There's no question that Mississippi has the potential to produce big bucks, and lots of them. Biologists say that the three most important factors in the development of big deer and big antlers are genes, nutrition, and age. Especially in the Mississippi Delta area, we have the right combination of soils, good nutrition, and management programs that let bucks get some age on them to produce some mighty fine sets of antlers.

One big reason Mississippi produces a lot of big deer is the excellent nutrition in the Delta and in some other areas of the state. Large areas with good soils and good deer numbers have the potential to produce a trophy buck or two -- or even two dozen.

"When you look at the Boone and Crockett and Pope & Young record books, we don't have nearly as many big bucks as places like Wisconsin and Iowa and Illinois," said Chad Dacus, deer program coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. "However, when you consider the southeastern United States, we're right up there with anyone else. For one thing, we have very diverse habitat, from bottomland hardwoods to hills and the coastal flatwoods. So we have a very dynamic deer herd all the way across the state."

If you want a trophy-class buck, you need to hunt somewhere with a record for big deer; areas that have produced good bucks in the past are likely to do so again. Fortunately, we have a source to go to for information on where to find big deer in the Magnolia State: the Magnolia Records Program.

Established by the MDWFP, the MRP provides hunters with the opportunity to have antlers from deer that they've killed scored and placed on a list of big bucks taken in the state. The Magnolia Records can give you a picture of the areas in which big bucks historically have been produced.

THE COUNTIES
No. 1: Madison
One reason that Madison County consistently comes in first on the list of counties for top-quality bucks is Dacus said, the practices of landowners. "I've hunted Madison County, and I work with properties in Madison County," he said. "There's no doubt that there are a lot of big deer there. The reason they're able to have those deer is that they're managing their property well, and that's taken a lot of education."

Another reason for the number of Madison deer in the Magnolia Records is that it's one county removed from Jackson, where a large deer extravaganza is held every year. "There are a lot more opportunities to have those deer scored," Dacus suggested. As a result, Madison County may be slightly overrepresented on the Magnolia Records relative to the rest of the state.

No. 2: Claiborne
"Many people are trying to manage for older age-structure in Claiborne County," said deer program biologist Chris McDonald. "So there are older deer there. Second, soil fertility there is very high, which translates into good habitat for deer."

McDonald called Claiborne a "river" county. "The Mississippi River is the western border of that county," he noted, "and you also have the Big Black River there."