The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced that hunters in New York harvested an estimated 223,304 deer during the 2024-25 hunting seasons. In addition, DEC announced the release of a report noting agency actions in response to the Herkimer County chronic wasting disease (CWD) incident and the State’s plans for continued, intensified disease surveillance.
“New York hunters had another safe and productive hunting season, providing a sustainable food source for themselves and their families and helping DEC manage the state’s deer herd,” said DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton. “By engaging in safe and ethical hunting practices and reporting their harvest, hunters continued the tradition of being conservation stewards. We also thank hunters and responsible landowners for assisting in actions to reduce the spread of CWD to New York’s white-tailed deer and moose populations to help protect the future of deer hunting and support the sustainable use of venison.”
The 2024-25 estimated deer harvest included 122,427 antlered bucks (i.e., adult males) and 100,877 antlerless deer (i.e., adult females and fawns of either sex). Statewide, this represents a nine percent increase in antlered buck harvest and a three percent increase in antlerless deer harvest from last season. However, the total deer harvest was slightly below the five-year average. The Western Finger Lakes and Lake Ontario Plains regions had the highest deer harvest densities, with more than 10 deer harvested per square mile in WMUs 8G, 8H, 8M, 8N, 8R, 8S, 8T, and 8X.
Notable Numbers
- 15.7 and 0.6 — number of deer harvested per square mile in the units with the highest (WMU 8R) and lowest (WMU 5F) harvest density.
- 66.9% — portion of the adult buck harvest that was 2.5 years or older statewide, up from 52% a decade ago, and 30% in the 1990s.
- 53.6% — portion of successful deer hunters that reported their harvest as required by law. This is greater than the five-year average of 48.2%.
- 13,488 — number of hunter-harvested deer checked by DEC staff in 2024 to determine hunter reporting rate and collect biological data (e.g., age, sex, antler data). This represents 6% of the total 2024-25 deer harvest.
- 18,372 — number of deer harvested using a crossbow, less than half as many as were taken with a vertical bow.
Deer harvest data are gathered from two main sources: harvest reports required within seven days of harvest of all successful deer 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.
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