"Prior to that, Delaware hunters were limited to just one buck. We received a lot of pressure from hunters who wanted to take an additional buck. We have enough bucks on the landscape to provide that, but we wanted to minimize the pressure on our 18-month-old bucks."

Though Woodland Beach and Cedar Swamp have the advantage of the 15-inch antler restriction, Rogerson said that trophy bucks probably do exist on many of the state's coastal wildlife areas.

"Walking conditions are tough. Biting insects like those areas, too. But some of these areas are seeing more deer hunting pressure, especially during the shotgun season."

Log on to the agency's Web site at www.fw.delaware.gov/Hunting/Pages/Wildlife.aspx for the status of any new regulations, such as a proposed additional hunter orange requirement for ground blinds.

NEW JERSEY
The Garden State's multi-faceted nature is reflected in its complex deer-hunting regulations. New Jersey features extensive areas of suburban sprawl, and such development limits hunting as a deer-management option. Likewise, rural/agricultural settings are an element of the deer-hunting picture. And as do Maryland and Delaware, New Jersey hosts not only exceptional bucks nurtured on prime habitat, but suburban bucks that avoid hunters by living out their lives in woodlots adjacent to homes and shopping malls.

New Jersey's deer seasons are managed by up to eight separate sets of regulations. Each set governs seasons and bag limits for a number of deer management zones (DMZs).

Some DMZs have had antler restrictions (such as a minimum of three points on one side). The experimental antler restriction, initiated in an effort to increase the numbers of older age bucks, has met with limited success. Be sure to study this year's regulations for any changes in antler restrictions, as well as other regulatory changes.

According to Carole Kandoth, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife Deer Project leader, the prime areas for finding a trophy buck are found in the agricultural areas in the northern half of the state. Counties such as Hunterdon and Monmouth tend to head up each year's list in terms of overall deer bag. They're well represented in each year's Deer Classic, which honors several categories of outstanding deer harvests.

During last season's Classic, the top two typical shotgun harvests -- bucks that measured 167 7/8 and 160 1/8 -- came from Hunterdon County. Monmouth County had two of the top three non-typical shotgun kills. The top non-typical shotgun buck was a 159 2/8-inch buck from Middlesex County.

Other counties represented in the latest Classic include Somerset, Gloucester, Sussex, Morris, Cumberland, Salem and Warren.

Larger New Jersey WMAs located in top trophy-producing counties and worth investigating include Assunpink and Turkey Swamp WMAs in Monmouth County, as well as the Clinton WMA in Hunterdon.

Assunpink covers over 6,000 acres, while Turkey Swamp and Clinton entail 3,843 and 1,953 respectively.

Listings of New Jersey WMAs can be found on the agency's Web site, www.njfishandwildlife.com/wmaland.htm