Photo by Charles R. Brower III

Last year was a good one for deer hunters in the Old Dominion. Although the harvest was down from 235,944 deer to 220,538 deer, this slight decline represents a mere 6 percent decrease. Biologists report that fluctuations of 5 to 10 percent are normal when studying harvest figures from year to year. According to Matt Knox, Deer Program Supervisor, the harvest was approximately 6 percent above the 10-year average, which stands at 207,200 deer.

Antlered bucks accounted for 105,933 of the deer harvested, while the number of button bucks harvested tallied up to 20,240. This button buck harvest was down a bit, hopefully due to hunters passing the smaller guys and taking does or waiting for larger bucks to show up. The total number of does harvested summated to 94,365 or 42.8 percent of the harvest. The total antlerless harvest accounted for 51.97 percent of the harvest.

A closer look at the harvest reveals that archers took 16,623 deer last season, which is down from 17,134 deer taken the previous season. However, archers continue to take 7 to 8 percent of the total deer harvested.

Muzzleloader hunters look forward to their season for a variety of reasons, including the fact that the season coincides with the rut. Last season smokepole users saw their total harvest figure go down a bit from 52,779 to 48,595 deer. Despite the total number of deer harvested by muzzleloader decreasing, the percentage (22 percent) of the total kill remained stable.

A quick look at data provided by Matt Knox shows that shotgun hunters took 59,780 deer, rifle hunters brought home 94,243 deer and pistol hunters harvested 337 deer.

Last season was the first one ever during which deer hunters could check their kill by telephone. The system worked relatively well and many hunters took advantage of this check in system. More than 44 percent of the deer harvest or 96,340 deer were checked via the new system. Some hunters reported dropped calls when placed from cell phones, but given the remote areas that hunters are often in, this was not unexpected. Others commented that the check in procedure is tedious but still faster than trying to find an open check station or a sheriff's office if the deer was not recovered until after dark.

Check stations in some areas noted a decrease in the amount of hunters stopping by for coffee, a sandwich or a soda. Hunters should note that most big-game contests still require a valid check card from a check station in order to enter a deer mount in the contest.

Each spring, biologists study the data and make recommendations as to what changes, if any, will be proposed for the well being of the herd. Virginia is in the middle of a new regulation cycle so with the exception of a proposed crossbow season there are no new regulations to consider for this article. As of press time, Virginia had passed a bill authorizing VDGIF to allow the use of crossbows.

A check with biologists from around the state showed that some regions had spotty acorn production last year and others saw a relatively good mast crop. The mountain regions saw a good acorn yield last year, which will hopefully contribute to a nicer mass of antlers this season. The weather during the hunting season was relatively wet and a bit on the windy side at times, but overall the weather was not a huge factor impacting hunting success.