The decline in deer densities is most noticeable across the North-Central Region, the famed big woods of the Allegheny Highlands, which for many decades was the place to hunt deer. Through those decades of whitetail overabundance, deer quality declined.

Bucks were abundant, but almost all were spikes and forkhorns. Few bucks survived long enough to grow trophy racks. Even the few bucks in secluded areas that did reach maturity sported relatively modest antlers.

Antler restrictions and lower deer densities have led to some improvement in trophy potential, but not enough to gain the acceptance of many hunters. The fabled Big Woods is no longer the great Mecca of Keystone State deer hunters.

Last year, hunters harvested 5,000 antlered deer in WMU 2G, which is the heart of the North-Central Region. To the north in WMU 3A (along the New York border), hunters took 4,000 antlered deer.

In WMU 4D, the mountainous central part of the commonwealth, hunters took 5,600 antlered deer last year. The kill in WMU 4A was 3,700 antlered deer. In WMU 4B the harvest was 3,600 antlered deer, and in WMU 5A hunters took 2,400 antlered deer.

Wildlife Management Unit 4B has some of the lowest deer densities in Pennsylvania, and is one of the few areas where the deer population will intentionally be allowed to increase through antlerless license allocations.

According to Jerry Feaser, Pennsylvania Game Commission press secretary, the condition of 1 1/2-year-old deer is only satisfactory. But for 2 1/2-year-olds and 3 1/2-year-olds, the diagnosis is good.

"What that means is that the 2 1/2-year-old and 3 1/2-year-old deer are getting sufficient nutrition to reproduce at a healthy rate."

For trophy buck hunters in the South-Central Region, prospects are promising for quality, if not quantity.

SOUTHWEST REGION
The Southwest Region has been and will continue to be Pennsylvania's top region for trophy buck hunting. This can be seen most clearly in the current list of bowhunting record bucks.

The No. 1 typical buck taken by bow and arrow, scoring 178 2/8 points, was taken in 2004 from Allegheny County in WMU 2B. On the list of typical bucks taken by bow and arrow, there are approximately 701 entries meeting a minimum score of 115 points. Allegheny County produced 84 of these entries, or 12 percent of the total.

Now take a look at the top bucks on the list. Among the 127 record-book deer scoring at least 140 points, 20 percent were taken in Allegheny County, and every one of them since 1984.

Of the top 127 bucks, seven were taken from neighboring Westmoreland County and three from neighboring Beaver County. The No. 3 typical bow-and-arrow buck was taken in 1986 from Butler County, the No. 5 buck from Allegheny County, the No. 6 from Beaver County, the No. 7 from Westmoreland County, the No. 10 from Lawrence County, and numbers 11 and 12 from Allegheny County.

Allegheny County bucks also comprise 16 percent of the Pennsylvania list of non-typical bucks taken by bow and arrow, while Westmoreland County accounts for 12 percent.

Overall, buck-hunting statistics in this region also leads the commonwealth. Wildlife Management Unit 2D led the state last year with a harvest of 10,000 antlered deer, and WMU 2A was second, with 8,500 antlered deer.