Photo by BillKinney.com

By Jeff Brown

Lower than average deer harvests in the northern regions coupled with relatively mild winter conditions throughout the entire region last year could translate to great hunting for New England's deer hunters in 2004.

Overall, New England's deer herd is in very good shape. The northern New England states showed a significant decline in overall harvest numbers between 2002 and 2003, but the southern New England state harvests were all up over the previous year. Relatively mild wintering conditions throughout the region coupled with expanded archery and muzzleloader seasons in parts of the region point toward another bumper crop of deer in 2004.

Here's a recap of 2003, and a look at how things are shaping up in your state this hunting season:

Of the deer killed last fall, 25,663 were taken during the regular firearms season, almost 9,000 fewer than in 2002. But archers and muzzleloader hunters improved on their totals in 2003, taking 2,464 and 1,359 animals, respectively. Youth hunters also did well in 2003 with a harvest of 827 deer, compared to just over 550 deer in 2002 taken by young deer hunters on Maine's first Youth Day hunt.

Biologist Gerald Lavigne estimated Maine's statewide deer population to be approximately 273,000 animals prior to the 2003 hunt, and said that the 2004 pre-hunt population will exceed that figure.

Biologists have recommended issuing 75,600 any-deer permits this year. This is roughly 3,000 more than were issued in 2003. Most permits will be issued for the southern and central districts in an effort to bring whitetail populations in line with reduced population objectives.

Using the 2003 harvest totals as a guide, the top-producing counties in Maine include Penobscot (3,714), Somerset (3,708) and Kennebec (3,248). No other counties accounted for 3,000 or more tagged deer in 2003, although York County came close to that number with 2,714.

In recent years, southern Maine hunters have had great success in York and Cumberland counties because the highest deer densities occur along the coast.

For more information, contact the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 284 State Street, Augusta, ME 04333; call (207) 287-5248, or access the MDIFW's Web site at www.mefishwildlife.com.

Biologists had hoped the antlerless harvest would be reduced in most of central and southern New Hampshire to help mitigate the effects of the severe winter of 2002-03 and to help in achieving deer population increase objectives. As expected, the northern wildlife management units produced harvests similar to last year, while central and southern WMUs exhibited reductions in harvest, attributed to the lack of early snow cover in 2003 compared to the 2002 season.

Archers and youth hunters did well, but muzzleloader and firearms hunters saw significant decreases. Youth hunters killed 334 deer during their special weekend season last year, a 28 percent increase over 2002's total of 260. Archery hunters killed 1,841 deer compared to 1,854 in 2002; and muzzleloader hunters shot 2,330 deer, down 20 percent from 2,911 in 2002. Firearms hunters killed 4,987, down 18 percent from the total of 6,064 deer taken the previous year.

Based on harvest figures for the last three seasons, the WMUs that border Massachusetts in the south, including units K, L, M and J2 are good bets. WMU M had the highest kill in 2003 (1,864), followed by J2 (1,210) and L (1,072), the only WMUs to record more than 1,000 deer harvested. These units include some of the most developed areas of southeastern New Hampshire, but small wood lots and farms abound in this region.

For hunters who prefer the big woods of northern New Hampshire, WMU D (west of Route 3 to the Vermont border) and the northernmost 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 Drive, Concord, NH 03301; call (603) 271-3421, or e-mail info@wildlife.state.nh.us to receive a free packet of information on hunting in the Granite State.

If average to above-average hunting conditions occur this fall, Vermont hunters should see an increase in the total deer harvest in 2004. The 2003 harvest numbers show increases over the challenging 2002 season primarily because hunting conditions were much better last year.

The overall archery kill in 2003 of 3,911 deer was up nearly 14 percent from the previous year. Also, the remarkable success of the Youth Hunt continues. In 2003, Youth Hunt participants tagged 1,575 deer, an increase of nearly 10 percent over the record-breaking 2002 season! The regular firearms season produced a respectable number of deer in 2003, coming in just under 7,000. The muzzleloading season accounted for 2,114 deer, bringing the statewide total to 14,528.

For the second year in a row, Franklin County topped the state harvest with 1,839 deer, followed by perennial producers Rutland County (1,665) and Orange County (1,364). Washington County hunters finished a close fourth with 1,287 deer harvested.

Grand Isle County produced the second-lowest harvest total statewide with only 338 deer taken, but it recorded the highest bucks-per-square-mile ratio with a whopping 3.38. By way of comparison, Franklin County finished second at 1.46 bucks harvested per square mile.

For more information, write to Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, 103 South Main St., Waterbury, VT 05671-0501; call (802) 241-3700, or visit the VFWD Web site at www.state.vt.us/fw/ fwhome.

Shotgunners took far fewer deer in 2003 (6,823) compared to the 8,084 deer taken the previous year. But archers arrowed 3,045 deer, their best total ever in the state. Muzzleloaders also posted new records (no doubt aided by the extended late December season) tallying 1,844 whitetails, a 37 percent increase over 2002, and a whopping 110 percent increase over 2001! The overall harvest total includes seven deer taken during the special season for paraplegic sportsmen and 306 deer taken during the Quabbin Reservation hunt (the highest Quabbin hunt harvest since 1994).

For venison seekers, the best odds are in the central and eastern portions of the state. Deer Management Zone (DMZ) 11 in the southeastern region once again led the state in overall harvest at 2,248, buoyed by the state's highest archery and shotgun totals. DMZ 10 finished with over 1,800 kills, and held the best success for muzzleloaders. These two zones, along with Zone 9, offer great opportunities for primitive weapons hunters in 2004 given the region's high number of compact tracts of huntable lands. The fourth-highest overall kill occurred in neighboring DMZ 8 in southern Worcester County, followed by DMZ 3 in the western part of the state.

However, overall kill numbers can be deceiving because they do not reflect the deer kill per square mile.

Hunters are reminded that they will need an antlerless permit to take an antlerless deer in any DMZ during any season.

For more information, contact the MassWildlife, Field Headquarters, Westboro, MA 01581; call (508) 792-7220, or visit the agency's Web site at www.sport.state.ma.us. Hunters may also buy licenses online.

"Weather conditions and the fall acorn crop probably play the biggest role in influencing annual hunter success rates," said Howard Kilpatrick, leader of the Wildlife Division's Deer Project. "During years with poor acorn crops, deer travel more to feed, increasing their vulnerability to hunting. The presence of snow cover also increases deer visibility, making them more vulnerable to hunting."

The muzzleloader season harvest total was 1,089 deer last year, and the archery season harvest increased by 13 percent to 3,258. During the shotgun-rifle season, windy conditions countered any benefits of the snow cover, resulting in a harvest of 7,164. Private landowners accounted for 1,159 deer.

There are many reasons to consider deer management zones 11 (southwestern Connecticut) and 12 (the shoreline towns), where deer populations are high. Efforts to manage deer population growth continue. In December 2002, the archery season was officially extended in zones 11 and 12 to include the entire month of January (2003). Many hunters probably were not aware of this change that year, but the extension of the archery season was better publicized last year, resulting in more deer being harvested (up 133 percent) in January 2004 compared to January 2003. As of October 2003, hunters were allowed to use bait for hunting deer in deer management zones 11 and 12. In December 2003, the replacement antlerless tag program was extended to include the muzzleloader hunting season in zones 11 and 12. During all deer hunting seasons in 2003, just over 1,000 replacement tags were issued in zones 11 and 12, and one in every three tags issued resulted in the harvest of an additional antlerless deer.

Because of relatively low deer numbers in Deer Management Zone 4A (northern Tolland County), restrictions were set in place five years ago to limit the harvest of antlerless deer. Most other areas of the state boast deer numbers that are relatively stable.

For more information, consult the 2004 Connecticut Hunting and Trapping Guide, available at town clerks' and DEP offices, or on the DEP Web site at www.dep.state.ct.us. Or contact the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, State Office Building, Hartford, CT 06115, (203) 424-3011.

According to Lori Gibson, Rhode Island's principal wildlife biologist, the season's unpredictable weather played a role in depressing harvests during traditional firearms seasons.

However, even under less than desirable conditions, a total of 944 deer were taken during the muzzleloader season, 29 more than last year; and 430 deer were taken during the shotgun season, compared to 591 last year. Archery hunters took 737 deer, some 200 more whitetails than were taken last season.

The state's management areas produced nearly one-third of the annual harvest. Arcadia (92 deer) and Big River (56 deer) were the best on the mainland. Prudence and Patience islands archery hunters took 304 deer.

"While the harvest exceeded our initial quota of 275, the season was permitted to continue because the weights of the animals were very low," Gibson said. "The additional harvest should help to alleviate the overpopulation problem on the islands."

An additional 18 deer were taken on Prudence Island during the special hunt by paraplegics and double amputees. Block Island hunters took 49 deer during the archery portion, 32 more than last year and 131 during the shotgun portion, an increase of 25 from the previous year, for a total of 180.

A final report on the 2003-04 deer harvest data is available on the DEM's Web site at www.state.ri.us/ dem.

For more information, contact the Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife, 4808 Tower Hill Road, Wakefield, RI 02878; or call (401) 789-3094.