Big bucks -- the deer of hunters' lifetimes -- roam all four of the Great Plains states. Doing whatever they can to encourage the kind of annual harvest that keeps deer numbers in line with available habitat, biologists in the Dakotas, Nebraska and Kansas continue to manage their respective state's herds with as much focus is as possible on carrying capacity.

Throughout the region, that inevitably means that mature bucks are available to hunters willing to put in the time it takes to earn an encounter with one of those big boys. That's what this story is all about.

Last month, we looked at the areas in each state where hunters should look if their main interest is venison for the freezer. This time around, we're changing the approach to cover those areas in each state that appear to offer hunters a really good chance at getting a shot at a mature buck with large antlers.

Before getting into the state-by-state look, it's important to note that harsh weather hasn't been much of a factor. By and large, the Great Plains enjoyed another relatively mild winter that kept mortality from getting out of control. For the most part, nothing man can do will affect that. We have Mother Nature to thank for leaving Great Plains deer herds in good shape entering the 2008 season.

No doubt the weather has cooled where you live. As you read this, bucks are rubbing and scraping, at the very least beginning to feel the annual instinctive urge to mate. It's the most exciting time to hunt any deer season, and it's the time for big bucks to become most susceptible. All you have to do to get lucky is be out there.

NORTH DAKOTA
If you've read these previews over the past few years and paid attention to the accompanying graphics, you'll see that North Dakota's has changed very little. And there's a good reason for that.

"We don't really have much information on mature bucks around the state because we don't manage for trophies," said biologist Bill Jensen. "We strictly manage for recreational hunting opportunities, not for trophy bucks.

"We know, though, that when you have more deer and healthy deer populations, you're going to have a higher number of mature bucks throughout their range. We believe that's the case in North Dakota, and we know that hunters are going to have encounters with nice bucks as the season unfolds."

What Jensen didn't mention when we talked specifically about big-buck opportunities is the fact that the state's overall approach to management inherently works toward creating more chances for hunters to see mature bucks. He and the rest of the state's wildlife managers work very hard at controlling population numbers. They've even implemented special early antlerless deer seasons in areas such as the northeast corner of the state, where populations are higher than they should be.

Reducing antlerless numbers in any deer herd improves the buck-to-doe ratio. It also can reduce the pressure on bucks as hunters fill antlerless tags to get those numbers down and, of course, to get venison in their freezers. All of this helps bucks stay alive longer, so they grow older and improve the age structure of the herds.

In North Dakota this season, hunters should be looking at "the usual suspects" when it comes to units in which an encounter with mature deer can happen. As you might expect, the eastern edge of the state will be best for whitetails, while the west-central and southwestern edges are the good bets for mule deer.