In Part 1 of Mississippi’s 2010 Deer Outlook, we focused on the best locations in the Magnolia State to harvest a deer — any deer. This month, we redirect our attention to the one thing that white-tailed deer hunters crave the most — trophy bucks.

A close examination of each of the six deer regions established by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks should help us identify where we stand the best chance of bagging a wall-hanger this season.

NORTHWEST REGION
Much like the other five deer regions in the Magnolia State, the deer herd in the Northwest Region is expanding at dangerously fast rates. Fortunately, an increased interest in quality deer management is beginning to show positive results. Both the age structure of the buck harvest and the misplaced sentiment against harvesting antlerless deer have changed for the better.

“Hunters are realizing that age is a major limiting factor in their harvest and are choosing to let some state legal bucks go,” said Lann Wilf, MDWFP Regional Deer Biologist. “The percent of 4 1/2-plus-year-old bucks in the harvest is on an increasing trend, but is still lower than most of the state. However, even with the increase in management, the percentage of 1 1/2- year-old bucks in the harvest continues to be high at 20 percent.”

The frequent summer rains the last couple of years resulted in better than average acorn crops. According to Wilf, this inhibited the ability of hunters to see and harvest deer. It also deceived hunters by causing them to underestimate the actual deer numbers on their properties.

It is no accident that the top trophy producing areas in the Northwest Region can be found in the counties with the highest soil fertility. Carroll, DeSoto, Marshall and Panola counties have yielded the highest numbers of record book bucks in recent years. This can be directly attributed to an increased level of deer management combined with quality habitat.

Trophy deer hunting opportunities on public land are somewhat limited in this region. The best choice would be to try Charles Ray Nix Wildlife Management Area in Panola County. However, it is a comparatively small tract and only has draw hunts with a limited number of deer permits available each season.

Another option is Malmaison WMA in Grenada County. It has some fertile soil and lower hunting pressure than most public land in the region.

Located in Quitman County, O’Keefe WMA is another outstanding trophy prospect. This 6,239-acre WMA is unique because it is one of the largest tracts of timber in the north Mississippi Delta outside of the Mississippi River levees.

NORTHEAST REGION
According to William McKinley, MDWFP Regional Deer Biologist, management emphasis in the Northeast Region has shifted from traditional deer management of harvesting every legal buck to more quality deer management. Quality deer management allows a greater number of bucks to reach older age classes and promotes habitat manipulation in favor of wildlife.

The mature buck harvest of 4 1/2-year or older animals has remained stable in this region at around 25 percent of the total buck harvest. Even though more intense deer management in the Northeast Region has increased the opportunity for hunters to bag a trophy buck, it has not been implemented intensively enough to stabilize the rapidly growing deer population in this region.

Trophy whitetail hunting opportunities abound in the Northeast Region. Bordered by the Mississippi Delta and the Big Black River, Attala County has traditionally produced exceptional numbers of trophy whitetails. However, several of the counties in the eastern half of this region like Noxubee, Lowndes, Monroe, Oktibbeha, and Winston can more than hold their own when it comes to producing trophy bucks.

The Northeast Region offers an abundance of public land hunting opportunities. However, limited hunting pressure, fertile soils, and abundant agricultural crops Black Prairie WMA in Lowndes County your best bets for scoring on a public land trophy whitetail.

Or you can try Hells Creek WMA in Union County.

EAST CENTRAL REGION
The East Central Region combines the most diverse soil types in the state with quality habitat to produce a healthy deer herd and impressive numbers of trophy bucks. The top trophy-producing counties found here are Leake, and Kemper.

There is also a trio of good public lands to try. Bienville, Caney Creek, and Tallahala WMAs in the Bienville National Forest are the best public land offerings available in the East Central Region.

According to Amy Blaylock, MDWFP Regional Deer Biologist for the region, these three have seen an increase in antler quality in recent years as a result of changing the antler criteria to a minimum of 12-inch inside spread and 15-inch main beam length. Similar results are expected across the East Central Region because of the new antler regulations for Zone 1 of a minimum 10-inch inside spread or 13-inch main beam, which was designed to protect yearling bucks from being harvested.

SOUTHEAST REGION
Due to low soil fertility, the Southeast Region is known for having poor deer habitat. However, a combination of antler restrictions and limited hunting opportunity after Hurricane Katrina helped to improve the age structure of harvested bucks in this region. Deer Management Assistance Program data indicated that 61percent of harvested bucks from the Southeast Region were 3 1/2 years old or older in the 2008-2009 season, a 10-year high. The outlook for this region is more than hopeful to say the least.

Unfortunately, recent data indicates that the deer herd may be reverting back to pre-Katrina conditions. Unless herd numbers are decreased while maintaining the much improved age structure, trophy deer hunting in this region may disappear.

Based on the number of entries in the Magnolia Records Program, the best chances of harvesting a trophy buck in the Southeast Region can be found in Perry and Jones counties.

Probably the best option for a public land options is to check out the Pascagoula River WMA.