MARYLAND
According to Maryland Deer Project leader Doug Hotton, hunters who are looking to shoot big bucks should zero in on those portions of the state offering the best habitat. In Maryland, this includes the northern reaches of the Eastern Shore as well as central Maryland.

"The best habitat is found where there are the most productive soils," said Hotton. "These soils produce the better vegetation. Naturally this equates to a premium food source for deer, which is necessary to grow big bucks with big racks."

Hotton notes, too, that hunting pressure, as well as deer numbers, is a significant component of the Maryland big-buck picture.

"Reduced hunting pressure is obviously a factor," he said. "Private land will have the edge in producing big bucks, but we have some good public lands that are located in prime big-buck areas of the state. You can't count these public areas out in terms of their ability to produce big bucks."

But the other important factor to consider, he says, is lower overall deer numbers.

"The places that produce the biggest bucks won't have the highest deer densities. Too many deer means too much competition for food. You'll find the biggest bucks where they don't have to compete for food."

Hotton notes that in recent years, the biggest bucks have come from counties such as Kent County, which produced the current record typical whitetail, one that scored 194 0/8, taken by Kevin Miller. Talbot County has also produced some monster bucks in recent years. Interestingly, only in the past 20 years or so has whitetail hunting been much of a pastime in this area, one that has a rich Canada goose-hunting tradition. During a time when goose numbers were down, hunters began to take notice of the deer-hunting opportunities, particularly for trophy bucks.

The central portion of the state also produces some outstanding bucks. Hotton said Montgomery County is a major player in this regard, as is Baltimore County. As one might expect in these developed counties, one component of this is the limited hunting pressure Hotton mentioned.

In regard to Eastern Shore public areas, choices include Millington and Sassafras wildlife management areas (WMAs) in Kent County. Both of these WMAs feature deer hunts during the shotgun, muzzleloader and bow seasons. Daily signups are required at both WMAs.

Wye Island NRMA, in Queen Anne's County, offers 2,500 acres to hunt on. Various deer hunts are available on Wye Island, including shotgun, muzzleloader and bow hunts. Call (410) 827-7577 for additional information on Wye Island.

In Montgomery County, hunters will find the McKee-Beshers WMA, which boasts 1,947 acres. The best public-land bets for Baltimore County can be found on the Prettyboy and Liberty reservoir properties. These are bows-only hunts that require obtaining a permit. Though these two areas receive hunting pressure, due to the limited effectiveness of a bow (as compared to a rifle or shotgun), some bucks live longer lives.

Hotton also notes the overall health of the herd has improved over the last few years, mainly due to a deer-management plan that has emphasized the taking of does over bucks. Antlerless harvests have increased, while buck harvests have remained stable, or even dropped slightly. He said hunters have become more selective in the deer they harvest, meaning that they're passing up more yearling bucks.

Maryland has no antler restrictions in place at this time.