Even with all the development that's taken place over the last 40 years, New Jersey has managed to protect whole tracts of wild areas. Today, these areas provide some of the best hunting found in the state.

To decide which WMAs will receive birds and how many are stocked, wildlife biologists use several criteria. The prime consideration is accessibility, but the biologists also consider available habitat and the sizes of the different WMAs.

Although most of the larger wildlife management areas are found in the southern portion of the state, those in the north are accessible to a greater number of hunters. Northern WMAs generally have better habitat, which in turn, generates a higher holdover ratio, providing hunters better hunting opportunities throughout the season.

But WMAs are not Jersey bird hunters' only option. While hunting clubs have declined in the state in recent years, a fair number of them still stock birds on private land. The main drawback to this type of hunting is the cost of belonging to a club.

Another option is to hunt a "Pay to Shoot," preserve. Here, too, expense is a major concern. However, the numbers of this type of hunting facility have grown in recent years, and in this fast-paced world, more and more bird hunters are choosing this option.

DELAWARE BIRDS
The smallest of the three Mid-Atlantic states has never received the same attention from bird hunters that they give the other two.

Because of the Diamond State's location, most wingshooters here target waterfowl. According to sources at the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife, pheasant hunting is all but non-existent in the state. What hunting there is takes place in the eastern part of the state around the farmlands and fields found there.

There are about 1,000 to 2,000 bird hunters in Delaware. The state does not stock pheasants or quail and has no plans of doing so.

Quail are also in short supply, and while they are more plentiful than pheasants, hunting is limited at best. Here, too, the number of birds has fallen in recent years. What hunting there is takes place mainly in the eastern part of the state.

The main options that Delaware bird hunters have are the pay-to-shoot preserves that stock birds, as well as some clubs that have access to private land where they stock birds. Of the birds stocked by private shooting preserves and clubs, some find their way into the native populations. But they do not add significantly to the overall pheasant or quail populations found in the state.