MORE DEER COVERAGE • 2004 Deer Outlook, Part 1 • 2004 Rut Report in North American Whitetail Forums

By Mark Fike

The 2003-2004 season was a banner year for hunters seeking bucks in Virginia: Deer hunters harvested a record 140,862 bucks in the state. Last season's harvest, up from 124,932 bucks in 2002-2003, represents a whopping 13 percent increase. Biologists generally consider a fluctuation in harvest figures up to 10 percent as within normal statistical variation, but when the harvest increases by more than 10 percent, the increase is almost certainly a reflection of an increase in the deer herd.

Part of normal variation has to do with weather: Snow, ice and extreme temperatures not only decrease deer movement, but they tend to decrease the number of hunters in the field and the number of hours hunters spend in the field per trip. It is also likely that hunters who go into the field under those conditions are not hunting as efficiently as they would in good weather.

As the record buck harvest suggests, last season most of the state did not experience a terribly bad winter. Another factor that probably helped hunters harvest more deer (and more bucks) was the lack of a good mast crop. The lack of a good crop of acorns put more deer on the move, increasing the chances that stand hunters would see more deer.

Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries biologists would really like to see more hunters pass on younger bucks and take more does. In the long run, taking a big buck is easier if hunters pass on young bucks and focus on controlling the total number of deer by killing more does: Taking a few more does each season frees up more habitat resources, such as food and cover, for the other deer.

Be careful while taking young does that you do not kill a button buck. If possible, glass the deer and look for the buttons before pulling the trigger. Button bucks accounted for 22,295 or 16 percent of the harvest last year, the large majority of which were obviously mistaken for does.

Each year we include statistics for you to study in order to determine a location that offers you the best chances of bagging a buck this season. The data that biologists see as most telling is the number of bucks harvested per square mile.

Photo by Jeff Palmer

Some readers may be accustomed to looking at total harvest figures, but in large counties that may not paint an accurate picture of the deer herd's density. Take Bedford, for example. Bedford has a total buck harvest of 5,294. Bedford, however, is relatively large. York County, on the other hand, did not even make the top 20 counties in total harvest, yet it placed second in the number of bucks per square mile (8.83). When you are in your stand, what matters to you is not how many total deer are killed in the county, but the chances that the buck you are looking for will pass the stand you are sitting in. Simply put: The denser the deer herd, the better the chances that deer will walk by the spot you are hunting.

For years, Loudoun County has led our list of counties with the densest deer herd. Loudoun took the top spot once again with 10.03 bucks harvested per square mile. The counties that followed were York (8.83), Bedford (7.11), Powhatan (7.01) and Clarke (6.60).

The top buck harvest counties are generally in clumps: The most consistently productive counties are in the northern tier of the state. The northern portion of the Southern Mountain region and the western portion of the Southern Piedmont are also great choices for hunters. The lower peninsula of the Tidewater region is also a good bet for filling a buck tag. While plenty of bucks are taken in these "clumps" noted on the map, there are other counties in each region that offer hunters an even better shot at a truly huge buck.

That's because deer habitat has a better chance of growing a trophy buck if the deer population is not too crowded. A hunter needs a chance to see deer, but if he's seeing very high numbers of deer, he's probably looking at a lot of small deer.

Biologists have noted that counties in the lower end of the top 20 list are often better for taking the larger bucks. In order for bucks to grow large racks, they need plenty of food and time to grow the antlers.

Hunters across the state should expect good prospects for taking a buck this season, although some may find that the antler mass is not quite what it could be in some areas. Here is the region-by-region breakdown.

Archers can really take advantage of the suburban areas, as many such areas will allow archery tackle but not firearms hunting in areas with relatively high human populations.

"Our deer herds in the eastern portion of the region are remarkably stable and we have more quality bucks as a result," West said. "Last year, the acorn crop in the region was spotty, a lot of timber was cut, and there is an ongoing increase in suburbanization, which creates more deer habitat. If the region does not see a drought this year, the bucks should be in good shape going into the fall."

Hunters should focus on DMAP clubs while in search of quality bucks. Clubs often manage for larger and better bucks and are willing to keep the doe numbers in check in order to arrive at that goal. Biologists work closely with hunt clubs.

Nor should hunters with access to deer habitat in Northampton and Accomack counties on the Eastern Shore pass up a chance to hunt there. Both of these counties have strains of northern whitetails that tend to grow larger. There are several public lands in the Tidewater Region that offer hunters a chance at a quality buck. The Eastern Shore NWR (757-331-2760), Chincoteague NWR (757-336-6122) and Chickahominy WMA are good destinations. Call Region 1 for more info. (757) 253-7072.

Jim Bowman, wildlife biologist for the region, reports that hunters appear to be putting more pressure on the bucks over the last few years. He would like to see that trend reversed. If the number of does goes down a bit, and younger bucks are not shot, bucks would have more time to mature. This is especially true of Bedford County, which biologists believe needs to see a healthy reduction in does this season.

Overall, the Southern Piedmont Region had the largest number of antlered bucks harvested (30,067) out of all the regions. Leading the way in bucks per square mile was Bedford with 7.11 bucks.

Bedford, Franklin and Amherst also are reportedly the best destinations for hunters wanting to see good racks, according to Bowman. These counties are situated at the foothills of the mountains, where good soils are located. The result is good food sources and better habitat, which translates into quality deer. In the eastern portion of the region, Nottoway and Powhatan get the nod as the best destinations for a real wallhanger.

Public land opportunities in the region are in the form of the George Washington National Forest and many smaller WMAs. All offer decent hunting and over the last few years have seen a decline in hunting pressure. Hunters wishing to harvest a good buck can improve their chances by scouting public lands beforehand and getting farther off the road than other hunters.

Last season, the mast was poor and unpredictable, but the winter was fairly moderate. Hunters with access to farmland may find bucks in better shape, as the food sources were more reliable than the acorn crop was in the mountains.

Finally, Bowman suggests that hunters work cooperatively with adjoining clubs or landowners to manage for quality bucks.

"Management is nearly impossible on small parcels of land, but if a couple hundred acres to a thousand acres can be managed cooperatively, hunters will be pleased with the results," he said.

Allen Boynton is the wildlife biologist from this region. He had a few observations to share with us.

Boynton defines a buck older than 2 1/2 years as a quality buck. Although the figures point to Roanoke and Botetourt as good destinations for filling a buck tag, Boynton says that Floyd is the county he would head to for the better buck hunting. Public land hunters might also consider a trip to Dickenson County to find a wallhanger in the Jefferson National Forest. The deer herd is thriving and relatively new, as this was the last area of the state to reestablish strong deer numbers. The soils are very good. There are scattered oak lots and some pasturelands that make good deer habitat.

Boynton reports that several factors are influencing the prospects for trophy buck hunters.

"The lower buck season limit and higher antlerless deer season limit have tended to reduce pressure on bucks resulting in greater numbers of older bucks," he said. "Hunters will find that a larger percentage of quality bucks are harvested with a muzzleloader too."

The muzzleloader season often coincides with the rut, which puts the large bucks on the move in search of does.

On the down side, poor food resource availability last fall may result in reduced antler growth this season. Regardless, Boynton has no real concerns about the health of the herd, and hunters should have plenty of opportunities to take a nice buck. Scouting ahead of time and having a few backup locations to hunt increase the odds of taking a better buck.

The counties are characterized by hilly, mountainous terrain with rich soils and hardy oaks. Despite the cold and unforgiving winters, the deer thrive in abundant numbers here. In fact, many landowners are beginning to complain about the number of deer and are requiring hunters using their property to harvest more does.

David Kocka is the region's wildlife biologist. He considers a buck to be a quality animal if it tips the scales at 160 to 200 pounds (dressed) with antlers outside the ears and with some mass to the antlers.

Kocka points out that the older bucks can be found near the Shenadoah National Park. The private lands bordering the park are tough to gain access to but well worth the effort. Hunters should not rule out public lands such as the George Washington National Forest.

Kocka offered this advice: "Quality bucks can be found on public lands, but it often requires hunting in remote areas where few other hunters visit. Muzzleloader harvests account for a certain portion of the quality bucks killed each year because the early season occurs when the rut usually hits in western Virginia."

When asked what factors have helped trophy bucks remain in the gene pool, Kocka commented that there were two things that struck him as being effective.

"Removing the bucks from the bonus deer tags and increasing antlerless days have allowed more people to practice quality deer management, and it has increased the likelihood that a quality buck can be found," he said.

Dan Lovelace, regional wildlife biologist, reports that the good news is that sometimes the suburbs make excellent deer habitat and offer a refuge of sorts to bucks, allowing them to grow older.

"Fairfax County is a good example of good deer habitat where quite a number of big bucks thrive. Archers are finding out that this is an untapped resource," he said.

Fort Belvoir and Quantico Marine Corps Base are areas open to the public and offer good opportunities to hunt for quality bucks. Hunters should keep in mind that these military installations are subject to closure for national security reasons.

Each year we tell readers about the great hunting in Loudoun County. We do this for good reason. Loudoun (10.03) almost always leads the top 20 counties in terms of bucks harvested per square mile. Also in the lineup for bucks harvested per square mile are Fauquier (6.46), Rappahannock (5.81), Prince William (5.31), and Culpeper (4.82).

For more on hunting opportunities in the Northern Piedmont call (540) 899-4169.