EHD, which poses no threat to humans, is not uncommon in whitetail herds, and, though not considered to have nearly the potential for catastrophe as chronic wasting disease, it can have a major impact on deer numbers when it strikes, as it did in Nebraska. And, Hams noted, EHD doesn't discriminate with respect to age or any other factor. As a result, many areas in the Cornhusker State's midsection definitely lost some nice bucks -- and some potential trophies -- to EHD.

For this season, Hams said whitetail hunters should look at the Sandhills, Pine Ridge and Republican units. Hunters after trophy mule deer also should consider the Sandhills and Pine Ridge units, along with the Plains and Upper Platte.

"In the Sandhills," he noted, "25 percent of the bucks harvest are yearlings." So turn that around: You have a 3 in 4 chance of encountering a Sandhills buck that's 2 1/2 years old or older. Those are good odds no matter where you hunt.

On the other hand, Hams noted, prospects for trophy whitetails still remain in the Blue Southeast Unit, even though it is home to lots of yearlings. The bottom line is that it has more deer, period, than any other area of the state. You may have to wait longer to see a trophy there, but the higher numbers suggest there definitely are some mature bucks around.

Hams added that the areas hit hardest by EHD a few seasons ago have seen as much as a 10- to 20-percent shift in the ratio of yearlings in the buck harvest. Hunters are taking more yearlings because they're not seeing as many mature bucks. You can blame EHD for that -- but be aware, too, that the likelihood of the situation improving is high. Unlike some Eastern states, for example, Nebraska just doesn't get the hunting pressure that would keep a decent number of yearlings from surviving.

"We have our deer populations about where we want them," Hams said. "We can manage them at their current sizes with the hunters we have."

That should mean that you'll continue to see decent numbers of trophy bucks in the areas Hams mentioned, and that numbers will come back in those hardest hit by EHD.

SOUTH DAKOTA
South Dakota biologist Ted Benzon, in last month's installment of the 2005 deer outlook, noted that his state had increased the number of available licenses again this year to keep deer numbers under control. There's good reason for that.

"Our state is good for production of older bucks, due to a sex ratio of approximately one buck to one doe in most herds," he said. Make no mistake: Deer biologists all over the continent would love to have that 1:1 ratio. It's a wonderful indicator of the kind of deer herd that will produce mature bucks that will make any hunter happy to encounter.

Benzon called 2005 trophy prospects for whitetails and mule deer in his state "good." He narrowed the focus for hunters to the East River counties of Brown and Edmunds for whitetails, and Jackson and Butte counties in West River for mule deer.

Just don't think those are the only places you should consider as homes to nice bucks. Harding, Perkins and the Black Hills also have potential for whitetail hunters. If you're after mule deer, you should consider Harding, Perkins and Fall River counties.