Western U.P. counties are better for buck hunting than those in the east. Buck hunting success was 26 percent in the Western District versus 18.8 percent in the Eastern District. Counties in the west U.P. with the best chances of taking a buck are Menominee, Dickinson, Delta, Iron, Houghton and Keweenaw. The best counties in the eastern U.P. for buck hunting are Schoolcraft and Chippewa.

The fall of 2005 was the fifth and last year for restrictive antler restrictions in deer management units (DMUs) 152, 252 and 155 in parts of Delta, Marquette, Alger and Dickinson counties. Until last fall, bucks had to have at least 3 points on one side to be legal. Starting this year, bucks only have to have 3-inch spikes to be legal. However, many hunters in these DMUs are still expected to voluntarily pass up spikes and forkhorns. The only place in the U.P. with the 3-points-on-one-antler rule still in effect is DMU 122 in southern Dickinson County. The support for continuation of that restriction there remains high. On Drummond Island in the eastern U.P., bucks have to have at least one forked antler to be legal.

The best odds of connecting on a buck in Region 3, based on last year's success, can be found in the South-Central District and the Southwestern District. Buck hunting success was 22.2 and 21.6 percent, respectively, in those districts during 2005.

The best counties in the South-Central District are Montcalm, Gratiot, Clinton, Ionia, Shiawassee, Livingston, Ingham, Eaton, Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale and Lenawee. The counties in the Saginaw Bay District include Isabella, Midland, Bay, Saginaw, Tuscola, Huron and Sanilac. The Southwestern District includes Muskegon, Kent, Ottawa, Allegan, Barry, Van Buren, Kalamazoo, Calhoun, Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties. Some of the biggest bucks bagged in our state each year come from this district, as well as south-central counties.

With the exception of the three counties from Region 2 that are part of the Saginaw Bay District, buck hunting success was close to the same throughout the northern L.P. last year. Hunters did slightly better on bucks in the Northeast District (16.8 percent) than the Northwest District (16.6), but the difference isn't enough to be significant.

There is one DMU in Region 2 where bucks must have at least 3 points on one side to be legal. That's DMU 045, or Leelanau County. In Iosco County's DMU 135, bucks are required to have at least one forked antler to be legal. The same rule is in effect on Lake Michigan's South Fox Island.

If you are interested in taking a deer of either sex, Region 3 jumps to the top of the list for your best chance of success. A total of 35.8 percent of the hunters who tried their luck there during the 2005 gun season filled a tag compared with 30.2 percent in the U.P. and 25.3 percent in Region 2. The South-Central (38 percent), Saginaw Bay (35 percent) and Southwest (34.6 percent) districts were again the best picks for either-sex hunters. The Western U.P. District and Northeast District in Region 2 are good choices for hunters interested in killing any deer, too.

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