks in at 2.62 taken per square mile, though Adair County has 100 more square miles of deer land than Green County.

Pulaski County narrowly missed the 1,000 mark with 986 whitetails reported last season. The density rating of 1.66 deer taken per square mile seems low, but recall that Pulaski County has just shy of 600 square miles of habitat. Only Pike County is larger with 780 square miles of landmass suitable for deer.

Rounding out the top five harvest counties, Whitley and Laurel appear to be two more of the best places to find deer this season. Both counties came in last season at more than 800 animals taken. Each county's harvest was higher indicating growth for which they are being managed.

The last two counties that showed good jumps in harvest during the most recent season were Knox and Cumberland. Knox County is obviously benefiting from deer expansion from the two better populated neighboring counties of Whitley and Laurel. Cumberland County is the only other county to post more than 700 deer out of the Southeast Region the last two seasons in a row, and both counties should still offer some good spots to find whitetails this year.

These counties are clustered to the western side of the region, but herds seem to be slowly picking up strength toward the east. Limited habitat continues to keep these herds from expanding quickly, but most seem to be holding their own or making forward progress. It will take a long time for enough animals to be present in the majority of the Southeast Region counties for a harvest to get above 1,000. Those noted, however, are on the doorstep and deserve a good look for hunters in this neck of the woods.

Kentucky deer biologists continue to want the annual harvest to be in the 120,000 to 130,000 range to keep high-density counties in check and see some growth in those counties with fewer than three animals taken per square mile. Remember to check your animals as required, and if you can take additional antlerless deer, do so and donate it, or give the meat to someone if you can't use it all. You might be surprised how many people would enjoy venison, if they only had someone to offer it to them.

We suggest you to check The Hunter Store website to find quality hunting gear before going out hunting.

Big Buck Outlook -- Where Are The Trophy Bucks in the Great Plains?

Article taken from
Deer hunting is looking so good, it might be easier to say where the big bucks won't be in 2009! But here are the top areas for huge deer, according to experts. (November 2009)

By Tim Lilley

Combined, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota have 318 counties. And according to information compiled by the Quality Deer Management Association with data from Boone and Crocket and Pope and Young clubs, less than 13 percent of those counties did not produce a trophy buck from 1996 to 2005. That's 41 of the 318 counties.

But there is excellent hunting throughout the Great Plains. A big buck could pop up about anywhere in the four states we'll cover. The goal of this story is to help point you in the right direction to find the best of the best when it comes to areas that hold the potential to give you a chance at a healthy, mature buck with big antlers. Here are places to hunt, with a heads up on the places that haven't pro­duced record bucks in recent years.

KANSAS

Biologist Lloyd Fox summed up the Sunflower State's big-buck prospects in one sentence.
"This," he said, "is a wonderful time to hunt deer in Kansas."

Fox went on to talk about the rack from a Morris County whitetail taken last season that he'd just finished scoring in his Emporia office. It taped 193 non-typical inches. He also mentioned two other bucks he'd scored over the past 14 days, both from areas northwest of his office, but not terribly far away.

One scored 202 and was taken in 2007. The other was a 2008 archery buck that scored 196.

"When I talk about just the deer I've seen, that's only scratching the surface of what we have available," said Fox.

Mule deer numbers in Kansas are stable, and the same management units show the best promise for trophy mulies year after year. The best include DMUs 1, 2, 3 and 17. This includes all of northwest Kansas and all the western counties that border Colorado except for the far southwest corner, which is part of DMU 18.

When it comes to whitetails, Fox pointed hunters toward DMUs 5, 7, 8, 14 and 16 for 2009.

If you look at the QDMA map showing B&C and P&Y entries from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s, you also can add DMUs 4, 6, 9, 10, 13 and 15. Remember, however, that Fox didn't include those on his list. They represent an observation based on record-book applications from the counties in those units.

If anything, topography and habitat suggest that the units Fox mentioned just might hold the best of the best in the Sunflower State. They encompass a lot of native tall-grass prairie and CRP acreage. Hunting places like these is not like the deer hunting you find in many other states, especially east of the Missouri River, where wooded habitat provides great cover for deer along with at least decent amounts of hard and soft mast.

If you want to hunt country like that in Kansas, by all means check out DMU 10, which includes the Missouri River bluffs in the very north­east corner of the state. There is some truly amazing hardwood deer habitat up there, which I discovered during spring turkey hunts to the area when I first moved to Kansas years ago.

Big Buck Outlook -- Where Are The Trophy Bucks?

Three of the units Fox noted -- 7, 8 and 14 -- include portions of the famed Flint Hills region, which is home to the largest remaining contiguous stand of native tall-grass prairie in the country. Units 5 and 16 also contain plenty of wide-open spaces -- the kinds of places many hunters wouldn't expect to find many deer at all, let alone some real bruisers.

"Many hunters think of deer as a forest species," Fox said. "But in these units, they really are shrub and grassland species. These are the places where a big buck will rest out on a grassy knoll where he can see in every direction. If he needs to, he can get up and move in any direction and just disappear into the topography."

Fox also mentioned that these units, by and large, are home to some great plum thickets. I know this first-hand about DMUs 3, 7 and 8. There are some draws and thickets in that country that the buck of a lifetime could escape to and never be found.

NEBRASKA

Most of the great counties for trophy Nebraska bucks are found in one of six management units -- Frenchman, Pine Ridge, Plains, Republican, Sandhills and Upper Platte. These are the six units state biologist Kit Hams included again this year as the best bets for big mulies and whitetails.

It's significant to note that two units -- Pine Ridge and Sandhills -- appear on both species' lists of hotspots. That suggests that hunters willing to visit the northwest corner of the state have a chance at nice mature bucks of either species.

"Although, as I said before, we're still trying to catch Kansas!" Hams said with a laugh. "But deer hunting in Nebraska has never been better. And it keeps getting better, which is wonderful for our hunters."

Last season, 72 percent of the mule deer bucks and 66 percent of the white-tailed bucks were 2 years or older. Those numbers represent two very important elements for Great Plains hunters to consider if they're thinking about hunting Nebraska this season or in the future.

First and most importantly to the state's deer population, that means that hunters are letting many young bucks walk. That definitely is helping to enhance the overall age structure of the state's deer herd. It also means that, as a result, Nebraska's age structure has a chance to at least remain fairly stable, if not improve, on an annual basis.

When hunters aren't taking 1 1/2-year-old bucks out of the population, they grow to at least 2 1/2 and older. Biologists will tell you that bucks are reaching full maturity by age 3 1/2, and there is reason to believe (as suggested by the harvest percentages) that hunters in Nebraska are seeing many mature bucks each season.

Hams' suggestions for the best mule deer hunting are all in northwestern Nebraska -- the Pine Ridge, Sandhills and Upper Platte units. Pine Ridge and Sandhills also make his list for whitetails, along with Frenchman, Plains and Republican.

Big Buck Outlook -- Where Are The Trophy Bucks?

Hams encourages hunters to harvest antlerless deer in the units along the Missouri River to help keep the population in check.

They also represent a significant number of record-book bucks, according to the QDMA. From here, whitetail hunters should look at the Blue Southeast, Blue Northwest and Wahoo units. As was the case with some Kansas units, these three do not come from Hams, but rather from the QDMA trophy map.

SOUTH DAKOTA

As is the case in Nebraska, there are two areas in South Dakota that offer good trophy potential for mule deer and whitetails. Both are in the northwest corner of the state -- Harding and Perkins counties.

State biologist Ted Benzon pointed hunters to the West River region for big bucks this season, although he did note potential in the northeast part of the state.

"Any of the northeastern units could be good for whitetails because of the ratios of bucks to does we have up there," he said.

South Dakota's focus on trimming numbers in the northeastern part of the state have led to ratios that Benzon called virtually 1:1 bucks to does. Anytime that kind of ratio exists, there is the potential for big bucks. Brown, Marshall, Day and Roberts counties in the northeast look very good, according to the QDMA.

Like its neighbors to the north and south, South Dakota also boasts significant CRP acreage heading into the 2009 season. But biologists in all four states talked about the potential of significant losses in the not-too-distant future as landowners decide not to renew CRP contracts and return land to production.

A big reason for that is the increased interest in alternative fuels like corn-based ethanol. One of the biologists interviewed for this story put it very succinctly: "Ethanol is no friend to wildlife."

This season, however, South Dakota hunters won't see that habitat has diminished significantly. Instead, they'll face many of the same challenges hunters in the other Great Plains states face when it comes to hunting deer in country that is more open than wooded. Deer adapt very, very well to the topography, and in South Dakota that means lots of CRP with plenty of outstanding bedding and safety cover.

"All in all," biologist Benzon said, "I believe hunters across the state are going to start seeing older bucks because of the steps we've taken to get the buck-to-doe ratios stabilized. Both our mule deer and whitetail populations are in good shape, and there is plenty of CRP cover out there for them."

The state had a typical winter for a change, and there was no significant winter mortality.

Benzon said warming trends arrived at just the right times to offset the potential danger of significant storms that dumped -- and drifted -- lots of snow around the state.

"Everyone was getting worried about the impact of all the snow," he said. "Then we had the big February meltdown that handled most of the concern."

Big Buck Outlook -- Where Are The Trophy Bucks?

He also mentioned a series of three major blizzard events in the western part of the state, but each was followed by a warming trend that kept conditions more favorable than not for deer and other wildlife.

NORTH DAKOTA

North Dakota biologist Bill Jensen said his state does not manage its deer resources with big bucks in mind. Rather, they strive to offer hunters the best overall hunting opportunities. North Dakota doesn't keep records of big deer taken within its borders.

That being said, Jensen provided an easy reference for hunters after big bucks this season -- go east for whitetails and west for mule deer. Specifically, he mentioned units 2B, 2C, 2F1 and 2F2 for mature white­tails, and 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E and 4F for mature mulies. If you look at the map on Page 20, you'll see the general east-and-west breaks. Units 2B and 2C include roughly 80 percent of North Dakota's eastern border counties. Units 2F1 and 2F2 add the east-central counties west of the border counties.

Units 4B, 4D, 4E and 4F represent roughly the southern two-thirds of the western border counties. Units 4A and 4C add additional counties in the west-central section of the state.

He said that winter mortality wasn't a factor in most of the state, although there were some losses in mid-North Dakota because of the tracks of major snowstorms.

"The first bands of heavy snow we got moved from southwest to northeast," he said. "And the later bands moved from northwest to southeast. They had real winter, all winter in the upper-central part of the state where those bands crossed."

QDMA's map shows that units 2B and 2C definitely are good bets for whitetails. However, it also appears as though the southern portion of Unit 2E also could be a good bet for an encounter with a mature whitetail.

In mule deer country, it's also important to note that good numbers of record-book applications for white­tails came from North Dakota units that include 3A3, 4A, 4B and 4C. With that in mind, the "4s" also appear to represent areas where hunters could have a chance this season to encounter mature bucks of either species. As with the other states, note that this is speculation based on a combination of biologist-provided information and the data used to create the QDMA map. It does not represent specific recommendations from Jensen. His, like those of his counterparts in South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas, are reflected on the map that accompanies this story.

THE BIG PICTURE

When more than 87 percent of the counties in the Great Plains states are shown to have produced at least one record-book whitetail according to the B&C and P&Y data, it's difficult to suggest that there are large expanses of land in any of the states that are devoid of big bucks -- or at least the potential for big bucks.

North Dakota's southern border counties and Kansas' southwestern border counties represent what appear to be the largest contiguous chunks of the Great Plains without a record-book buck being taken.

Although other states around the country get at least as much -- if not more -- publicity for their big bucks and great hunting opportunities, the Great Plains states collectively provide as good a chance for hunters to encounter big mature bucks -- both mule deer and whitetails -- as any other state.

We suggest you to check The Hunter Store website to find quality hunting gear before going out hunting.

Plan Your Public Deer Hunts

Article taken from website.

With all the intricacies of the rules on our wildlife management area hunts, you need to start getting ready now for the action. Here's a look at the places where you can find walk-up hunts this year. (July 2010)

By Carolee Boyles

It's still summer, but the archery hunting for deer is just around the corner. And this year, it's going to be a different season from years past.

No matter where you are, you need to closely monitor season dates for this year, because they've changed. If you're in the South Zone -- now renamed Zone A--you're going to be hunting earlier. Archery season on private land starts July 31, 2010. In most of what was the Central Zone -- and now Zone C -- archery action starts on the third Saturday in September. Zone B -- a portion of the old Central Zone in the Green Swamp basin of Polk, Hillsborough and north Pinellas counties -- archery season won't start until the third Saturday in October. Finally, in Zone D -- the old Northwest Zone, but with a slight boundary adjustment -- hunting will begin Oct. 23, 2010.

These dates are designed so that gun season falls during the rut, which means bowhunters will be hunting the pre-rut in most parts of the state. However, the new season dates do not necessarily correspond to the hunting dates on public land, some of which remain the same and some of which have changed.

The bottom line is you need to play it safe and check the regulations before heading to any area for the first time this year.

Regardless of when the action begins, there continues to be a multitude of places to bowhunt throughout Florida. In order to give you the best idea of where to look on public land under this new Zone system, we've grouped the Wildlife Management Areas according to the new zone boundaries. Each of the WMAs discussed have all or part of the archery season open for walk-up hunting with no quota permit required.

ZONE A

Zone A remains that portion of the state south of State Route 70. Its deer season now starts nearly a month and a half earlier, with July 31 as the new opening day for archery season on private land.

J. W. Corbett WMA is your best bet for archery season in Zone A. This area is slightly more than 60,000 acres, and is in Palm Beach and Martin counties. It's primarily pine flatwoods, cypress domes, and ponds.

This is one of the older areas in the WMA system, purchased by the State of Florida and the old Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission in the 1940s. Its timber was completely cut over then, but now supports some good stands of pines again. In those areas, look for a typical South Florida palmetto understory, with a lot of ponds interspersed throughout the area.

Access to Corbett is better than on some of the other southern WMAs. A series of trails run off road into the interior, providing that access.

No special permits are required during archery season.

ZONE B

This is the smallest of the four new zones and is basically the greater Tampa Bay area. In part, it's made up of the Green Swamp Basin. This new zone lies south of SR 50, west of U.S. Highway 441 and the Kissimmee Waterway, north of SR 60 and east of the Gulf of Mexico.

Because this is such a small zone, public hunting opportunities here are limited.

The Baird Unit of Richloam WMA is your best bet for archery action. However, be aware that the first nine days of the season on the tract are reserved for quota permit holder. After that, all hunters are free to use the WMA. Be sure of your dates before you go!

The Baird Unit is located in Sumter County and is just a little over 11,000 acres. There are, however, some patches of closed or private land inside the WMA. This is one area that requires careful scrutiny of the map before you go.

ZONE C

Zone C follows roughly the boundaries of the old Central Zone, with the southern boundary remaining the same as before. However, the north boundary has been moved slightly west. The new line dividing zones C and D begins at U.S. 27 at the Gadsden County/Georgia state line and runs south along U.S. 27 until it meets SR 61 in Tallahassee. From there, it follows SR 61 south until reaching U.S. 319. There the line follows U.S. 319 south to U.S. 98. It then runs east along U.S. 98 before turning south on Spring Creek Highway (SR 365) and continuing to the Gulf of Mexico.

Arbuckle WMA, located in Polk County, is a good place to bowhunt despite the fact that the habitat doesn't seem too conducive to a good deer population. It has kind of a scrubby habitat, with a lot of sandhills, with the entire area in uplands. There are minimum antler restrictions on the area, so typically it's a fairly good area for big deer.

You need a permit to hunt Arbuckle WMA, but they're issued on a first come, first served basis at the check station. The area covers slightly more than 13,500 acres.

Chassahowitzka WMA in Hernando County requires a quota permit for the first nine days, but after that is open to all hunters. This 33,000-acre area can be hard to hunt. About a third of it is flatwoods and sandhills, with the rest a wet swamp. However, hunters take some large deer out of it.

Two units of the Big Bend WMA -- Tide Swamp and Hickory Mound -- are good places to hunt in this zone. Both units have similar habitat, with some hardwood hammocks, a lot of flatwoods, and some sandhills.

There have been several timber operations going on in recent years, including some slash pine thinning. This could mean better browse for the deer in these areas.

Tide Swamp has a 3-point rule that Hickory Mound doesn't have, but other than that the management of both units is pretty much the same.

Hickory Mound Unit covers almost 14,500 acres in Taylor County, with the Econfina River on its western boundary. Tide Swamp Unit is more than 19,500 acres, and is in Taylor County.

Log Landing WMA is another area with good possibilities. Located right along the Suwannee River in Dixie County, it has a good amount of flood plain swamp. Because it's a fairly new area, it hasn't been heavily hunted yet. However, it's a small area of only a little more than 1,100 acres, so it won't accommodate a lot of hunting pressure.

Joe Budd WMA in Gadsden County is always a good place for deer. Although it doesn't have a general gun season, Joe Budd has archery and muzzleloading gun hunts through the period of time when the rest of the state is open for general gun hunting. It does require a quota permit, but half of them are walk-up permits issued at the check station.

Year in and year out, Joe Budd is a quality area for hunting. It has a variety of habitats and a varied topography, which is rare for Florida. Since this area has gone to a three points on a side minimum antler rule, it's starting to build up a larger population of mature bucks.

Joe Budd spreads over slightly more than 11,000 acres.

Blackwater WMA is another good area to check out. It's a huge area covering more than 191,000 acres. Hunters can find spots that don't receive a lot of pressure, if they spend some time scouting.

Blackwater has some beautiful longleaf pine and wiregrass habitat. There are creek drainages that go through the area that have thicker cover and provide a lot of good funnels for hunters to set up on.

Blackwater WMA is located in Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties.

Upper Chipola River WMA is a relatively small area, covering only a little more than 7,000 acres in Jackson County. It is difficult to hunt because access is tough. The best way to enter is by boat, and most of the habitat is riverine swamp. Many hunters skip hunting it because of the access issues, but if you like a challenge, it could be a good place to find solitude and a quality buck.

Pine Log WMA in Bay and Washington counties covers slightly less than 7,000 acres. Because it's so small it won't support a lot of pressure. Nonetheless, it has a decent deer population and could be a place for bowhunters to bring out some nice deer.

This WMA has an archery-only area, so even during general gun season you can get in with your bow without being disturbed by gun hunters. However, be aware that there also is some private property within the boundaries of Pine Log, and one other section is closed to hunting entirely.

Apalachee WMA is an area that's been around quite a while. It's located in Jackson County right along Lake Seminole and the Chattahoochee River. Part of the area has planted fields in it, which attracts the deer. The entire area is only 7,900 acres, so it won't support a lot of pressure.

Permits are required on Apalachee WMA, but they're first-come, first-served zone tags available at the check station on the day of the hunts.

Escambia River WMA is a fairly large area in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, covering more than 34,000 acres. This is another area for which access is difficult. It follows the Escambia River, and the most effective access is by small boat or canoe. You'll be hunting in a lot of river swamp here, however, so it's potentially a good area if you can get into it.

We suggest you to check The Hunter Store website to find quality hunting gear before going out hunting.