The top non-typical from the zone was Jeffrey Wardell's archery buck, which scored 166 3/8. This LaPorte County beauty ranks at No. 8 in that category for the year. LaPorte also produced a 165 6/8 shotgun non-typical for Mike Birkholtz.

LaPorte County led all Zone 2 counties with seven entries for 2006. Fulton County came in next with three entries, while St. Joseph, White and Newton counties all produced two apiece. Jasper, Porter, Cass, Pulaski and Lake counties all kicked in one entry apiece.

ZONE 3
While the extreme northernmost edge of this zone lies in the Great Lakes Plains region, the majority of it is inside the fertile Till Plains region of the state. The area is noted for its low hills and valleys and its fertile river bottom soils. While this zone doesn't boast the number of deer that its sister zone to the north does, it has the potential to produce some real big whitetail bucks. The zone produced 11 entries for the year compared with 14 the previous year.

The top buck for the zone in 2006 was Ryan Osbun's shotgun typical, which scored 170 5/8. This B&C Whitley County 10-pointer ranks No. 7 for the year statewide. This same county also produced another fine typical for shotgun hunter Matt Ridenour, which scored 165 4/8.

Wabash County produced another good typical for shotgun-toting Jimmy Wallen. His buck scored 163 2/8. The zone did not produce any non-typical bucks for any of its hunters at the time of this writing, but Lynn Selking found a 187 7/8 non-typical dead in Allen County.

Whitley and Wabash counties tied for top ranking in the zone with four entries apiece. Allen, Huntington and Jay counties all produced a single entry each.

ZONE 4
The huge swath of real estate that makes up Zone 4, in central Indiana, consists almost entirely of counties that exist in the famous Tipton Till Plains region of our state. The Till Plains is noted for its fertile lowland soils and agricultural production. In fact, this area is part of a larger section of land that makes up the Midwestern Corn Belt.

While the area is perhaps the most intensively farmed section of the state, it can produce huge whitetail bucks. This area of the state has improved dramatically as far as producing big bucks in recent years. With improved management strategies, the region is really coming on strong. The zone produced 41 entries last year compared with 57 the previous year. It also accounted for nine of the top 40 bucks in 2006.

The top typical from the zone was Marcus Otto's 174 6/8 B&C Miami County brute. This buck ranks No. 1 for the year in the archery typical category. The second biggest typical in the zone was Lyle Friend's shotgun buck taken in Decatur County. This B&C bucks ranks No. 6 for the year statewide and scored 171 1/8.

Another great typical, killed by shotgun hunter Braden Kitchel in Carroll County, scored 166 4/8. Tipton County produced the No. 6 archery typical in Skip Servies' 161 5/8 buck; and No. 7 in the same category for the year was Brian Hartsock's 160 7/8 Hendricks County bruiser.

The top non-typical for the year in the zone was Allan Miller's shotgun-killed 212 1/8 B&C monster from Hendricks County, ranking No. 2 statewide for the year in its category. Nick Inglis harvested the No. 10 non-typical for the year in Madison County, which scored 183 5/8.

Zone 4 also produced three of the top archery-killed non-typicals for the year as well. Teenager Chad Compton arrowed his 206 6/8 monster in Tippecanoe County; Christopher Kendall arrowed his 201 2/8 buck in Hancock County; and Thomas Wright arrowed his 192 4/8 buck in Grant County. These bucks ranked in at Nos. 2, 3 and 4, respectively.

Hendricks, Tippecanoe and Decatur counties all produced four entries apiece to lead the zone. Madison, Warren and Carroll counties produced three entries each. Several counties also produced two entries apiece. They were Hancock, Grant, Montgomery, Miami, Johnson, Shelby, Boone, Wayne and Fountain. Marion, Randolph and Tipton counties each produced one entry apiece.