Biologist Kandoth notes the state's deer researchers review harvest numbers each year to determine if it's necessary to make regulation changes to adjust the harvest. She doesn't see any significant changes on the immediate horizon.

"In general, we still want to reduce deer numbers in about 64 percent of the state," she said. "But we are planning on letting the regulations ride out for awhile, rather than making significant annual changes. That way, we can get a better handle on how things are playing out."

One change Kandoth did note relates to the Earn-A-Buck zones. This season, bowhunters will be able to participate in a Bank-A-Doe program, earning a deer to be used toward harvesting a buck. Consult this year's digest of deer hunting regulations for specific details regarding the Bank-a-Doe program.

According to the DFW, successful deer hunters are required to bring their deer to a mandatory check station where information is gathered on the date and location of the kill, sex of the deer and number of antler points. On busy days of the deer-hunting season (usually the opening day of the six-day firearms and permit shotgun seasons), DFW employees staff the deer check stations and gather biological information, such as the ages and weights of the deer and diameters of antlers.

Supplemental or bonus tags are offered to deer hunters at the check station during most deer seasons. This supplemental tag program was initially initiated to encourage hunters to report the first deer taken. It now provides additional recreation time to successful hunters and provides the possibility for harvesting additional antlerless deer without detrimentally affecting the deer herd.

MARYLAND'S 2004 TOP 10 COUNTIES
County	Harvest
Washington	10,149
Frederick	7,492
Baltimore	5,663
Montgomery	4,969
Allegany	4,958
Garrett	4,954
Carroll	4,932
Worchester	4,166
Queen Annes	3,721
Charles	3,691
Total Harvest	98,868

Kandoth noted that all of New Jersey's public lands provide huntable populations of white-tailed deer. Nearly 300,000 acres are managed as state wildlife management areas (WMAs). Public areas do see more intense hunting pressure than do private areas, generally speaking.

Be sure to consult your digest of hunting regulations for the exact set of deer hunting regulations that apply to the deer zones you plan to hunt this fall.

MARYLAND
The 2004 hunting seasons witnessed Free State hunters again taking an impressive number of deer. During the various bow and firearm seasons, hunters in Maryland bagged a total of 93,868 deer. This included both white-tailed deer and sika deer.

"We are relatively pleased with how things have progressed in terms of deer harvest," said Doug Hotton, deer project leader for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildlife and Heritage Division. "On a large-scale basis, the deer population is not growing. In the Baltimore and Washington areas, the story is different, of course. Urban deer management continues to be a challenge."

Maryland is divided into two deer management regions. The western Maryland counties of Garrett and Allegany comprise Region A. Region B is made up of the remainder of the state.

Last year's harvest included a record 59,229 antlerless deer. Biologist Hotton sees this number as being perhaps the most significant of last season's hunts. By contrast, 33,740 bucks were bagged. The buck harvest represents an 8.1 percent decline from the prior year. An increase in the antlerless take coupled with a reduction in buck harvest is likely to lead to a healthier deer population, one with a more balanced buck-to-doe ratio.

"This is great news because we know that increasing the antlerless deer harvest is the most important step toward balancing our deer population," said Wildlife and Heritage Service Director Paul A. Peditto. "The new record harvest demonstrates that hunters are embracing this management strategy and helping us move toward our desired goal."