Virtually all deer hunters, including avowed "meat" hunters, will gladly shoot a big buck if the opportunity arises.

Certainly the odds for tagging a buck have declined over the past few years. In 2001, the last year before the new antler restrictions were imposed, Pennsylvania hunters took 203,247 antlered deer, for a rate of 5.11 general-hunting licenses sold per antlered deer harvested. By the 2004-05 hunting seasons, that rate had declined to 7.70.

But even the most critical opponents of the current deer-management philosophy will admit that the quality of bucks has improved.

Trophy buck records are maintained by the Pennsylvania Game Commission in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association. Measuring sessions are normally held every three years. But due to budget limitations, this schedule has not been met.

Hunters who down a trophy buck can contact their regional Game Commission office, or may be able to get their trophy measured by an official Boone and Crockett (firearms) or Pope and Young (archery) scorer. They should then send a copy of both sides of the score sheet to the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Big Game Records department.

Minimum scores for the list of Pennsylvania Big Game Records are confusing. In the past, minimums have been 140 points for typical bucks taken by gun, 115 points for typical bucks taken by bow and arrow, 160 points for non-typical bucks taken by gun and 140 points for non-typical bucks taken by bow. However, the list currently on the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Web site includes bucks with lower scores.

There has been no official measuring session since 2001, so few recent bucks have been added to the lists. Presently, the highest-ranking typical buck taken by gun was a 161 5/8 trophy taken in 2005 by James Allen in Berks County.

SOUTHEAST REGION
There is great potential for trophy bucks in the Southeast Region, but there are glitches.

"Because access is an issue, deer are able to age," said Cheryl Trewella, Southeast Region Information and Education supervisor. "Our people who go to the deer processors are reporting some very large deer."

Trewella noted that the highly developed area surrounding Philadelphia has been the traditional hotspot for the region's biggest bucks. But as a result of the PGC's new antler restrictions, trophy-sized deer have been showing up elsewhere in the region.

Of course, the reason why bucks in the southeast corner of the commonwealth have time to grow big also makes it difficult for hunters to harvest these animals. There's strong anti-hunting sentiment among landowners in the area, and in many places, hunting is not practical for safety reasons. On most private lands where hunting is allowed, only family or select friends of landowners are given access.

There is very little public land, and that land is heavily hunted. This doesn't necessarily mean that there are no big bucks on public lands: Deer will wander in from surrounding private lands, especially during bowhunting season when the rut is peaking.

Most public land in the Southeast Region lies along the mountain ridges. The terrain makes much of this land difficult or at least daunting to access, which works to the benefit of serious trophy buck hunters.

Deer densities here have generally followed the same pattern as in the rest of the commonwealth.