Over the past several years, Tennessee Sportsman Magazine has brought its readers the biological data from previous seasons’ harvests as a predictor of “Where to get your trophy” buck. As an ardent fan of whitetails in the Volunteer State, I ask myself that same question every year and try to find my own trophy bucks.

Although pouring over mounds of biological data is interesting, as well as sometimes lending itself to finding hotspots, a history of what has already been killed can only shed some light on what you will find prowling the woods this coming season. Ask any biologist if two consecutive years compared to each other provide any kind of “trend” data. They don’t. For this reason, we’re going to diverge from the norm of just telling you where bucks with seven points or more were killed and add some information on which counties have produced some true wall hangers.

The best way to find historical data on Tennessee’s trophy bucks is to review the Tennessee Deer Registry. Since the TDR is a voluntary registration of bucks with a minimum antler score, it doesn’t include every buck that’s been killed that qualifies. The database is large enough, though, to create some trend data. We all know that looking at long-term trends to predict the future is better than reviewing data “snap shots” from a couple of years harvest information.

Another question that begs asking is: What is a trophy buck in Tennessee? Not everybody agrees. Some hunters measure, quite literally, a trophy buck by the number of inches of antler on a buck’s head by the Boone and Crockett Club scoring system. Other deer hunters measure the quality of a buck by its age, while others simply gauge a buck’s quality by the number of “points” on his rack. There are other parameters for judging the quality of a buck, but we’ll stick with the previous mentioned qualifiers. I’ll be the first to say that a hunter’s personal measure for success is just that, personal. No single measure of a buck’s quality is right or wrong. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion.

Although I’ve only been hunting deer in Tennessee for a short period of time when compared to others, I have hunted here long enough and in enough places to form a personal opinion of what “my” trophy buck looks like. I set my trophy goal for a buck that’s at least 3 1/2 years old. When a buck reaches an age where he is coming into his fourth hunting season he represents a challenging quarry, is nearing his maximum potential for antler and body growth and you’ve got a reasonable expectation to find one where you hunt. If the buck is 4 1/2 or older, or, his rack scores enough to qualify for the TDR, then that’s just icing on the cake.

From a statistical standpoint, killing a buck in Tennessee that’s 3 1/2 years old is a reasonable goal. Of the bucks killed statewide last season, about 15 percent were 3 1/2 years old. On the other hand, it’s my best guess based upon 19 years of studying Tennessee deer harvest data and 29 seasons hunting here, fewer than 1 in a 100 bucks killed are 5 1/2 years old. Put another way, a good deer hunter could spend a couple of lifetimes killing deer in this state and never pull the trigger on a 5 1/2-year-old buck.

The number of quality bucks produced in the Volunteer State is trending upward. Last season, 73 counties out of 95 had increases in the harvest of 7- and 8-point bucks. The number of 9- and 10-pointers harvested statewide stayed the same in 77 counties, which was more counties than in 2008. The number of counties reporting bucks with 11 points or more increased in 56 counties, and seven counties remained level for bucks in this class.

Region I, with 25 counties, saw an increase in 7- and 8-point buck in only 13 counties, which was down from the previous season. In the 9- and 10-point class, Region I had increases in 17 counties, which also was down from 2008. The number of 11-points-or-greater rose or stayed level in 13 counties.

Region II also has 25 counties, and saw an increase in 7- and 8-point buck in 23 counties, which was up from the previous season. In the 9- and 10-point class, Region II had increases in 23 counties, up from 2008. The number of 11-points-or-greater rose or stayed level in 20 counties.

Region III, with 24 counties, saw an increase in 7- and 8-point buck in 19 counties, which was up from the previous season. In the 9- and 10-point class, Region III had increases or stayed level in 17 counties. The number of 11-points-or-greater rose or stayed level in 16 counties.

Region IV, with 21 counties, saw an increase in 7- and 8-point buck in 18 counties, which was dramatically up from the previous season. In the 9- and 10-point class, Region IV had increases in 20 counties. The number of 11-points-or-greater rose or stayed level in 13 counties.

TENNESSEE DEER REGISTRY
Many of Tennessee Sportsman’s readers are familiar with the Tennessee Deer Registry. It ‘s the statewide scoring and ranking of bucks using the B & C scoring method. A typical buck must score 140 if taken with a gun to qualify. A typical bow-killed buck must score a minimum of 115. A non-typical killed with a bow or gun must score a minimum of 145 or 165 respectively to qualify. Recently muzzleloader bucks were added as a category, with a typical minimum score of 120 qualifying, and a 140 non-typical qualifying for entry.

Using the TDR as a method to focus your hunting attention is just as good, or faulty, as relying on what was killed last season to gauge where to hunt next season. But, it does lead to some interesting conclusions with some judicious study.

When the Tennessee Conservation League started the TDR back in the 1970s the record keeping and scoring trudged along. Harvests were still low, and not many big bucks were killed or scored. Then, in the 1980, things picked up to the point where the league asked the TWRA to step in to manage and maintain the records and scoring. By then, harvest numbers were climbing and the number of bruiser bucks killed was keeping the same pace. Currently, there have been 2,285 bucks scored and qualified for entry.