Number Of Deer Harvested Increased During 2022-23 Season

NEW YORK — The number of deer harvested during the 2022-23 hunting season increased from the previous year.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation said hunters in New York took 231,961 deer, a 10 percent increase from last year.

Commissioner Basil Seggos said the DEC established several new deer hunting opportunities in 2021 and hunters took advantage of them during the 2022 season.

“Increased hunter success combined with recovering deer populations contributed to an overall increase in total deer harvest,” he said.

The estimated deer take for 2022-23 included 116,425 antlered bucks and 115,536 antlerless deer.

Statewide, there was a 5 percent increase in antlered buck harvest and a 15 percent increase in antlerless deer from last season.

Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) affected areas of the Hudson Valley and eastern shores of Lake Ontario in 2020 and 2021, resulting in reduced deer hunting success in these areas. Increases in buck harvest, which DEC tracks as an index of deer population abundance, during the 2022-23 seasons indicate that deer populations in affected areas are recovering.

Deer harvest data are gathered from two main sources — harvest reports required of all successful hunters, and DEC’s examination of harvested deer at meat processors and check stations across the state.

Harvest estimates are made by cross-referencing these two data sources and calculating the total harvest from the reporting rate for each zone and tag type. DEC’s 2022 Deer Harvest Summary report provides tables, charts, and maps detailing the deer harvest around the state and can be found on DEC’s website. Past harvest summaries are also available on DEC’s website.