Knotts also said that muzzleloader hunters, for whatever reason, seem to flock to this WMA. He went on to add that he wouldn't expect the numbers of trophy bucks to increase too much numbers wise, but he is hoping that the overall quality of the WMA's bucks will continue to improve.

While elevation changes are not great at Burnsville Lake WMA, there are many small finger ridges running off primary spine ridges. The WMA also has a fair amount of steep terrain, although the overall elevation changes might only be 500 to 800 feet. If things haven't changed too dramatically here, the genetics of the deer in this area can be fairly good.

Most of this WMA is ridge and valley terrain, which can be very steep. Mixed oak/hickory hardwood forests dominate much of this region. There is plenty of land here and I would expect that given a few seasons, this WMA will start producing some nicer bucks.

There are 330 primitive campsites scattered out among five different camping areas on the lake. So, if you like to tent camp or have a small camper, this area lends itself extremely well to those folks of this persuasion. The lake is 1,920 acres and if the hunting is off a little or you tag a nice buck, the lake can provide some pretty awesome fishing for largemouth, smallmouth and hybrid striped bass.

BEECH FORK LAKE WMA
Last, but certainly not least, is Beech Fork Lake WMA. This WMA is approximately five miles south of Huntington. You can access this WMA off SR 152, which runs south off I-64 (Exit 8) to Lavalette or Dickson.

Beech Fork contains 7,531 acres and is made up of mostly oak/hickory hardwoods, with some pine on the poorer, drier sites. This area has historically produced some better than average bucks. Beech Fork Lake WMA is, for the most part, gently rolling with an occasional steep grade. Access is fairly good with county Route 17 passing through the village of Booton on the southern end of the area. County Route 54 circles the northeast corner out of Bowen.

Dave Arbogast, who is the game biologist responsible for Beech Fork WMA, recently said the DNR is making some progress at Beech Fork with the trophy restrictions. Much like his cohorts, he mentioned that the next season or two would provide the true tale of the tape.

These five older-aged deer management areas, as they are called by the DNR, each offer a little something different to the general deer-hunting public. However, all five of these areas hope to provide deer hunters with the opportunity to hunt for a quality buck. And the definition of a trophy buck is any with an outside antler spread of 14 inches or greater (ear tip to ear tip). For most hunters, a buck that attains these criteria would be considered a trophy buck.

Add another season or two under our belts, and the overall outlook for these public-land areas looks pretty good. With these public lands being scattered around our vast state, don't take my word for it, load up your gear and give one or two of these areas your virtual field test this season.