I'll admit it: I have an affinity for big bucks. Though I've hung my tag on some respectable animals in several states, I've yet to take a real monster. However, last season I took two of my best bucks ever. Although neither made the record book, they were trophies to me.

During blackpowder season, I headed southwest at the invitation of Jay Jack of Double J Outfitters -- (580) 591-1181 -- in Roosevelt. Jack's hunting grounds are in the foothills of the Wichita Mountains, where for four days, Razor Dobbs, a videographer from San Antonio, and I were serenaded by bugling elk.

Three days of my hunt were vexed by a full moon, with game cameras recording some incredible bucks moving between midnight and 3 a.m. When we were in the blind, the area's bucks were obviously bedded.

On the final morning of my hunt, the clock had ticked to the final hour. Without warning, a 10-point buck sporting a pair of drop tines appeared 30 yards away. The buck seemed to sense danger and began trotting across the wheat field as I leveled my frontloader on his shoulder.

At 150 yards the deer stopped perfectly broadside and I dropped my best Okie buck ever.

A few weeks later, during rifle season, my wife Donna and I watched a tall, heavy-horned typical walk through tall gras, offering only brief glimpses of his outstanding antlers -- an incredible set of bone that would score high in the Cy Curtis Record List.

This season should prove a great time for trophy-conscious Sooners to bag some dynamite bucks. Some hunters will seek big-bodied deer so they'll have enough venison to stuff their freezers. Others, however, seek the Holy Grail of deer hunting: a monster-racked brute to adorn a wall in their homes.

Whichever route you choose, you can be confident that ample rainfall has left our deer herds in tiptop shape. So before you head to the deer woods, read what we've compiled here concerning the state's top trophy-producing areas.

SO YOU WANT TO KILL A TROPHY BUCK
Before you hit the woods in search of a trophy, maybe you should set some parameters for just what it is you're after. Some hunters consider any deer taken after a long stalk a trophy; others want a buck with enormous antlers; I like bucks with unusual antlers. Still others might define a trophy as a buck with a heavy body weight, and some of our counties seem to yield heavy deer consistently.

A famous whitetail authority once said that big bucks are where you find them. Another expert noted that you can't take big bucks on property lacking the potential to grow them. So where does a serious deer hunter look for a monster buck in Oklahoma?

A trophy truly is in the eyes of the beholder. Big antlers look impressive when prominently displayed on a trophy shoulder mount, but an animal doesn't have to be eye-popping huge to be considered a trophy.

Particular spots in the Sooner State yield deer big enough to be put on the Cy Curtis records list. The bucks that qualify for the state's deer awards program certainly rate description as trophies.