About 90 percent of East Lynn is covered in oak-hickory forest. Dotson said it essentially is a "vast wilderness, with some dirt roads leading back into it. Each year two or three really nice bucks are taken from East Lynn," he reported.

Access into the interior of the tract can be accomplished on foot, but Dotson said many hunters use boats to get to the more remote sections of the area.

"The lake has numerous forks you can boat back into to reach areas tough to get to on foot," he noted. A boat also makes it feasible to get a deer out of the woods.

Located 15 miles southeast of Wayne, access to the area situated north of the lake is via state Route (SR) 37, and the southern portion can be reached via SR 152. A campground is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. For additional information, contact Resource Manager, East Lynn Lake, HC 85, Box 35-C, East Lynn, WV 25512; or call (304) 849-2355.

"Beech Fork has more habitat diversity," Dotson stated. "It's a bit harder to hunt than East Lynn. Gated roads lead into the area. Like East Lynn, many hunters use boats, working their way back up the two arms that make up the lake."

The cover at Beech Fork is made up of oak, hickory and pine. Located five miles south of Huntington, the area can be accessed from the west via state Route 152 and from the northeast via state Route 10 and Heath Creek Road. A 275-site year-round campground is available. For more information, contact the state park at (304) 528-5794 or the Corps of Engineers at (304) 525-4831.

Campgrounds and cabins are available for a fee. For more information on Cabwaylingo State Forest, write or call the West Virginia Division of Forestry, 1900 Kanawha Blvd., East, Charleston, WV 25305-0180; or call (304) 558-2788.

The all-time top five rankings for the typical whitetail taken with firearms are Junior Bates with a 185 4/8 scoring trophy taken in Nicholas County in 1994; William Given with a 182 3/8 buck bagged in 1976 in Braxton County; Randolph County produced the No. 3 typical gun whitetail in 1967, a 180 5/8 inch buck bagged by Joseph Volitis; Thomas Nicholson took his 180 3/8-inch trophy from Lewis County in 1977; Wiley Dorsey rounds out the top five with a Calhoun County brute that was bagged in 1991 and scores 179 7/8.

The DNR, the West Virginia Izaak Walton League, and the West Virginia Bowhunters' Association sponsor the annual Big Buck Contest. Bucks taken during the fall and winter hunting seasons are eligible. Any hunter who bags a deer in West Virginia with antlers having 8 or more points, a 26-inch beam length, and points that are more than 8 inches long may have a qualifying buck. Antlers will be measured according to the official scoring system for North American big-game animals established by the Boone and Crockett Club for gun hunters and the Pope and Young Club for bowhunters.

Plaques are awarded to four overall first-place scores in typical and non-typical firearms categories and bow typical and non-typical classes at the National Hunting and Fishing Day Celebration held at Stonewall Jackson State Park on the last weekend in September.

Gun hunters whose bucks score more than 140 points typical or 165 non-typical will receive certificates commemorating the entry of their buck into the Big Buck record keeping program. Bowhunters whose bucks score more than 125 points typical or 155 non-typical will also receive certificates. There were 82 new entries into the Big Buck Records last year that were taken during the 2002 season. The season total showed that 17 trophy bucks were taken by gun hunters and 65 by bowhunters. Bucks taken in previous years may still be scored for a certificate (if it meets the minimum score) and entry into the records.

Hunters wishing to have their deer scored for this contest should contact the closest official measurer through any wildlife district office, or the Elkins operations center; phone numbers and addresses are listed in the current hunting regulations booklet. Appointments must be made for scoring trophies. Many hunters have their deer scored by official measurers during the West Virginia Hunting and Fishing Show, held at the Charleston Civic Center, in late January. Hunters will be required to read and sign a fair chase affidavit. The hunter must bring an official game check tag with the antlers to be measured.