Some of Arkansas's all-time biggest bucks were taken in farm country:

• The George Hobson Buck, killed on a St. Francis County wheat farm in 1987, scored 208 5/8 points.
• The Clem Bilgisher Buck, picked up on a row-crop farm near Boydel in 1959, scored 206 1/8 points.
• The Roger Hansell Buck, killed on a farm in Arkansas County in 1992, scored 178 1/8 points.
• The Van Sturdivant Buck, killed on a Chicot County farm in 1951, scored 173 2/8 points.
• The Jimmy Brown Buck, killed adjacent to a Chicot County wheat field in 1991, scored 173 2/8 points.

Examine the results of the latest 16th Annual Big Buck Classic in Arkansas (visit www.ardeerhunting. com), and you'll find many of the biggest deer killed were taken in predominantly agricultural counties such as Lonoke, Crittenden, Monroe, Lee, Cross, St. Francis and Prairie.

FINDING A FARM TO HUNT
The largest deer are almost always farm-raised -- that is, they live near farms and visit the farmer's fields. Quite often they join right in with the cows and feed alongside them to their heart's content. The sweeter the grass, the more they eat, and the healthier they get.

This probably won't bother the farmer too much, because, usually, there's plenty of grass to go around. But the deer don't stop there. Almost all other farm products appeal to deer, too. Soybeans and corn are big winners. Green vegetables are delights. Hay fields attract deer, as do patches of lespedeza and alfalfa. The pièce de résistance is fruit. Peach and apple orchards and grapevines may attract heavy concentrations of deer. Because damage caused by deer is often extensive and expensive, most farmers welcome hunters who exhibit responsible behavior.

When looking for farmland to hunt, check with your local wildlife officer. These professionals often know landowners who are experiencing serious crop damage caused by overabundant whitetails. On a farm I hunted in south Arkansas, the landowner once showed me 40 acres of freshly sprouted soybeans that had been nipped off close to the ground by feeding deer. Damage by deer was so great that the farmer received a deer depredation permit from the local wildlife officer that allowed him to shoot several deer to help minimize crop destruction. The owner, eager to reduce his financial losses, was more than happy to allow me to hunt deer on his land several days each season.

Orchard owners often experience similar problems. Deer can literally wipe out a grove of small fruit trees. Befriending farmers trying to reduce deer damage is one of the best ways to pinpoint farm-country whitetail hotspots.

ETIQUETTE IS IMPORTANT
Serious whitetail hunters know it's best to start the search for a hunting area well before the season. When seeking private lands hunting opportunities, don't drive up to the door on the first day and ask if you can hunt the woods behind a farmer's house. Visit the landowner well in advance of the season. Quite often, if you can prove you're a responsible hunter, you can get permission to hunt, perhaps even on land that is posted.