NORTHWEST REGION
Hunters took 20,900 bucks from the Northwest Region last year. That was second best among the regions, but only barely. The buck harvest took a dip of 11 percent from the previous year, and has dropped 44 percent since antler restrictions began. Part of the reason for this is that WMUs 1A, 1B and 2D are 4-point areas, but that does not explain the drop in WMU 2F.

Crawford County led the region with 3,200 bucks, eighth in the Commonwealth. Butler County was second with 2,800 bucks. Warren County, usually fighting it out with Crawford County for the top position, dropped to third with 2,200 bucks.

WMU 1B is some of the best trophy buck habitat in the Commonwealth. The rolling landscape of Erie, Crawford, northern Venango and western Warren counties has rich soil, lots of agriculture and varied habitat. Most state game lands are small, though. To the east are forested highlands and plenty of large public tracts, including Allegheny National Forest and some big state game lands. The deer population is down there, as evidenced by the large drop in antlerless licenses allocated for WMU 2F, but hunters are finding bucks with better racks than in the past.

Fall mast crops have been poor in this region for the past three falls and winters have been harsh. This has adversely affected both fawn recruitment and antler growth. It will take a good mast crop to reveal how antler restrictions have affected this area.

"I'm looking forward to the situation where we have these conditions," Regis Senko, regional I&E supervisor, said. "I honestly think we're going to see nicer racks."

OUR TOP 10 TYPICAL BUCKS
Name	County Taken	Year	Score
1. Fritz Janowsky	Bradford	1943	189 0/8
2. Ivan Parry	Green	1974	184 6/8
3. Chester Allison	Blair	1951	182 5/6
4. Floyd Reibson	Sullivan	1931	180 4/8
5. Raymond Miller	Bedford	1957	177 5/8
6. Perry Kinley	Jefferson	1920	177 0/8
7. John Zerbe	Mifflin	1936	176 5/8
8. Clyde Rinehuls	Bradford	1944	176 0/8
9. Arthur Young	McKean	1930	175 4/8
10. Albert J. Muntz	Bucks	1995	174 7/8*
OUR TOP 10 NON-TYPICAL BUCKS
Name	County Taken	Year	Score
1. Edward Dodge	Erie	1942	238 6/8
2. A.L. Prouty	Lycoming	1949	213 6/8
3. Ralph Landis	Juriata	1951	207 7/8
4. Robert W. Rozetar	Schuylkill	1948	203 4/8
5. Craig E. Krisher	Lehigh	1988	203 3/8*
6. Jim Rowles	Jefferson	2000	203 1/8
7. R.K. Mellon	Westmoreland	1965	200 1/8
8. Kevin Brumgard	York	1992	197 6/8
9. Garry Forgy	Mifflin	2000	197 6/8
10. Richard Carl	Unknown	1962	197 0/8
*Taken with bow

Do not expect bucks in the forested part of the region to be as big as they can be, but they are getting there.

NORTHCENTRAL REGION
Northcentral Region hunters took 18,600 bucks last year, next to last among the regions, down 21 percent from the previous year. The top counties were Clearfield and Tioga tied with 3,300 bucks ranking sixth in the Commonwealth. Lycoming County was next with 2,900 bucks.

Mast reports were mixed across the region last fall. Some hunters said there were so many acorns on the ground that walking was difficult! These areas should have some nice bucks this fall, but hunters should not expect to see nearly as many deer as they have in the past.

Early-season bowhunting offers the best chances for bigger bucks. Among the better prospects for trophy buck hunting are state game lands in the southern part of the region, according to regional director Dennis Dusza, who noted that deer get pushed out of those areas quickly during the rifle season.

NORTHEAST REGION
The Northeast Region ranked fourth among the six regions last year with a harvest of 20,400 bucks. The top county as usual was Bradford, with 4,300 bucks, ranking in first place statewide. This county has a great mix of agriculture and forest.

Susquehanna County ranked second in the region with 2,700 bucks, and was 17th statewide.

"We're seeing some bigger bucks," said region land management supervisor Steve Schweitzer, but noted that too many button bucks are being taken with hunters using antlerless tags, but he said they are seeing older bucks.

Mast crops were mixed in this region last fall. An ice storm helped in some places by putting more browse within reach of deer.

"All the high ridges got hammered," Schweitzer said. "We're fortunate that it happened late in the winter."

One of the better opportunities for finding older bucks in the region is on larger game lands.

"There are some areas on state game lands 57 and 13 that are a couple of miles off the road. Adventurous hunters can get to points where they're not going to find many people," Schweitzer said

For more about deer hunting in Pennsylvania, contact the Pennsylvania Game Commission, 2001 Elmerton Ave., Harrisburg PA 17110-9797; or call (717) 787-4250.

For travel information, contact the Pennsylvania Office of Tourism, Room 404, Forum Bldg., Harrisburg, PA 17120; or call (717) 232-8880 or (800) VISIT-PA.