Bassinger commented that if hunting public land, hunters should take a serious look at the national forest in Wythe and Bland counties and the WMAs in Wythe, Smyth, Washington and Carroll counties. Clinch Mountain WMA is massive but offers good hunting prospects. Stewart's Creek and Crooked Creek WMAs are smaller but still offer well-managed lands for taking a deer.

Betsy Stinson also manages the deer herd in this region and points out that Giles was a good county for hunting. There is a good mix of open land, forest and young woodlands that helps the deer herd thrive.

Stinson notes that the drought last summer brought many deer out of the woodlands and into the fields, where they were more susceptible to harvest. Stinson said that in Carroll and Floyd counties there were a number of complaints from farmers about agricultural damage from deer. With the Blue Ridge Parkway nearby (which is a no-hunting area), the deer are protected until they venture away. Hunters might want to look for farmers weary of crop damage and seek private lands located not far from the parkway. She encourages hunters to take a doe when legally possible.

NORTHERN MOUNTAIN REGION
As expected, this region also experienced an increased harvest. There were 36,241 deer harvested, of which 17,076 were antlered bucks, 2,578 button bucks and 16,587 does. The does accounted for 45.8 percent of the harvest. The best deer hunting in this region are the northern tier counties of Frederick, Clarke and Warren on private land.

David Kocka, the biologist covering Augusta, Rockbridge and Rockingham counties, reported that there were no real big changes from last season for hunters.

"Private lands are better for hunting, although it can be tough to find access unless you begin to ask early in the season or even in the summer. The harvest and population appears to be stabilizing in the Central Shenandoah Valley," he said.

There is, however, one exception: the urban areas. Kocka is hoping that more hunters will harvest does in these areas. Check out the cities and towns opting in to the urban archery program at www.dgif.virginia.gov/ hunting/urban-archery.asp.

Farther south in the region, hunters are focusing more on private land than the available public land. With recent mast crops being spotty or failing, the deer have taken more to agriculture and hunters have likely shifted with the deer. The mast crop is very important to deer in the mountains.

Al Bourgeois works in Alleghany, Bath and Highland counties and pointed out that public lands that have seen recent cutover are good areas to hunt. Look for areas timbered in the last 10 to 15 years and particularly lands that are adjacent to private farmlands. Check with the local Forest Service office to inquire as to the most recent timbered tracts.

Bourgeois also recommended taking time off during the early muzzleloader season to bag a deer.

NORTHERN PIEDMONT REGION
The Northern Piedmont harvest was up 7.3 percent from the previous season. There were 20,342 antlered bucks taken and 4,562 button bucks tagged. The doe harvest of 21,632 animals made up 46.5 percent of the total take by hunters.

This region is perhaps the fastest developing part of the state, making it tougher and tougher for hunters to find tracts of land to hunt. Although the best hunting appears to be in the northern and western portions of the region, there exists great hunting in the suburbs of northern Virginia too.

Hunters should be sure to try public land, such as Quantico Marine Base, Ft. Belvoir and Merrimac WMA in Prince William County. All three areas are loaded with deer and they need to be thinned out. The entire region has very liberal doe days that hunters may use. We also spoke to Mike Dye who works the region. Dye recommends hunters consider trying northern Albemarle (north of I-64) or Fauquier County.

"These areas have high populations of deer, and hunting permission can be somewhat easily obtained.

"Dog hunters can be very successful in most of the areas as well, especially in young pine plantations, which are common in Spotsylvania and Louisa counties. Dogs are particularly helpful during December when deer movement has slowed," he added.

All of the biologists we spoke to feel that the upcoming season will be a good one for hunters that do some scouting. Take a doe or even a few does this year and enjoy the great hunting this fall!