Season Dates: Archery season is Sept. 15 to Jan. 31. Muzzleloader season varies between early October and November on private and public lands. Shotgun season opens in early December.

The Grade: C-

OK, so “Rhode Island” and “deer hunting” don’t go hand in hand. But there are still good numbers of whitetails in this largely urban state, to the tune of about 2,500 deer or so harvested per year and there's about 46,000 acres of public hunting land. Seasons are simple and liberal, and tags are available over the counter. If you hunt deer in Rhode Island and have access, you know it's a good place to hunt and licenses are cheap.

Antler Nation Knowledge: Rhode Island may have only three bucks in the Boone and Crockett records, but that’s not bad considering the state's small size. Rhode Island produces some nice bucks every year, including Pope and Young candidates.