JF Griffin - Index

JF Griffin - magazine - Index

New Jersey’s Outstanding White-tailed Deer Program, initiated
in 1964, includes categories for typical and non-typical
antlered deer taken with bow, shotgun and muzzleloading rifle,
in addition to the weight categories listed below . A velvet category
is added for early bow season deer .
In the Antlered
Division, New Jersey’s
Outstanding Deer
Program uses the most
common system in North
America used for rating
antlers as developed by
the Boone and Crockett
Club . This scoring system
Category Minimum score
Typical Firearm 125
Non-typical Firearm 135
Typical Archery 125
Non-typical Archery 135
Typical Muzzleloader 125
Non-typical Muzzleloader 135
gives credit to antler length, spread, number of points, massiveness
and symmetry . This measurement system also is used by the
Pope & Young Club’s Bowhunting Big Game Records Program .
Deer must have been taken under the rules of fair chase . It is
best to have the rack measured before it is mounted . Don’t wait!
In the Weight Division, the program recognizes exceptional
body size as determined by the field dressed weight, including
heart and liver removed . Two categories, one for bucks reaching
or exceeding 200 pounds (proof of weight must be confirmed on
a certified scale* for buck entries - no truck scales** - with the
weighmaster’s signature on a letterhead receipt or on the entry
form, available on our Web site) and one for field dressed does
reaching or exceeding 135 pounds (witnessed, non-certified scale
at a deer check station or Fish and Wildlife regional office) .
Any properly licensed hunter, regardless of residency, is
eligible to enter the Outstanding Deer Program . Deer must
be taken in accordance with New Jersey wildlife laws and
regulations . Applications are due Oct . 1 . Additional rules
are included on the official application forms . These forms
with instructions are available on Fish and Wildlife’s Web
site www .NJFishandWildlife .com/outdeer .htm or send a selfaddressed,
stamped envelope to: NJ Division of Fish and
Wildlife, Outstanding Deer Program, P .O . Box 400, Trenton, NJ
08625-0400 . State the type of form (Antlered Division, typical
or non-typical; Weight Division, 200 Pound Buck or 135 Pound
Doe) . There is no entry fee .
All qualified entries will be added to New Jersey’s All Time
List . For questions, call (609) 633-7598 .
Qualifying entries for deer taken during the previous hunting
seasons are displayed and recognized at the annual Garden State
Deer Classic . Join Fish and Wildlife in celebrating New Jersey’s
outstanding white-tailed deer at the Deer Classic in January at
the Garden State Outdoor Sportsmen’s Show . See the ad on
page 84 for details .
The table below is a list of the top-scoring deer and the hunters
who participated in the 2008 Garden State Deer Classic .
The Classic showcased the outstanding deer taken during the
2006-2007 deer hunting seasons, not the past 2007-08 hunting
seasons. These will be honored at the January 2009 Deer Classic .
* see entry form. A certified scale might be available at the following businesses:
- Warehouse with shipping department
- Concrete, sand and gravel company
- Junk yard or scrap metal recycler
- Marina with party and charter boat fishing
Or contact your county weights and measures office. Be sure to locate a scale
before the hunting season begins!
** A truck scale is not acceptable as the increments are too large.
Wildlife Programs
Outstanding Deer
2008 Garden State Deer Classic Winners*
Rank Name Score / Weight County Harvested DM Zone
Typical Archery
1st Steven Kotz 161 3/8 Somerset 12
2nd Joseph Leotta 149 7/8 Gloucester 35
3rd Larry Hunt 144 4/8 Cumberland 28
Non-typical Archery
1st Robert Staudt, Jr. 178 7/8 Somerset 14
2nd Dante Spina Jr. 178 6/8 Salem 27
3rd Humberto Herrera 172 1/8 Monmouth 16
3rd Michael Castro 172 1/8 Monmouth 50
Typical Shotgun
1st Paul E. Jones 167 7/8 Hunterdon 11
2nd Samantha Pankow 160 1/8 Hunterdon 10
3rd John Casciano 155 0/8 Gloucester 49
Non-typical Shotgun
1st David A. Thomas 159 2/8 Middlesex 50
2nd Mark Spoto 155 7/8 Monmouth 51
3rd Jeff Mellilo 148 6/8 Monmouth 50
Typical Muzzleloader
1st John Wood 155 2/8 Hunterdon 12
2nd J. Shaun Dalrymple 147 6/8 Sussex 67
3rd Jeff Hagerty 143 7/8 Warren 7
135 Pound Doe - Archery
1st Jerry Yaros 141 lbs. Middlesex 14
200 Pound Buck - Archery
1st Dean Duca 220 lbs. Gloucester 35
2nd Scott Breen 210 lbs. Sussex 2
3rd Kenneth Baker 203 lbs. Morris 13
Physically Challenged - Typical Crossbow
1st Walter Burbela 141 2/8 Mercer 12
2nd Joseph Gulli 138 0/8 Gloucester 49
* For deer harvested during the 2006-07 hunting seasons.
Omission: Last year’s chart omitted the first place entry of the Physically
Challenged - Typical Crossbow category won by Guido Basile with his 133 1/8
deer. Congratulations!
August 2008 For more information contact New Jersey New Jersey Fish & Wildlife Digest | 85
Division of Fish and Wildlife at (609)292-2965 2008 Hunting and Trapping Issue