Hunters in New York harvested more than 224,000 deer in 2019-20 hunting season

ALBANY — Hunters harvested an estimated 224,190 deer in New York state during the 2019-20 hunting season, Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced on March 30.

The harvest figure included 103,787 antlerless deer, down 9 percent from the prior-year harvest, and 120,403 antlered bucks, up 6 percent from last season.

The deer take during bowhunting season increased 18 percent over 2018-19, while it dropped about 6 percent during the regular and muzzleloader seasons.

Deer-harvest data are compiled by cross-referencing reports required of successful hunters with examination of harvested deer at check stations and meat processors.

The DEC tested 2,658 hunter-harvested deer for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in 2019-20. CWD is a highly contagious fatal disease that “poses a significant threat to New York’s wild white-tailed deer herd.” None of the deer tested positive.

“Regulated hunting benefits all New Yorkers by reducing the negative impacts of deer on forests, communities, and crop producers, while also providing more than 10 million pounds of high quality, local protein to families and food pantries around the state every year,” Commissioner Seggos said in a statement.