Based on harvest figures for the last four seasons, New Hampshire hunters would do well to hunt the WMUs that border Massachusetts including wildlife management units K, L, M and J2. These units include some highly developed areas, but small wood lots and farms abound.

For hunters who prefer the big woods of northern New Hampshire, WMU D (west of Route 3 to the Vermont border) and WMU A are the best choices, as they have consistently produced the best harvest totals in that region.

Hunters are encouraged to contact the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, 2 Hazen Dr., Concord, NH 03301; call (603) 271-3421, or visit their Web site at www.wildlife.state.nh.us to receive a free packet on visiting and hunting in the Granite State.

VERMONT
According to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department's 2004 Deer Harvest Report, the harvest total for 2004 was only 11,925 deer. That is well below the 2003 total of 14,528 and significantly below the 30-year average harvest of 14,107.

The department attributes the decline to a reduced deer population, declining hunter numbers, poor hunting conditions (lack of snow), and reduced access to private land, among other factors. The herd size was estimated at 120,000 in 2004, down from 160,000 in the year 2000. Hunting license sales declined to about 85,000, 15 percent down from 100,000 just five years ago.

There was some good news in the season section totals, however. The overall archery kill in 2004 of 3,576 was down only slightly from the previous year (3,911 in 2003). The remarkable success of the youth hunt (ages 15 and under) continues. In 2004, nearly 7,000 Vermont youths harvested a total of 1,353 deer during the two-weekend season, the best youth harvest in all of New England! That's down about 11 percent from the previous season, but still a very good total.

The regular firearms season harvest was way down, primarily due to lack of cold weather and snow. The harvest was 5,579 bucks (it is a bucks-only season), which was down from nearly 7,000 in 2003. The muzzleloading season accounted for 1,407 deer, down 33 percent from the previous year. The reduction was primarily due to a significant decrease in antlerless permits for this season.

For the third year in a row, Franklin County topped the state harvest with 1,515 deer, followed by perennial producers Rutland County (1,393) and Washington County (927). Orange County finished with 915 deer harvested.

Grand Isle County produced the second lowest harvest total statewide with only 326 deer, but it recorded the highest deer-per-square-mile ratio of a whopping 7.20! (The statewide average is 1.54 deer harvested per square mile.)

For more information, contact the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, 103 South Main St., Waterbury, VT 05671-0501; call (802) 241-3700, or visit the agency's Web site at www.vtfishandwildlife.com.

MASSACHUSETTS
Bay State hunters posted one of the highest total harvests in history, setting a new record for muzzleloader harvest. Bill Woytek, MassWildlife Deer Project leader, reported a total of 11,853 deer taken by licensed hunters during the combined 2004 seasons. Additionally, 167 deer were taken during the Quabbin Reservation hunt, and 246 were taken on Nantucket in February, for a total statewide harvest of 12,266 deer. That compares to 12,025 in 2003 and 12,417 in 2002 (the current all-time record).

While shotgunners continue to account for the bulk of the harvest, archers and muzzleloaders will soon exceed those numbers.

The best odds are in the central and eastern portions of the state. Deer Management Zone (DMZ) 11 in the southeastern region led the state in overall harvest at 2,391, buoyed by the highest statewide archery and shotgun totals. DMZ 10 hunters posted 2,100 kills. These two zones, along with Zone 9, offer great opportunities for primitive weapon hunters in 2005 given the large number of compact tracts of huntable lands. Neighboring DMZs 8 and 9 (Worcester County) had the third- and fourth- largest harvest totals, followed by DMZ 3 in the western part of the state.