"Help us out -- be a deer manager and kill a doe," responded Steffen. "Our management goal in much of the state is to kill more does and control deer population growth. We need more hunters to embrace the philosophy that harvesting does is good for the deer population, other citizens, and the habitat as a whole.

"As deer hunter numbers are decreasing, deer damage issues have increased. These factors make it even more important for hunters to be deer managers, so that the game department, in turn, can more effectively manage the state's deer herd on behalf of all of Virginia's citizens."

TAKE A STAND: FIELDS OR FORESTS?
One of my biggest sources of indecision now is where to take a stand. Steffen provided insight on this question.

"Because deer are shifting to grass and browse, fields and edges are often where the food is at this time of year," he offered. "This is especially true if acorn production has been poor or spotty. But if the acorn crop has been good, many deer will still be in the woods now. On the other hand, if an area has a lot of row crops or waste grain still on the ground, the deer may be feeding in the open."

Last year, Steffen and I had the opportunity to go afield the last week of the late muzzleloader season in Franklin County. The attraction -- a farmer had just bush-hogged a field of standing corn, and kernels were scattered about. We arrived early in the afternoon and patiently waited until dark on our stands that were 100 yards or so apart. Yet, neither of us ever glimpsed a whitetail come to the corn. Even what sometimes appears to be a sure thing at this time of year, often is anything but. Again, the late muzzleloading season is a difficult time to place a tag on a Virginia whitetail of either sex.

PRIVATE LAND OR PUBLIC?
Steffen related that in general, private land usually hosts more deer than the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, state wildlife management areas and state forests.

"But if the acorn crop has been good, hunters can still experience good late-season hunting on public land," he said. "But in the absence of acorns, deer will be much harder to come by in the national forest or any forest."

DO VIRGINIA'S DEER YARD?
Deer biologists have known for years that whitetails, especially those dwelling in the northern United States, particularly from northern Pennsylvania on into Canada, yard. Yarding is the phenomenon where deer gather in great numbers during the winter, specifically in areas where good thermal cover exists. Yarding enables deer to reduce their energy expenditure because they are more protected from the cold. Ideally, yarding areas also should possess a reliable wintertime food source nearby. Places where Northern deer typically yard include stands where conifers such as spruce, hemlock, and northern white cedar flourish. Deer from miles away will venture to these locales and often spend several months there or until the spring thaw.

Steffen said, however, that Old Dominion whitetails do not yard.