Photo by Mike Lambeth.

Indiana always has had the potential to produce big whitetail bucks, but only recently has the state begun to show this true possibility through modern deer management practices. Lost in all the hoopla surrounding the modern big-buck craze is the importance of harvesting female deer. It's common knowledge among many of today's highly educated deer hunters that harvesting does is nearly as important as passing up young bucks in order to have more mature, trophy-class bucks statewide.

While the one-buck rule no doubt deserves much of the credit for this recent upswing in big-buck production in our state, the increased annual antlerless harvest needs to be recognized for its contribution to this phenomenon as well.

During the 2006 deer season, a record 36 percent of antlerless deer killed were adult does as determined by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Some hunters mistakenly think that killing too many does will have a deleterious effect on the production of mature bucks, but this couldn't be further from the truth.

Science has proved repeatedly that the best, healthiest herds are those that have a more balanced buck-to-doe ratio, and are herds in which many members (both sexes of each age class) are well represented. Nature intended for there to be a balance in white-tailed deer herds.

If you live in an area that is still overpopulated with deer, don't hesitate to fill those antlerless tags. By doing so, you'll end up improving your overall hunting in your area. Whitetails are prolific breeders and can repopulate an area in short order. In some instances, it's better to harvest too many does, than not enough. An added bonus to doe harvest is the excellent venison that it provides.

Here is the list of those Indiana hunters who realized the ultimate dream of harvesting a huge-racked buck last year.

ZONE 1
This extreme northeastern zone is of Indiana is characterized by its fertile lowland soils. The area is famous for its numerous lakes, rivers, creeks, swamps, wetlands and pothole black swamps.

The wood lot habitat and occasional Conservation Reserve Program lands in this region have kicked out some great bucks over the years. Historically, Zone 1 has turned out some outstanding bucks, but the zone surprisingly didn't produce many top bucks in 2006. It produced 27 entries last year as compared with 42 the year before.

The top buck in the zone was Thomas Zimmer's muzzleloader non-typical, which scored 190 0/8. It ranked No. 8 for the year in its category and was taken in Marshall County. Bill Lortie took a non-typical that scored 182 7/8 with a muzzleloader while hunting in Noble County. Donald Hill bagged his muzzleloader non-typical, which scored 179 5/8, in nearby DeKalb County.

The top typical harvested in the zone was Michael Fackson's buck, which scored 157 7/8 and was shot in Marshall County. Phillip Harreld also killed a Marshall County typical with shotgun, which measured 157 0/8.

Kosciusko County led the zone in 2006 with seven total entries. DeKalb, Noble and Steuben all tallied five entries apiece, while Marshall produced four entries. Elkhart County produced a single entry.

ZONE 2
Zone 2 covers the western side of the upper region of the state. The northern portion of the zone is characterized by its sandy soils and abundant industrial capacity. The southern half of the zone lies in the northernmost section of the Till Plains region, and is characterized by darker, more fertile soils that are excellent for agricultural crop and deer production.

This zone has produced some real whopper bucks over the years. While the urbanization of the northern section continues in earnest, it still harbors some great bucks. The southern portion of the zone can really produce some outstanding bucks as well.

The top buck harvested in the zone last season was Mark Culver's White County muzzleloader buck. This Boone and Crockett (B&C) typical measured in at 171 3/8 and ranks No. 5 for the year in its category. Muzzleloader hunter Scott Banghart killed another great typical. His trophy 162 1/8 dandy hails from LaPorte County. LaPorte also produced a 154 4/8 shotgun typical for Archie Bowen.