WINDHAM — Ryan Mackey wasted no time bagging his first deer.

The 21-year-old took a doe on the first day of bow season, Sept. 15. in Pelham near Moeckel Pond.

If the state's deer kill falls in line with projections, the young hunter has a good chance of taking another whitetail after the firearm season opens.

The 2009 deer hunt outlook calls for a 5 to 10 percent increase over the 10,916 deer killed statewide in 2008, said Kent Gustafson of the state Fish and Game Department.

Last year, Rockingham County led all counties with 1,990 deer taken, trailed by Grafton County's 1,780 and Hillsborough County's 1,564.

Last winter started "ugly," with lots of snow, but ended with early melting, Gustafson said.

The conditions favored good fawn production and survival, which bodes well for hunting season, Gustafson said. He said big, 200-pound-plus deer were still being taken throughout New Hampshire last year.

"They pop up all over the state," Gustafson said.

Still, the biggest deer tend to lurk in the northern part of the state.

The biggest deer on record was taken in Coos County in 1985, weighing 289 pounds, field dressed. The biggest deer in 2008 was killed in Grafton County, weighing 250 pounds.

Deer in at least some Southern New Hampshire locations will have plenty of acorns to eat, according to reports Gustafson has heard.

Mackey said the forest floor is spread thick with acorns in spots.

"It looks like a really heavy drop," he said.

The abundance of food will spread the deer out, since they can find the nutritious nut in many locations, rather than just a few feeding grounds.

"It's good for the deer going into winter, but it can make the hunting a challenge because they are not concentrated in one area," Mackey said.

Mackey, a college student who studies atmospheric science, shot his first deer when he was 11 years old.

He said he does a lot scouting in the off-season, and avails himself of technology to get a sense of where the deer are keeping themselves. He looks at Google Earth to find open areas where the deer may congregate.

Mackey also hangs cameras with motion sensors to identify their movements. But he's also seeing a lot of traditional signs of deer, such as tracks and antler scrapings.

"There's a lot of well-used trails," he said.

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Deer season 2009

Archery: Sept. 15-Dec. 15, (end dates may vary by WMU)

Muzzleloader: Oct. 31-Nov. 10, (beginning dates may vary by WMU)

Firearms: Nov. 11-Dec. 6, (end dates may vary by WMU)

Youth Deer Weekend: Oct. 24-25