There were few surprises when it came to the counties with the highest numbers of antlered bucks harvested. The top 10 counties for total antlered buck harvest were: Halifax, 2,452; Northampton, 2,217; Bertie, 2,009; Pender, 1,976; Bladen, 1,730; Duplin, 1,659; Columbus, 1,619; Sampson, 1,559; Beaufort, 1,520 and Wilkes, 1,517. These counties are traditional for producing high deer numbers and therefore producing plenty of antlered bucks. These counties lie in the northeastern part of the state, the southern Coastal Plain and in the northern mountains and have large landmasses with good deer habitats.

But the picture focuses more sharply when the amount of available deer habitat is considered. Some counties have more landmass than others, some have large water bodies, and some have unsuitable whitetail habitat in the form of highly urbanized areas. Therefore, the more accurate statistic that shows the ability of a county to support and yield antlered deer for hunting purposes is the statistic used by the commission and throughout the Southeast. That statistic is the number of antlered bucks harvested per square mile of habitat.

The top 10 counties in terms of antlered bucks harvested per square mile of habitat were: Alleghany, 7.62; Vance, 6.19; Northampton, 5.39; Halifax, 4.57; Alamance, 4.27; Caswell, 4.22; Franklin, 4.14; Hertford, 3.98 and Rowan, 3.96.

The top two counties in each district in terms of antlered buck harvest per square mile of habitat were District 1 -- Hertford, 3.98 and Gates, 3.52; District 2 -- Jones, 2.93 and Pender 2.88; District 3 -- Vance, 6.19 and Northampton, 5.39; District 4 -- Bladen, 2.44 and Columbus, 2.19; District 5 -- Alamance, 4.27 and Caswell, 4.22; District 6 -- Rowan, 3.96 and Stanly, 3.48; District 7 -- Alleghany, 7.62 and Davie, 3.84; District 8 -- Lincoln, 3.40 and Catawba, 2.34; District 9 -- Polk, 2.24 and Madison, 0.87.

Unfortunately, predicting potential for antlered buck harvest is not as simple as looking at statistics. Stanford said other factors than simply a greater number of bucks being harvested does not mean more antlered bucks are there.

"It's a function of two things," he said. "Antlered buck harvests are high where there is a high deer density to begin with and where the hunter effort is high as well."

For example, Wake County is in the top 10 in antlered bucks harvested per square mile. But the habitat is not extremely good. There are some good game lands in the county and some other habitats. But high human populations centers may merely contribute to extremely high hunting pressure and therefore, a high percentage of antlered bucks in the harvest.

In District 1, Gates and Hertford counties had the highest harvest per square mile. These counties are separated by the Chowan River and have good farmland and forest habitats. These two ingredients make for top hunting opportunities in most of the best buck areas. The Chowan Swamp Game Land has 21,171 acres of prime deer-hunting habitat in these two counties.

In District 2, Jones and Pender counties have some excellent forest habitat, with an abundance of private, public and corporate timberlands for hunting, as well as plenty of commission game lands. Covering 160,724 acres in Jones, Craven and Carteret counties, the Croatan Game Land provides excellent hunting. The Neuse River and Trent River bottoms are very fertile relative to most Coastal Plain habitats.

They offer excellent hunting for big-racked bucks. In Pender County, the Angola Bay Game Land at 24,483 acres and the Holly Shelter Game Land complex at 64,743 acres offer excellent deer hunting. The Northeast Cape Fear River and its tributaries provide excellent habitat and the high human populations of Wilmington and the communities along the immediate coast contribute plenty of hunting effort to yield numerous antlered bucks.

In District 3, Vance and Northampton counties topped the buck harvest statistics, thanks to a rich mix of farmland and timberland. The Roanoke River floodplain is excellent quality habitat for producing antlered deer in Northampton County. A small portion of the Roanoke River Wetlands Game Land is located in Northampton County.