DNR big-game specialist Rod Clute is quick to explain why big bucks often are found in southern lower Michigan. "This part of the state has ideal habitat, good genetics, and a warmer winter than the U.P. and fewer predators than the big woods up north."

I agree, but the main reason bucks grow huge racks in southern lower Michigan is because there are huge plots of private ground that act as sanctuaries where deer become mature. Prime buck locations include private farms, inner city deer hideouts like cemeteries, parks, airports, golf courses and more. My best buck stands border sanctuaries, one a horse farm that does not allow hunting and the other a multi-million dollar housing complex, complete with orchard, trout pond, cattail swamp and a protected deer herd.

Southern lower Michigan's best-kept trophy buck hotspot is the Shiawassee Federal Refuge, which hosts several December hunts. This expansive 25-square-mile waterfowl sanctuary is home to thousands of deer, and refuge managers tend to look at deer as a problem species that should be harvested on a yearly basis. You must apply online at www.fws. gov/midwest/shiawassee.gov. by Aug. 1 for a permit to hunt the refuge.

While some might argue that bucks in zones 1 and 2 -- the Upper Peninsula and northern lower Michigan -- should not be ignored, I disagree. It is my opinion that chances of finding a wallhanger are relatively small following the severe 2008 winter and deep snow across the northern part of the state. Oh sure, there are deer still surviving in these zones, but mature deer are often the first to die when deep snow covers food sources and winter winds blow late into spring. If we had a mild winter with little snow, big bucks yard for a shorter period of time and their survival percentage is much higher. It is my opinion that the trophy buck potential in the U.P. is on the downswing.

The northern lower Peninsula is gradually producing more mature bucks with dandy racks. The biggest factor helping this is reduced deer numbers over the past six years. The remaining deer are healthy and because hunter numbers are way down, bucks grow racks to their full potential. Hunting pressure has declined due to poor deer sightings, gas price increases and restricted doe permits in traditional doe areas. Since hunting pressure has declined in response to fewer deer sightings, the remaining bucks are allowed to live longer and grow bigger racks.

DNR statistics show an estimated 60,000 blackpowder hunters took to the woods in Zone 2, and interestingly, the buck kill was slightly higher than the previous season. Newaygo County produced some big bucks last year along with western lower Michigan counties of Oceana and Mason. Areas in Isabella County have few deer due to overharvesting during doe seasons, but Mecosta County shows increasing deer numbers and some dandy bucks are coming from the region near Chippewa Lake and Barryton.

The situation was similar in northeast Zone 2, although the DNR over-issued doe permits and block permits to trim the deer herd in the TB zone. The blackpowder harvest was slightly up from previous seasons. The rate of buck success actually increased in this area in the following counties: Oscoda, Presque Isle, Alpena, Montmorency and Alcona.

So, where can you expect to find bucks during late season in Michigan? Well, one source that can help answer this question is Commemorative Bucks of Michigan, the state's leading big-buck record keepers. They have members throughout the state that are qualified deer antler scorers. When a Wolverine state hunter takes a trophy deer, CBM measures the rack and enters the data by county into an official book.