The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) reports an estimated 223,304 deer were harvested during the 2024 to 2025 hunting season, marking a 9% increase in antlered bucks and a 3% rise in antlerless deer. Despite these increases, the total harvest remains below the five-year average, highlighting ongoing trends in deer management and hunting practices in the state.
The DEC emphasizes the importance of ethical hunting as it continues to monitor the deer population, having checked nearly 13,500 deer for biological data this season. Although a case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was confirmed in a captive red deer herd, testing found no signs of the disease in the wild population, reassuring hunters and conservationists alike.
Read full story at www.news10.com
