Season Dates: Archery season runs Oct. 6-28 through Dec. 1-9. Youth weekend is Nov. 3-4; rifle season is Nov. 10-25; muzzleloader season is Dec. 1-9.

The Grade: B

With ample amounts of public land, including the Green Mountain National Forest, numerous state forests and an admirable Wildlife Management Area system, Vermont has plenty of room to roam. Much of the state is the kind of place where you better have a compass (in case your GPS dies), to get back to a road. Tags are available over the counter, with a simple season structure to adhere to. You don't come to Vermont for a Boone and Crockett buck – it’s the hunting tradition that counts – but some big boys do roam the state.

Antler Nation Knowledge: America once had a first family of deer hunting, known as the Benoits. A generation ago, Larry, Lanny and the gang were the talk of the hunting world with their deer tracking exploits. They would get on a track in the morning and follow it until they got the buck or had to trudge out of the wilderness in the dark. They shot some big bucks, and Vermont was their home turf (though they hunted Maine and other places as well).