The Garden State Deer Classic, held each year to celebrate the largest bucks taken in the state, serves as a good example of the quality of bucks out there, as well as areas where they exist. The Classic includes not only bucks, but large does as well (135-pound does or better in the archery, muzzleloader and shotgun categories). The 2006 Classic dealt with deer harvested during the 2004-05 season.

Not surprising, Hunterdon County had a strong showing, with seven entries from the total of 24.

Salem County had six entries. Somerset, Cumberland and Warren also had multiple entries.

The top two non-typical bucks came from the shotgun and muzzleloader categories. Jeff Norton used a shotgun to down his Salem County buck, which scored 160 5/8. Burlington County was the site of Peter Bell's 152 7/8-inch muzzleloader kill.

The best archery non-typical was a 147 1/8-inch Salem County buck harvested by H. Russell Hiles. The top typical buck was an exceptional shotgun kill by James Porcelli. That Monmouth County buck scored 175 7/8. The top muzzleloader typical was a 151 4/8-inch buck bagged in Warren County by William Hill.

Eugene Donato took the top typical archery buck, a 146-inch Cumberland County buck.

Exceptionally heavy bucks included three 200-pound-plus archery kills. The No. 1 heavyweight tipped the scale at 223 pounds.

Dan Deveney bagged that brute in Hunterdon County. A 205-pound buck was arrowed in Salem County by Eric S. Price. Gary W. Mood was also in Salem County when he downed a 203-pound buck.

DELAWARE
Though Delaware might be small, size-wise, it's large in being able to grow exceptional bucks. Over the past two decades or so, the state's whitetail population has increased dramatically. And so has hunters' attention.

Consider a few of the bucks taken in recent years. Two of the top all-time typical whitetails were taken within the past four or five years.

In October of 2006, Neal Dukes used a muzzleloader to harvest the No. 2 all-time typical whitetail, a monster that measured 182 inches. Dukes' buck, taken in New Castle County, is the No. 1 muzzleloader typical.

In November of 2004, Steven Cardano bagged the No. 6 all-time buck. Taken in Sussex County, the Cardano buck measured 173 inches. It is the No. 2 all-time buck on the muzzleloader/typical list.

A 167 7/8-inch buck taken in November of 2002 by Jimmy Warren stands as the No. 12 all-time typical. Warren used a shotgun to bag the Kent County buck.

The list of all-time non-typicals shows plenty of recent activity. The top three non-typical bucks were harvested over the past four years. Two years ago, Keith Lee bagged the No. 1 buck, a Sussex County monster that measured 208 1/8. Jeff Foskey took the No. 2 non-typical in November of 2003 -- a Sussex County buck that measured 202 3/8.

Kent County produced the No. 3 all-time non-typical, a buck that scored 197, bagged in November of 2003 by Robert Reeves Jr.

In recent years, according to wildlife biologist Ken Reynolds of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, the agency has seen a trend of hunters taking the first available buck.

"About 60 to 65 percent of the bucks taken are yearlings," noted the biologist. Still, with the availability of excellent habitat throughout the state, as well as situations that allow a few bucks to fall through the cracks each year, some real trophies are taken. Some come from public lands.

Recent regulatory changes as well as education programs provide hope of more big bucks in the future.

"We've made a few changes in an effort to cut down on buck harvest," noted Reynolds. Among these is the availability of quality buck tags. Recently, the state refined the system to offer hunters their choice of quality buck tags.

Reynolds said the best opportunity for trophy bucks exists in the southern portion of the state. Areas such as Redden State Forest provide significant amounts of public lands. He noted, too, that many of the state's public hunting areas include wetlands. Swampy areas provide bucks a sanctuary from hunting pressure, which equates to older deer.

In the northern portion of the state two state parks offer shotgun deer hunting on a lottery basis. Brandywine and White Clay state parks have each been known to produce impressive antlered bucks. In these parks, hunters must take a doe before they may harvest a buck. Many hunters are satisfied with a doe, leaving added potential for older bucks.

Bill Jones, another of the state agency's wildlife biologists, serves as an official scorer for the state's deer records. Jones said there is a good smattering of trophy bucks across the state. He suggested keying in on the marshy areas of Kent and Sussex counties located near Delaware Bay.