Given that, hunters who wish to have a chance at a mature buck of either species should remember the tag Hams mentioned last month -- the one with the admittedly premium pricing. It's an any-buck/anywhere tag that opens up a world of possibilities for hunters.

"The three hunter groups I have the easiest time pointing toward mature deer are the archers, the muzzleloaders and those who can afford this particular tag," he said. "Hunting pressure is not as high for the first two groups as it is for our regular firearms season, and that makes a difference. And a hunter who can pay for the premium tag has all kinds of options about where to hunt."

Hams did offer some advice to firearms hunters. "One of the best ways they can gain access to some great hunting, in my opinion, is to go after permission to hunt during the middle of the week. We all know what the hunting pressure is like on the weekends during the firearms season.

"Hunting in the middle of the week makes it more likely that you'll gain permission to hunt, and it also means you are less likely to encounter a whole bunch of other hunters."

You also could plan to hunt western Nebraska in general, where the pressure is always going to be lower; so are deer densities. But the age structure in those units is so good that encountering a mature buck might be as close to a certainty as anywhere you can hunt in the continental U.S.

Remember those percentages -- and what Hams said when asked about the deer density in Nebraska: "Our herds are nowhere close to approaching the carrying capacity of the land. We have the smallest deer herd of any state around us."

It also might be one of the best-balanced in terms of its overall age structure. That being the case, hunters after mature bucks with trophy potential should heed Hams' advice in particular when it comes to the units that will be best. In general, however, hunters simply ought to consider Nebraska. It may be on of the whitetail world's best-kept secrets heading into the 2006 season and beyond.

SOUTH DAKOTA
One thing's for sure when it comes to South Dakota's potential to produce mature bucks: There's nothing dark about the prospects in the Black Hills.

"There is no question that the Black Hills just keeps getting better," said biologist Ted Benzon. "Three or four years ago, 52 percent of the bucks in the region were 3-plus years old, and those numbers have improved."

But the Black Hills isn't the only part of the state with strong trophy potential. "We feel like we are on top of the herd in terms of population and gender ratio," Benzon said. "In the East River (the management unit east of the Missouri River), our buck-to-doe ratio is very close to 1:1."

Throughout southeastern counties in East River, the percentages of whitetail and mulie bucks older than 2 years are 53 and 52, respectively. Among the counties you should consider hunting there are Charles Mix and Gregory, which actually combine to straddle the Missouri. Gregory is in the West River region. Benzon also mentioned the northwest counties of Perkins and Butte, in West River, as being good bets for taking a mature deer.