Hunters in New York harvested an estimated 253,990 deer during the 2020-21 hunting seasons, an increase of 13% from last year.
"With a 7% increase in licensed deer hunters, a 30% increase in antlerless harvest, and two new record-breaking bucks taken by bowhunters, 2020 was a remarkable year, said Commissioner Basil Seggos.
The 2020 estimated deer take included 137,557 antlerless deer and 116,433 antlered bucks. Statewide, this represents a 30% increase in antlerless harvest and a 3% decrease in buck harvest from the last season.
Whether with a bow, muzzleloader or rifle, hunters targeted antlerless deer more in 2020 than 2019. Hunters took 33,260 deer in the Northern Zone, a 10% increase from 2019, primarily due to increased antlerless harvest.
Southern Zone hunters took 220,730 deer, a 14% increase from 2019, also because of increased antlerless harvest.
Increased antlerless harvests may have been due to more hunter afield during the ongoing pandemic. Overall, the number of licensed big game hunters increased to just over 588,000, approximately 7% more than 2019. The number of bowhunters increased 10%, reaching a new high of more than 251,000, and the number of muzzleloader hunters increased 6% to more than 253,600.
After several years of declining participation, the number of youth deer hunters ages 14 to 15 increased by 23%. Approximately 6% more Deer Management Permits (antlerless tags) were issued than in 2019, and hunters were more successful filling DMPs at a greater rate than prior years, resulting in a 34% increase.
Notable numbers from the season include: 16.9 and 0.6 -- number of deer taken per square mile in the units with the highest (WMU 8R) and lowest (WMU 5F) harvest density; 61.7% -- the portion of the adult buck harvest that was 2.5 years or older statewide, up from 45% a decade ago, and 30% in the 1990s; 45% -- portion of successful deer hunters that reported their harvest, which is down from 52% in 2019; 14,825 -- hunter-harvested deer checked by DEC staff in 2020 to determine hunter reporting rate and collect biological data age, sex, antler data more than 56,000 deer for CWD since 2002.
DEC tested 2,720 harvested deer across the state and found no evidence of CWD in the herd. DEC partners with cooperating meat processors and taxidermists to obtain samples for testing each year.