In District 3, Vance County was the top county with 5.72 abh/sm followed by Northampton County with 5.66 abh/sm. The total antlered buck harvest was 905 in Vance County and 2,462 in Northampton County. These counties have 45 or more deer per square mile, with the Roanoke River watershed harboring plenty of big bucks in the fertile habitat. The soil fertility, along with abundant agricultural and forested land use practices, creates good hunting territory, although there is not much in the way of public hunting lands. Vance County Game Land is a small public land in the county for those who can't find private land. These counties are not extremely near human population centers. Nevertheless, many hunters seek them out as traditional places to hunt for large antlered bucks.

In District 4, Bladen County was the top county with 2.57 abh/sm, followed by Cumberland County with 2.21 abh/sm. The total antlered buck harvest was 1,870 in Bladen County and 865 in Cumberland County. The Cape Fear River lowlands offer excellent big-buck habitat in these counties, along with abundant forest and farmlands.

In Bladen County, Bladen Lakes State Forest Game Land and Suggs Millpond Game Land offer some good hunting.

In Cumberland County, Fort Bragg Army Post offers public hunting and is the source of one Boone and Crockett buck and one set of antlers that scored nearly high enough to make the record book. Fort Bragg has special regulations for hunting and is allowed only where and when it does not conflict with troop training. A special Fort Bragg orientation and hunting license are required.

In District 5, Caswell County was the top county with 5.63 abh/sm, followed by Granville County with 4.66 abh/sm. The total antlered buck harvest was 1,761 in Caswell County and 1,533 in Granville County.

These two counties are in the northern Piedmont and accessible easily to residents of Raleigh, Durham and Cary, as well as other northern Piedmont cities, so hunting pressure assures a high buck harvest. These counties have over 45 deer per square mile. Caswell Game Land in Caswell County is traditionally a good place to go for hunting antlered bucks on public land. Part of Butner-Falls of the Neuse Game Land is in Granville County and is also a great place for finding antlered deer.

In District 6, Anson County was the top county with 3.94 abh/sm, followed by Rowan County with 3.83 abh/sm. The total antlered buck harvest was 1,762 in Anson County and 1,049 in Rowan County. The Yadkin-Pee Dee River corridor holds plenty of bucks and is near Charlotte, Concord and Kannapolis, so hunting pressure from these high-density human habitats keeps the antlered deer harvest high. The biggest driving factor for buck antler production is the nutrient-rich soils, but there is an agriculture component and excellent mast production. Alcoa Game Land in Rowan County and the Pee Dee Game Land in Anson County offer some public hunting. Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge in Anson County offers permit hunts and is an excellent place to harvest a big buck.

In District 7, Alleghany County was the top county with 7.94 abh/sm, followed by Yadkin County with 3.85 abh/sm. The total antlered buck harvest in Alleghany County was 1,142 and 796 in Rowan County.

Alleghany County and Yadkin County are farther upstream along the same Yadkin-Pee Dee River corridor as Anson and Rowan counties and also have high deer densities at 45 deer per square mile and above. Winston-Salem keeps these counties well supplied with deer hunters to keep the antlered buck harvest high.

In District 8, Lincoln County was the top county with 3.35 abh/sm, followed by Mitchell County with 2.55 abh/sm. The total antlered buck harvest was 510 in Lincoln County and 475 in Mitchell County. Lincoln County has been coming on strong in the southern foothills region with an expanding population and an average of around 30 deer per square mile of habitat. It's right next door to Mecklenburg County, so hunter participation is high.