The Peru Gazette

Hunters harvested an estimated 203,427 deer during the 2017-18 hunting seasons, about 5% fewer than in 2016-17. The 2017-18 estimated deer take included 95,623 antlerless deer and 107,804 antlered bucks. Statewide, this represents a 10% decline in antlerless harvest and nearly identical buck harvest as in 2016.

Two items of note from the season: hunters took a greater percentage of older bucks and the portion of successful hunters who reported their harvest increased.

With 53.3% of the adult buck harvest as 2.5 years or older, hunters took an estimated 57,494 older bucks, setting a record in total number and greatest percentage of older bucks in the harvest. Many hunters are choosing to voluntarily Let Young Bucks Go and Watch Them Grow.

The portion of successful hunters who reported their harvest as required by state law increased from 44% in recent years to 50% in 2017. Along with our Take It · Tag It · Report It campaign, DEC has made the process of harvest reporting substantially easier for hunters, providing phone, internet, and mobile app options. Harvest reports are critically important for accurate monitoring of deer harvests, and we hope hunters increasingly contribute to the management process by complying with the reporting requirements.