CONNECTICUT
Extended early and late archery seasons sandwiched around a peak-rut gun season and an early December muzzleloader season, along with liberal bag limits, mean some great trophy-hunting opportunities, especially for hunters who have access to private land.

Several outstanding non-typical Nutmeg State bucks defined the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Northeast Big Buck Club records show that more than 200 bucks from the 2004 and 2005 seasons combined have been scored and entered in the NBBC record books.

In all harvest categories (including bow, gun and muzzleloader), Connecticut hunters took 35 bucks with gross B&C scores of 150 or better during the two-year span. And, the top three bucks were non-typicals that scored over 180.

So where do we find deer like that in this state?

State biologist Howard Kilpatrick generally recommends the northeastern and northwestern regions as trophy hotspots (Litchfield and Windham counties). This region has some of the state's largest public lands.

A closer look at the NBBC's records indicates that big bucks literally come from every county. During the past two seasons, the largest bucks came from New London County In 2004, the biggest archery buck (181 4/8) came from Middlesex County. Other counties that produced giant bucks in 2005 include Tolland (central), Fairfield (south western) and New Haven (central) counties. Obviously, good bucks can be found just about anywhere.

For more information, contact the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, State Office Building, Hartford, CT 06115; or call (203) 424-3011.

MAINE
Although great bucks are now taken throughout all of New England, Maine hunters continue to harvest many of the biggest deer in the region. The overall deer harvest was down 14 percent from 2004, and the buck harvest was down as well. In 2005, fewer than 15,000 bucks were harvested, compared to over 17,400 in 2004 and 16,100 in 2003. As recently as 2002, the buck harvest was over 20,000 deer, so the 2005 total represents a continued decline.

Al Wentworth, Maine Antler and Skull Trophy Club president, said the question is not "Where do I find a trophy buck?" but rather "What type of hunt do I want?" The state's northern section offers vast, unpopulated territories with limited numbers of deer, but if you cross paths with a buck, it just could by one of those massive-racked 200-pound bruisers.

The southern portion of the state is more densely populated with both deer and humans. The central region, which includes everything between the Penobscot River to the Kennebec River, and the lower sections of Somerset and Piscataquis counties to the northern sections of Penobscot County, offers good deer densities and plenty of open land to hunt.