Five of the top 20 deer in the Big Deer Contest last year also came from this region, with two taken in Fulton and one each in Cobb, Walton and Barrow.

Deer Management Unit 4 includes counties in the middle of the state, from Newton, Butts, Monroe and Bibb west to the Alabama border. It also offers some of the best trophy hunting in the state.

Eight of the counties here have more than four record-book deer; and four more of the Big Deer Contest top 20 from last season came from counties in the area. Four of Georgia's Quality Deer Management counties are located in this region, along with four WMAs with antler restrictions.

In DMU 4, Newton County had two of the top eight B&C bucks, and Monroe County produced the biggest B&C all-time typical rack for Georgia. This region has the capability of producing many big deer.

The counties of DMU 5 run from north of Athens to Milledgeville and from the middle of the state to the South Carolina line. This is also a good area for trophy bucks, with eight counties listing more than four record-book deer.

There's only one QDM county in this region and also only one WMA with restricted antler harvest. This region produces large numbers of deer, which often means fewer quality deer. They are simply shot before they reach their maximum potential.

In this region, Jones County holds the record for the biggest non-typical buck killed in Georgia with a bow and arrow. Its 13 deer in the record book places it No. 7 among the counties in the state.

Neighboring Jasper has produced nine record-book deer and one of the top 20 Big Deer Contest entries last year. Finally, Madison County on the northern edge holds the record for the biggest P&Y qualified typical buck killed in Georgia. Unfortunately, Michael Long's 173 1/8 buck was never officially entered in the Pope and Young Club records.

Running from just south of Columbus to the Florida line and across to Tifton, DMU 6 has three counties and three WMAs managed under QDM rules. Seven counties here have four or more all-time record-book deer, and three counties produced top 20 Big Deer Contest deer last year.

Macon County has five of the top 25 typical B&C deer ever killed in the Peach State and a total of 17 book bucks. Nearby Dooly County yielded two of the top seven B&C typicals.

By themselves, those two counties show what an outstanding area this is for big deer. The big farms cut by river and creek bottoms offer excellent habitat for deer, with plenty of quality browse and good cover.

A narrow band of counties from the South Carolina line just south of Augusta across to Warner Robbins makes up DMU 7. It's an area of fairly poor soil types, but some big farms. Wilkinson is the only county here that has produced more than four record-book deer and it has five. Also, one Big Deer Contest entry came from Washington County last year. There are no QDM counties or WMAs in this region.

In the southeast part of the state toward the center lies DMU 8. Some counties in the northwestern portion of this area have produced big deer, but the eastern counties are not as good for trophy hunting.

Dodge, Pulaski and Wilcox have each yielded four or more book deer every year. Last year, they also had deer in the top 20 entered in the Big Deer Contest.

Dodge County had two of those. Nearby Ben Hill and Laurens counties had top 20 deer in the Big Deer Contest last year. Montgomery is the only QDM county in the area, and there is one QDM WMA as well.

Georgia's coastal counties make up DMU 9. Due to swamplands and poor sandy soil, they produce very few big deer. Here, your best bets are probably Wayne and Camden Counties -- boasting one Pope and Young record-book deer each.

Trophy deer management, with intensive work on food plots, might produce a record deer if you have enough land to manage effectively.

If you want a trophy deer, concentrate on the counties where soil and terrain favor bigger deer. Manage any land you have for quality whitetails, and you just might get your name in the record books!

Find more about Georgia fishing and hunting at: GeorgiaSportsmanMag.com