Deer harvest and age numbers by geographic location tell the story of hunter success and wildlife management goals. NYSDEC Illustration

Deer talk among hunters in NYSDEC Region 9 varies from good news stories to stories that have no good news. Almost all of the stories have to do with seeing deer, not necessarily shooting deer. The most exciting stories are about taking home a big buck surprise.

The late archery, muzzleloader and crossbow season started last Monday and will run through next Tuesday, Dec. 17. These late (and early) extended seasons add more discussion and, sometimes, controversy to conservation club meetings. The comments usually follow along with, “The NYS hunting seasons are too long, and there are no deer, or why do we have so many deer seasons in New York? I never see any deer anymore?”

The expanded hunting seasons do allow other hunter groups to engage with the big game hunting scene in New York outside of the early archery and regular firearm season. The expanded season hunters often prefer to hunt with fewer people in the woods. As an aging hunter, I like the extra seasons for deer hunting with other implements outside the more customary rifle and shotgun. I think the extra seasons help retain certain hunter groups, especially aging hunters who want to simply walk in the woods, a slow walk, stop, look, walk and repeat. They stop and sit occasionally, and if they drag a scent line on their boot, well, you never know what might be following them a half-hour later.

On the side of stories with no good news, there are tales of all-day treestand sits in the regular firearm season with no observed deer for two or three days straight. Of course, there might have been a nap or two (or three) in there, as we all know. It’s after the last day of hunting in a situation like that when hunters complain about deer management, more precisely, over-management — too many doe permits issued to be exact. Yet, if you ask the same hunters the question of whether they would shoot a doe if they had the chance, they will usually say no. They wanted a buck. Across the country, deer harvest numbers tell a story that should be shared.

According to the National Deer Association, across the country, 41% of hunters shoot a deer each year, and 18% shoot more than one. In New York, the numbers still need to be put in for this year, but hunters took 209,781 deer last year. That includes 112,224 antlered bucks and 97,557 antlerless deer (does). Compared to the year before, that’s about 3.6% fewer deer total, but more substantially, about 15.6% fewer antlerless deer. With numbers like that, the DEC usually tends to increase the number of permits the following year because they are attempting to mitigate negative deer impacts: deer-vehicle accidents, farmer complaints, etc. With regard to the buck harvest, the harvest included more than double the number of bucks aged two-and-a-half years or older when compared to 25 years ago.

Among other good news stories from the NYSDEC, 49.9% of all NYS hunters reported their harvest as required by law. This essential information allows the DEC to cross-reference the tags turned in with the deer at processing stations, estimate their management goals and ensure the sustainability of the deer population. Turning in your harvest report is a testament to the hunter’s role in wildlife management.

To delve deeper into the harvest numbers by county, locality within the county, and other similar data, download the NYSDEC 2023-24 White-tailed Deer Harvest Summary Report. This comprehensive report, available online in pdf form, provides a detailed breakdown of the harvest. For instance, in Chautauqua County, 8,886 deer were harvested, with hunters taking 3.7 adult bucks per square mile and 3.4 does per square mile. The report also highlights the variety of hunting methods used, with 63.5% of the harvest coming from a rifle or shotgun, 17.5% from a bow, 10.7% from a muzzleloader, 0.2% from a handgun, and 8.0% from a crossbow.

Gotta love the outdoors.

CALENDAR

Nov. 23 to Jan. 19: Late Canada goose season — South Area. See syllabus.

Nov. 30 to Dec. 14: Pennsylvania regular (firearms) deer season. See https://www.pgc.pa.gov.

Dec. 9-17: NYS Southern Zone late big game season for archery, muzzleloader and crossbow.

Dec. 15: Last day of NYS Great Lakes musky season.

Dec. 26 to Jan. 1: NYS Southern Zone holiday deer hunt Season for archery, muzzleloader and crossbow.

NOTE: Send Calendar info or related outdoor news to forrestfisher35@yahoo.com.