In the last decade or so, whitetail hunting in the Garden State has undergone many changes -- some for the better, others for the worse.

In short, New Jersey is a picture of contrast. The state’s deer population has been growing in leaps and bounds, while hunting lands have been disappearing at an alarming rate.

But on the other hand, public lands being opened to hunting have actually increased.

New Jersey’s Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) now has close to 350,000 acres of land managed as wildlife management areas (WMAs).

In the last decade, this land has increased by better than 100,000 acres as a result of land donated under the open-space initiatives that have taken place in New Jersey.

Because of budgetary constraints brought on mostly by inept governance, the number of DFW personnel has dropped to an all-time low of 165.

Meanwhile, over the last 10 years, their responsibilities have more than doubled. Even with this serious lack of personnel, the DFW still manages to produce a quality whitetail program for hunters.

Despite all of these obstacles, sportsmen now have federal lands that have been opened up to hunting to control the damage that too many deer cause to forestlands.

In recent years, the managers of Federal Wildlife Refuges have recognized how very effective limited hunts are in controlling deer populations -- and how much these hunts benefit local economies as well.

Another positive development has contributed to still more land where hunters can access deer: Towns and other municipalities have opened up areas to archery, including state and county parks.

Through the United Bowhunters and other similar organizations, bowhunters are now being used to control deer populations in densely populated areas, thus providing hunters with new opportunities.

These hunts have produced successes that help to show hunting in a whole new light in many areas where hunting was once looked down upon as a deer-management tool.

Here are some top choices from the state’s various public lands:

GREAT SWAMP NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
The two largest hunts on federal lands take place on the Great Swamp and Edwin B. Forsythe NWRs.

The Great Swamp NWR was established by an act of Congress on Nov. 3, 1960. The refuge began with 3,000 acres of land, and additional acres have been added to the original tract over the years.

The refuge now consists of 7,870 acres. In 1966, it was designated a Registered National Natural landmark. Then in 1968, Congress designated the eastern half of the refuge as a Wilderness Area.

Great Swamp NWR is a pristine wilderness area located in Morris County, just west of Chatham.

This area’s diverse ecosystem supports myriad wildlife populations, as well as all types of vegetation.

With too many deer for the available habitat, a controlled hunt was needed to bring the population back under control.

The hunt -- which draws protests from anti-hunting forces each season -- has been going on for several years now. The hunt has made a big difference and has been deemed very successful.

The refuge is Deer Management Zone 38, a DMZ all to itself. And during the 2007, season a total of 81 deer were downed, 18 by muzzleloaders and 63 by shotguns. The hunt is conducted by lottery each year and requires a Zone 38 permit.

EDWIN B. FORSYTHE NWR
The second hunt on federal land takes place on the Edwin B. Forsythe NWR. This refuge consists of 40,000 acres in northeastern Atlantic County in South Jersey, but was originally two distinct refuges: Forsythe Refuge’s Brigantine and Barnegat divisions, established in 1939 and 1967 respectively.