Last season was yet another record breaker in terms of total deer harvest: There were over a quarter million deer harvested by hunters in Virginia. Forty-seven percent of the harvest was composed of does. The VDGIF biologists have manipulated seasons each year to include liberalizing doe days. In doing so, they have given hunters plenty of opportunity to harvest does in most areas. For many hunters, opportunities to put a doe in the freezer means that they are more likely to pass on smaller bucks than they were in the past.

Instead, hunters wait for a real wallhanger.

Last season, hunters harvested 111,863 antlered bucks and 22,291 button bucks for a total of 134,154. This is up from the 2007 season, when 109,275 antlered and 22,088 button bucks were taken, totaling 132,083 bucks.

As the chart accompanying this article shows, Charles City County led the state with respect to the number of bucks taken per square mile. Charles City was also the top county last year by this measure. They were replaced by Grayson, Cumberland, Richmond and Westmoreland in the top 20 list.

Tidewater Region
Last season, Tidewater hunters took 26,062 antlered bucks, which is an increase of approximately 2,000 from the previous season. Nine counties made the top 10 list of bucks harvested per square mile from the region including the top two spots.

Todd Engelmeyer is the wildlife biologist we tapped to get the lowdown on buck hunting the region. Engelmeyer readily noted that there were two areas in the region that stood out for big bucks.

"Hunters south of the James River consistently find quality bucks, particularly on private lands that practice Quality Deer Management (QDM). Many of these lands or clubs are also in the DMAP program."

Engelmeyer went on to point out that Surry, Sussex and Southampton hunters are doing a great job in managing for quality bucks, and it is paying off. There is a high density of bucks in the region.

The second area that Engelmeyer said really produced some monster bucks was the Eastern Shore.

"There are several factors that impact the buck size and numbers on the Eastern Shore. First, the soil is good and a whopping 26 percent of (the Eastern Shore) is in agriculture. Much of that farmland is irrigated too. Soybeans and corn are common. The Eastern Shore has nearly 30 percent of land that is marsh, which provides excellent cover, allowing the bucks to grow much older."

Many hunters shy away from hunting past the fringes of the marsh. Some dogs won't even venture out into the marsh -- and the older bucks have figured that out.

Many private lands on our Eastern Shore also are practicing QDM.

Last, there are public lands in the form of the numerous small military bases that are looking for hunters to help manage their herds. Call the MWR department on local bases to see what hunting opportunities may exist.

Southern Piedmont Region
The buck harvest was down slightly in the Southern Piedmont region this past season, with 27,905 antlered bucks taken and 4,888 button bucks for a total of 32,793, compared with a harvest of 33,215 bucks during the 2007-2008 season. However, statistically speaking, the small drop is insignificant -- even when deer populations are the same from year to year, harvests can vary by more than last season's drop. Last year's kill numbers represent a stable harvest figure and are of no cause for alarm.