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2012 Deer Harvest Results are Up From Last Year Almost a quarter of all deer killed this year in New York

Hunters killed approximately 243,000 deer during the 2012-13 hunting seasons, about 6 percent more than the previous year, according to state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens.

With a population of approximately one million deer in New York State, almost a quarter of the population was killed last year.

Life for many, if not most deer, is one of that ends with a hunter's bullet.  At the current rate, that means if not this year, the next one… or the next…. It means the average life span of a deer in New York will be four years.

A deer can live up to 14 years.

“Deer hunting is a long-standing tradition in New York, providing shared recreation and a valuable source of food for many families,” said Martens.

The 2012 deer take included approximately 124,000 females and fawns and 119,000 adult bucks.

Through most of New York, hunters can take a buck of any age.  This past year, 44 percent of harvested bucks statewide were 2.5 years or older.

Western New York and the Finger Lakes Region perennially lead the state in total deer-harvest densities.  Hunters are encouraged to take more antlerless deer to reduce deer populations toward desired levels.

 

 

 

Niagara Falls Reporter - Publisher Frank Parlato Jr. www.niagarafallsreporter.com

Apr30, 2013