"This was the first year of the program and it met its goals of reducing urban deer populations with a good doe harvest in Elkin," Stanford said. "We anticipate other municipalities will take advantage of the opportunity in the future, after seeing the success in Elkin."

During the 2007-08 hunting season, the top 10 counties for total deer harvest were: Halifax (District 3), 5,833; Northampton (District 3), 5,317; Bertie (District 1), 4,938; Wilkes (District 7), 4,580; Pender, (District 2), 3,903; Anson (District 6), 3,743; Bladen (District 4), 3,283; Columbus (District 4), 3,240; Chatham (District 5), 3,192 and Caswell (District 5), 3,120.

Of more precision in showing the best counties to bag a deer is the harvest in terms of deer per square mile. For example, a large county can simply have a high total harvest because of its landmass or because of a greater number of hunters. But a smaller county with a higher deer density may actually have increased odds for bagging a deer. The statewide average for the season was 4.9 deer per square mile.

The top 10 counties in terms of deer harvested per square mile were: Alleghany, 18.8; Northampton, 12.2; Vance, 10.9; Halifax, 10.4; Alamance, 10.1; Caswell, 10.0; Davie, 10.0, Rowan, 8.8; Hertford, 8.7 and Franklin, 8.5.

The top two counties in each district in terms of deer harvested per square mile were: (District 1) Hertford, 8.7 and Bertie, 8.0; (District 2) Pender, 5.4 and Jones, 5.3; (District 3) Northampton, 12.2 and Vance, 10.9; (District 4) Bladen 4.5 and Columbus, 4.1; (District 5) Alamance, 10.1 and Caswell, 10.0; (District 6) Rowan, 8.8 and Anson 8.4; (District 7) Alleghany, 18.8 and Davie, 9.2; (District 8) Lincoln, 7.0 and Catawba, 5.0; (District 9) Polk, 4.6 and Madison, 1.3.

Some counties really stand out from the others. The counties along the Virginia border continue to shine, producing top deer numbers across the board, year after year. The mountain county of Alleghany may be a small county in size, but the harvest level is astounding. A good mixture of habitats, including agricultural and forest lands, accounts for a high deer density and harvest. The same is true of the other top counties along the Virginia border. Northampton, Vance, Halifax, Alamance, Hertford and Franklin are all northern counties with the right mix of forested lands and open lands to produce superior deer hunting. The Roanoke River bottomlands contribute to the excellent deer hunting in the northeastern counties along the Virginia border.

In the western Piedmont, a mixture of forested lands and open lands (the open land mostly a creation of timber production activities) leads to high deer harvests. Davie County is a traditional deer producer, but Rowan has come on strong over the past few seasons. The Yadkin River drainage and all the associated timberlands grow plenty of deer in these counties.

Asked for his predictions for the upcoming deer-hunting season, Stanford said he hated to make any predictions. There are just too many variables in the equation.

"It should be a typical season, with a harvest similar to the last three years," he said. "But the weather and the incidence of hemorrhagic disease could be the deciding factors."