The NYSDEC recently released the harvest report for the 2018 deer season.
The county in which I live, located in western NYS, saw a harvest of 11,829 deer here in Steuben County, roughly an even split between the sexes.
Total take for the state was 227,787, a bit above the recent average. I wouldn't be surprised if the roadkill added a similar number.
Over the years I had begun to think of myself as quite the deer hunter. In reality, I was simply hunting in places that were getting better. We have deer dying of old age in many areas.
I hunt 3 different "woods" and saw deer on most of my outings over the season. It is easy to get 3-5 tags here.
Last, the state thinks that hunters actually reporting is up to about 50%. I'm not sure what that suggests about the accuracy of their statistics.
