"One thing driving our increasing harvest is our encouragement to get hunters to take antlerless deer," Sasser said. "We want them to take advantage of the healthy meat and take it home with them. If we don't think we will fill all of our NCWRC DMAP tags, we have staff go out to shoot a few deer. Last year, we filled our 60 antlerless deer tags."

There are several ways hunters can participate in a Howell Woods deer hunt. Wild pigs may be taken at any time during a deer hunt.

The first type of hunt is the lottery hunt. There are 12 slots spread throughout the entire season, with four lottery slots per hunt. People can enter as many times as they want at $10 per application and there is an additional $75 fee for hunters who are drawn for a lottery hunt.

The next level of hunt is the Stewardship hunt. With Stewardship hunts, the hunter pays a flat fee that guarantees a hunting slot for the dates requested. Only 15 hunters are allowed per hunt, which leaves 11 slots for Stewardship hunts along with the designated four slots for lottery hunts. Hunts are typically held Wednesday through Saturday and there are four hunts held during the hunting season. There is also an all-volunteer hunt. Volunteers who work 40 hours receive a two-day hunt in return. The volunteer hunts can be donated to friends.

"We have deer hunters who arrive in groups of two or three, but for pig hunts in spring we get larger parties," Sasser said. "We have a core of volunteers who hunt many days for free."

The final way of hunting is called the Donor Hunt. Donors pay a large fee ($1,500 last season), which allows them to hunt on dates when no hunt is in progress, as well as scheduled hunt dates. Donors are each allowed to set up two stands of their own, with the spots they select approved by the Howell Woods staff so they will not interfere with other hunters or other aspects of the center's operation. There is a limit to the total number of days the donors can hunt.

"We have seven donor slots," Sasser said. "Our donors tend to be dedicated sportsmen, who help us in lots of other ways. A few donor slots open up each season and we award them on a first-come, first-served basis."

Each hunter is required to pass an examination once per year. The test is an open book test and covers safety rules, hunting regulations and rules specific to hunting at Howell Woods. Hunters may use ATVs to get to their stand sites but must wear safety helmets. No alcoholic beverages are allowed on the site.

In the past, the tests were administered on-site. But now, hunters can elect to have the test and study materials sent to them by e-mail. They may bring the completed tests with them for grading or have them graded by e-mail. The test takes 45 minutes to complete.