DEC voices concern about decrease in deer harvest statewide

By Jennifer Patterson

Hunters across New York State harvested more than 200,000 deer in 2023-2024, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

The harvest included an estimated 112,224 antlered bucks and 97,557 antlerless deer. Statewide, this represents a 3.6 percent decrease in antlered buck harvest and a 15.6 percent decrease in antlerless deer harvest from the previous season.

Of the estimated 209,781 deer taken, more than twice as many older bucks (two-and-a-half years or older) were harvested than in the early 1990s, and nearly five times as many than were harvested in 1969 when the DEC began monitoring the age structure of New York’s deer herd.

“Nearly 70 percent of the bucks harvested by hunters during the 2023-2024 deer hunting seasons were two years or older,” said DEC Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar. “This demonstrates the continued effectiveness of DEC’s Let Young Bucks Go and Watch Them Grow campaign, and the willingness of hunters to voluntarily pass up opportunities at young bucks to improve their future opportunities to harvest older bucks.”

Deer harvest data is gathered from two main sources – harvest reports required within seven days of harvest of all successful deer hunters, and the DEC’s examination of harvested deer at meat processors and check stations across the state. Estimates are then made by cross-referencing these two data sources and calculating the total harvest from the reporting rate for each zone and tag type.

The decrease in antlerless deer harvest, which is about 15 percent lower than the five-year average, is concerning because the DEC manages deer populations through actions that encourage the harvest of antlerless deer. 

Hunting antlerless deer helps ensure populations remain in balance with available habitat and do not exceed levels of public acceptance that can lead to increased crop damage, deer-vehicle collisions, and other negative deer-related impacts. It also helps ensure deer are able to meet their nutritional demands for antler development, fawn recruitment and body growth.

According to the DEC, hunters in some areas of the state are not harvesting enough antlerless deer to manage deer populations effectively. Officials are evaluating various regulatory and non-regulatory alternatives to increase harvest of antlerless deer during future hunting seasons.

All deer hunters are encouraged to harvest at least one antlerless deer during the upcoming 2024-2025 hunting season.

DEC staff and cooperating taxidermists collected biological samples from 2,713 deer throughout last season for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) surveillance. No samples tested positive, and New York State remains CWD-free. Additionally, no outbreaks of epizootic hemorrhagic disease were documented in New York’s deer herd in 2023.

For information, go to https://dec.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2024-05/2023deerrpt.pdf.