Here's a look at what hunters can expect throughout the state in the upcoming season.

WESTERN NEW YORK
Western New York includes regions 7, 8 and 9 (and their corresponding WMUs), which stretch from the Interstate Route 81 corridor west to the shores of Lake Erie and the Niagara River.

In 2005, western-region hunters downed 48,741 bucks, or 55 percent of the statewide total -- about the same percentage as the previous two years. A total of 16,004 bucks were taken in Region 9's six counties, another 18,318 in the 11 counties of Region 8; and an additional 14,419 in the nine counties of Region 7.

This section of New York produced eight of the 10 best bucks shot last season. Steuben County was again the leader at 4,541, or 3.2 bucks per square mile. Hunters should do well in Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chenango, Erie or Chautauqua counties, which round out the regions' leaders.

In Region 9, Allegany produced the most bucks per square mile (3.8). Erie County produced one of the state's top bucks of 2004, a 182 4/8-inch, 15-pointer for Michael Osinski.

Buck hunters should have no problems gaining access to potential hotspots. Counties along the Pennsylvania border have more than 160,000 acres of public hunting grounds among them. In addition to 65,000-acre Allegany State Park, where hunters must obtain a free permit from the park office before going afield, sportsmen have access to 17,200 acres of state forestlands in Chautauqua County, 33,600 acres in Cattaraugus County and 46,300 in Allegany County. A map showing all of these parcels is available by calling (716) 372-0645.

Region 8 is defined by the perennial success of Steuben County, arguably the best trophy-hunting county in the state over the last 10 seasons. Although its buck harvest continues to lead the state, it was significantly down from the more than 8,000 bucks taken as recently as 2002.

Aside from leading the statewide buck kill for all counties last year, Steuben County also produced more than twice the total number of bucks as Ontario, the second leading county in Region 8, with 2,082 bucks.

The state's largest non-typical archery buck of 2005 came from Steuben County -- a 203 7/8 monster shot by Rex Taft.

Other Region 8 standouts include Livingston County (1,900 bucks in 2005), Monroe County (1,593) and Wayne County (1,555). For the last four years, Yates County has led the state in bucks killed per square mile, coming in at 4.4 during the 2005 season.

A good bet in Region 8 is northern Livingston and southern Monroe counties, where great little pockets of cover create opportunities for mature bucks.

In fact, the state's largest archery typical buck in recent years came from Livingston County -- an amazing 10-pointer taken by Lance Wolfanger in 2004 that grossed 172 7/8. Livingston County also produced a very impressive 171 7/8 gun non-typical in 2005 for Arthur Gilbert.

Chenango County is the best bet for bucks in DEC Region 7. This county had the highest buck kill in the region last year, with 2,365 bucks in 2005. Tioga had been No. 1 for the previous three seasons, but finished second in 2005 with 1,906 bucks. It's also outstanding in terms of buck densities, with 3.6 bucks killed per square mile in 2005. Tompkins also did well with 3.7 bucks killed per square mile, the best in the region.