Last month in Part 1 of Mississippi's 2009 Deer Outlook, we identified the best places in the Magnolia State to harvest a deer -- any deer. This month, we will focus on the one thing that deer hunters crave the most -- big antlers.

Let's take a closer look at each of the six deer regions established by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks and identify the better locations to take a wallhanger this season. North Region

This region is seeing a slow, but steady, change in the buck harvest as a result of increased management. According to William McKinley, MDWFP regional deer biologist, hunters in this area are beginning to realize that lack of age is a limiting factor in their deer harvest, and are choosing to let more state legal bucks go.

"The percent of 4 1/2-year-old bucks in the harvest is on an increasing trend, but is still the lowest of any region in the state," said McKinley. "However, even with the increase in management, the percentage of 1 1/2-year-old bucks in the harvest continues to be higher in the North Region than in most of the state."

It's no coincidence that the better trophy-producing counties in this region are located along its western border. Panola, Tate, DeSoto and Marshall counties offer hunters the best chances of taking record-book bucks. A higher level of deer management, coupled with fertile soils and quality habitat are the primary reasons these counties are the top picks in the North Region. (Continued)

Trophy deer hunting opportunities on public land are somewhat limited in the region. One of the better choices would have to be Charles Ray Nix WMA. This tract is the renamed incarnation of the former Hamer WMA. The other good choice is Hell Creek WMA. The downside is that both of these relatively small WMAs are draw hunt areas with a limited number of deer permits available each season.

North-Central Region
This deer region is made up of some of the same soil types that are found in the North Region. However, more intense deer management in this region greatly increases the opportunity for hunters to harvest a trophy buck. This is evident by the fact that the number of 4 1/2-year-olds has accounted for around 25 percent of the total buck harvest in this region for the past few seasons.

When it comes to overall numbers of trophy bucks, hunters would be wise to focus on the southern tier of counties in the North-Central Region. Bordered by the Mississippi Delta and the Big Black River, Attala and Carroll counties have traditionally produced exceptional numbers of trophy whitetails. However, you definitely don't want to overlook the four-county area of Noxubee, Lowndes, Oktibbeha and Winston.

Although there is an abundance of public-land hunting opportunities in the North-Central Region, Malmaison and Black Prairie WMAs stand out above the rest. A lack of hunting pressure, fertile soils, and an abundance of nearby agricultural crops makes these two WMAs best bets for scoring on a trophy whitetail.

East-Central Region
By far one of the most diverse soil type habitats in the state, the East-Central Region combines this diversity with quality habitat to produce a healthy deer herd and a number of trophy bucks. In fact, this area's Madison County has more bucks on the Magnolia Records Program list than any other in the state. Situated between the Big Black and Pearl Rivers, Madison County is home to some of the best deer habitat to be found anywhere.

Three other trophy producers found in this region are Rankin, Leake and Kemper counties. In addition, Clarke County is considered a "dark horse" with a lot of big-deer potential.

While lacking the trophy potential found on private lands, Beinville, Caney Creek and Tallahala WMAs that are located in the Bienville National Forest are the best public lands available in the East-Central Region.