The white-tailed deer, black bear and wild turkey harvest totals were record-setting highs for 2020.
The preliminary deer harvest report for 2020 is 14,331—the second highest harvest on record. The previous record of 14,516 was set in 2018; 13,891 deer were taken in 2019. Final numbers will be available this spring.
Preliminary harvest figures for 2020 by season: Youth Deer Hunt Day: 120; Paraplegic Deer Hunt: 2; Archery Season: 6,552; Shotgun Season: 4,855; Primitive Firearms Season: 2,802. Harvest data from previous years is available online.
The 2020 black bear harvest set a new record with 325 bears taken, breaking the previous record of 283 from 2014. Both the September and November seasons also showed record high harvests. Bear harvest totals in Massachusetts tend to be cyclical, with high harvest years following lower years.
The last few seasons were relatively low, so the spike in harvest is not surprising. The record harvest also reflects the continued growth and expansion of the Massachusetts bear population. It also reflects the increase in hunter effort in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2020 totals by season are for September: 236; November: 57; December: 32; and Statewide total: 325. Find previous years’ harvest totals online.
The spring turkey harvest for 2020 was 3,310—the highest spring season harvest ever recorded. The record harvest can likely be attributed to the increase in hunter effort that resulted from COVID-19 closures. The 2020 fall turkey harvest was 256, the highest fall season total in over 20 years. An expanded fall archery season and an increased annual limit likely contributed to the high fall harvest. Past season totals are also available online.