Photo by Ron Sinfelt.

“Where are you taking that doe?” I asked.

“To the bank,” the bowhunter replied.

The hunter meant that he was taking the antlerless deer to a check station where he would “bank” the doe for the coming permit archery season, thus enabling him to take a buck.

Last year, New Jersey archers operated under a new system called the Bank-A-Doe plan, which negated the old -- and often unpopular -- Earn-A-Buck program. This may be at least one of the reasons why archers tallied a 2.5-percent increase in whitetail harvests compared to the previous year’s fall bow season. But there are some welcome changes in the wind pertaining to the Earn-A-Buck and Bank-A-Doe programs.

Regulations aside, the bow season is nearly upon us. In some instances, where the Division of Fish and Wildlife’s (DFW) has implemented its community-based Deer Management Plan, it may be only days away.

Consequently, if you’re seeking a Deer Management Zone (DMZ) to hunt, read on to find out where the largest harvests these days are coming from, and why.

For starters, the change referred to as “Bank-A-Doe” merely means that hunters utilizing the traditional, or now defunct, Earn-A-Buck program can lawfully take two antlerless deer during the fall bow season. Once they’ve registered at a check station, hunters may now take an antlered buck first during the permit bow season, which immediately follows the fall season.

At press time, this is only a proposal. But according to my sources, the chances of that proposal becoming a permanent regulation are exceptionally good, and “good” is the key word here.

The proposed change would revert back to the Earn-A-Buck program, but that program would be in play during only the first three weeks of the fall archery season. After that -- and during the following seasons, including the permit bow and winter archery season -- bowhunters will be able to take that “once in a lifetime buck” when it ambles past their stand, without having to arrow a doe first.

Incidentally, the same regulation would apply to the various firearm seasons.

Hunters are strongly urged to carefully check the deer regulations in the 2007 hunting edition of the DFW’s Wildlife Digest. It’s anticipated that doing away with the Earn-A-Buck (except as noted), as well as the Bank-A-Doe programs will be overwhelmingly approved. But just to be safe, check the Wildlife Digest.

As to last year’s bow season, New Jersey archers should understand that hunters achieved a 2.5-percent increase during the traditional fall bow season for the 2006 harvest, as opposed to the 2005 harvest.

The tally wasn’t as promising during the permit season, according to Carol Kandoth, principal biologist and deer project leader for the DFW’s Deer Research Project.

“Though we did, indeed, have a fairly good fall bow season, the overall season (fall and permit seasons combined) wasn’t much different than most other seasons.

“That’s especially true when you consider that the permit season was down by 13.2 percent, which translates into about 1,000 fewer deer than the previous year. Conversely,” said Kandoth, “the fall season’s 2-1/2 percent increase translates into about 378 more deer than last year.

Ups and downs aside, she said that bowhunters who wish to increase their odds this year should look to the agricultural areas, or the DMZs that have Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) within those agricultural areas.

“We (in New Jersey) have an exceptional deer density, coupled with equally exceptionally good habitat in those (agricultural) DMZs. There’s no doubt, in my opinion, that bow hunters utilizing these areas will have a definite edge,” Kandoth said.

Starting with the top harvest DMZs last year, bowhunters should take a serious look at DMZ 8. Last year, archers downed 1,373 whitetails during the fall bow season in that area, and another 691 during the permit season. DMZ 8 is one of those so-called agricultural areas to which Kandoth referred.