NEW JERSEY
According to Carole Kandoth, the biologist who heads up the New Jersey Division of Wildlife's (DFW) deer management program, the real key to bagging a trophy buck in the Garden State is knocking on doors.

"Some 97 percent of our state is privately owned," she said. "The hunters who are most serious about taking a trophy buck are the ones who do their homework, and who make the effort to access the private lands that provide sanctuary for bucks to get older."

Kandoth calls the places where big bucks tend to be found "refuge properties." Such areas have limited hunting pressure, and as already pointed out, this is a significant component of the big buck picture. The agricultural portions of the state tend to produce the biggest bucks.

Taking a look at the entries in last year's Garden State Deer Classic, it's not surprising that counties like Hunterdon and Salem consistently show up. Both counties have a history of producing big bucks as well as large, mature does. The No. 2 (taken by Dan Deveney) and No. 3 (taken by Joe Buchanan) typical archery bucks came from Hunterdon County, scoring 144 2/8 and 143 2/8 respectively. Last season, Eugene Donato took the top typical archery buck from Cumberland County. It scored 146 0/8.

The top non-typical archery buck came from Salem County. Bagged by H. Russell Hiles, it scored 147 1/8. James Mandaglio arrowed the No. 3 non-typical in Hunterdon County, one that scored 138 2/8. The No. 2 non-typical bow kill came from Somerset County, a 146 1/8-inch buck bagged by Paul Fenwick. Hunterdon County also registered the No. 3 typical muzzleloader kill, a 137 7/8-inch buck harvested by Steven Fodor.

Amel Balega Jr. dropped the No. 1 buck entered in the typical crossbow/physically challenged category with a buck that scored 134 0/8, also from Hunterdon County.

Salem County produced the No. 2 typical muzzleloader buck, a 140 7/8-inch trophy dropped by Mark Humphreys. Harry Lombardo Jr. took his 143 4/8-inch No. 2 typical/shotgun buck in Salem County. The county also produced the No. 1 non-typical shotgun buck, a 160 5/8-inch trophy bagged by Jeff Norton.

Salem and Hunterdon counties also figured prominently in the 200-pound buck/archery slot.

While the odds favor the private-land hunter, that's not to say big bucks don't exist on public lands.

"Many New Jersey hunters became accustomed to seeing lots of deer during the days when deer populations were high," she said. "Now that deer numbers have been brought down to more reasonable levels, many hunters have not made the adjustment in their hunting tactics."

Kandoth is referring to the fact that even on public areas, the majority of hunters don't venture too far into the woods. This allows tremendous trophy potential for those hunters who are willing to stretch their legs.

"Most hunters tend to drive around the perimeter of public areas, park, and walk a short distance into the woods," she noted. "The interior of many public areas harbor older age-class deer that see little in the way of hunting pressure. If you want to kill an older buck, you need to hike in."

Antler restrictions have been in place in New Jersey for several years, though at this time they don't seem to be having a significant impact on the age-class of the deer found there.