New York Deer Population An estimated 933,000 deer on average for 2023 based on hunting data, down from 955,000 in 2022. An informal state estimate of 1.2 million deer pre-hunt in 2021 with about 950,000 post-hunt for an average of 1,075,000 deer. Populations up in 2019, stable to slightly increasing in 2020 and 2021. A mild 2015-16 winter increased populations into 2016 for an estimated 900,000 deer. A population increase into 2017 as the herd recovers from the harsh 2014-15 winter. The population was estimated to be over 1 million around 2001 with some estimates at 1.5 million, the highest estimated population. The 2023-24 Dear Season Forecast.
New York Deer News
City Of Norwich Deer Survey Results July 25, 2024 New York, The Evening Sun
... The survey was open for approximately six weeks ... , 65 percent saw no problem with the deer, and 35 percent felt deer presented a problem. In reviewing the results, the committee has determined there was not enough response to continue...
Costing nearly $2.5 million, NYC extends Staten Island deer vasectomy program for 5 years July 3, 2024 New York, Staten Island Advance
... New York City data shows an outside-the-box deer control program is paying off, and officials confirmed last week that the effort would continue for another five years... there had been a 60% decrease in deer vehicle collisions and an overall decrease in in black-legged ticks seen on the Island...
Hero Fights off Bobcat to Save Baby Deer in New York June 7, 2024 WIBX 950
... Dan Thorp heard an animal crying for help ... a baby fawn being dragged by a huge bobcat he says was almost 3 times the size of the deer... "I yelled and stomped and the cat dropped the deer...
Deer rescued from mini hockey net after two weeks June 5, 2024 New York, UPI on MSN
... Amherst Police Department said on social media that the buck was seen wandering with the net over its face and antlers for at least two weeks...
Oneonta, City making progress on deer management plan May 22, 2024 New York, The Daily Star
... the city is making progress on a deer management plan, which includes fencing off food sources and seeking a permit to hunt around the city reservoir... samples of plants that deer don’t like to eat for residents to see...
Bill would help prevent collisions with wildlife by providing them a pathway across New York May 20, 2024, Spectrum News
... The New York State Department of Transportation estimates there are 65,000 deer-vehicle collisions every year... If the bill is signed, it would direct state transportation agencies to identify wildlife crossing opportunities... VIDEO
Westchester Village Urged to Use Humane, Non-lethal Deer and Wildlife Management May 17, 2024 New York, yonkerstimes
... Animal Defenders of Westchester (ADOW) is urging the Village of Irvington to avoid a proposed deer slaughter, in favor of humane, non-lethal considerations. The village of Irvington in Westchester County is proposing a bow hunt ...
Hunters in NY took fewer deer last season; steep decrease in antlerless harvest 'concerning' May 16, 2024 New York, syracuse.com
... a 3.6 percent decrease in antlered buck harvest statewide, and a steep 15.6 percent decrease in antlerless deer... In some areas of the state, however, hunters simply aren’t shooting enough antlerless deer to manage deer populations effectively, DEC said...
New York Senate, Assembly pass Wildlife Crossings Act May 14, 2024 The Daily Gazette
... The act will require that the state Department of Transportation examines roadways for “potential wildlife crossings to improve wildlife habitat connectivity, reduce wildlife vehicle collisions, and increase public safety,” ...
Chronic wasting disease not found in any New York deer this hunting season May 8, 2024 New York, WIVB Buffalo on MSN
... testing of samples from more than 2,700 deer showed no evidence of the fatal disease in New York...
New York DEC Announces 2023-24 Deer Harvest Estimates May 6, 2024 NYSDEC
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation - NY.gov
... The 2023-24 deer harvest included more than twice as many older bucks, bucks two-and-a-half years old or older, than were harvested in the early 1990s, and nearly five times as many than were harvested in 1969 when DEC first began monitoring the age structure of New York’s deer herd...
New York sees lowest deer harvesting numbers since 2017: DEC report May 6, 2024 New York, WETM-TV on MSN
... 209,781 deer were hunted and harvested at the end of the 2023 hunting season, the lowest harvested across the state since 2017 when only 203,427 were hunted... the hunter reporting rate went up to 49.9% in 2023 compared to 46.4% in 2022.., The report
A year of Earth-friendly journalism April 22, 2024 New York, Adirondack Explorer
... Warming temperatures are driving many animals and plants northward ... “I think the deer population will increase simply because the severity of the winter is lessened,” said Brian Underwood, a research wildlife biologist for the U.S. Geological Survey ...
Whitetails are moving into our yards. Could a change in state policy help keep them away? March 29, 2024 New York, Hornell Evening Tribune
... New York needs to amend its current ban on feeding deer supplements and allow conservationists to put food and minerals back in the woods so the deer stay there and not in the streets and backyards. Deer go where they can shop for the best groceries...
The Humble Acorns: A Feast for Wildlife March 10, 2024 New York Almanack
... White-tailed deer are among the top acorn consumers, with acorns comprising up to 75 percent of their late fall and early winter diet. One deer may eat 300 acorns per day. In a big mast year (every two to five years), deer weigh more and are more likely to produce twin fawns...
The Humble Acorns: A Feast for Wildlife March 10, 2024 New York Almanack
... White-tailed deer are among the top acorn consumers, with acorns comprising up to 75 percent of their late fall and early winter diet. One deer may eat 300 acorns per day. In a big mast year (every two to five years), deer weigh more and are more likely to produce twin fawns...
The return of the rare Piebald deer: First 2024 sighting in Jones Woods Park March 10, 2024 New York, Staten Island Advance
... renowned for its distinctive coat pattern and fluffier appearance ... The last reported sighting of a Piebald Deer in Staten Island was in 2022 at Goodhue Park in New Brighton...
Staten Island. At last! Data shows Staten Island deer vasectomy program is paying off. Here’s how. February 17, 2024 New York, Staten Island Advance
... “Since this project began in 2016, there has been a 41% decrease in the total deer population, as well as a 94% reduction in the number of fawn births,” Katrina Toal, deputy director of the NYC Parks Wildlife Unit said. “This data shows that the sterilization study is making a substantial impact on the deer population on Staten Island.” ...
Deer With Container On Its Head Saved By Rescuers: 'We Never Gave Up' February 17, 2024 New York, NY Patch
... Frankie Floridia of Strong Island Animal Rescue worked tirelessly for the entire 10 days to save the deer, who was first spotted on Sound Breeze Trail/ Great Rock Drive in Wading River...
Trail cameras track 'critically low' New York bobcat population February 13, 2024 Phys.org
... thousands of strategically placed cameras ...White-tailed deer flourish, red fox and coyote populations remain abundant and stable, and eastern wild turkey and gray fox numbers remain low, according to research based on years of observation by Cornell ..."Bobcats are an important predator in northeastern ecosystems, eating rodents, squirrels, snowshoe hare, rabbits and deer," ...
Study examines strategies to prevent fatal deer disease re-entering NY January 30, 2024 New York, Olean Times Herald
... Deer hunters were more likely to be swayed by social media messages about the potential risks of chronic wasting disease if they came from a source they believed aligned with their own views and values, according to a new study...
Save Our Deer continues anti-culling efforts January 24, 2024 New York, The Miscellany News
... Trepel said, “After several years the disease has finally abated, but killing deer that were already victims of a widespread disease illustrates Vassar’s cruel intent. Vassar’s website currently states that the flyover count last year was just 21 deer per square mile. That was one deer more than their already incorrect public ‘optimal’, but didn’t stop Vassar from killing deer this year.” ...
How whitetail bucks spend winter after surviving hunting season January 5, 2024 New York, Hornell Evening Tribune
... This past hunting season featured incredibly (if not record setting) mild early winter temperatures and scant amounts of snow, ergo poor hunting conditions. Deer were also assisted this year in many areas with greater than usual abundant wild food sources, especially acorns..,
The Two Most Important Things New York Hunters Can Do to Improve Deer Management December 24, 2023 HamletHub
... they can directly improve deer management: harvesting antlerless deer; and reporting all the deer they harvest... 84% of hunters didn’t harvest any antlerless deer, despite antlerless deer being the most abundant and commonly observed ... to ensure deer populations remain in balance with available habitat ...
Sierra Club Statement on Governor Hochul Signing Birds and Bees Protection Act December 22, 2023 New York, Sierra Club
... The new law will eliminate 80-90 percent of the toxic class of pesticides called neonicotinoids, or neonics for short, from entering New York’s environment... Long connected to mass loss of the bees ... and birth defects in deer...
Deer decoy nabs 5 road hunters in Cattaraugus County December 21, 2023 New York, Olean Times Herald
... Officers set up a decoy whitetail buck with enticing-size antlers — typically, the decoy deer’s head features robotic movement — in view from the road and officers lie in wait nearby...
Upstate NY man ticketed for shooting decoy deer December 13, 2023 New York, syracuse.com
... a deer decoy in the town of Lake Luzerne, hoping to catch hunters illegally shooting from the road... truck’s passenger loaded his rifle, got out of the truck, and shot the decoy...
Men Caught On Video Poaching a Deer In New York – Do You Recognize Them? November 27, 2023 104.5 The Team ESPN Radio
... "On Nov. 22, Officers responded to a home in the Town of Lexington in search of a deer taken illegally in the front yard of another residence. Fortunately, no one was home at the time of the shooting, but the poaching incident was captured on a doorbell camera." - NYDEC
Whitetails once disappeared from So. Tier November 18, 2023 New York, Olean Times Herald
... As settlers pushed into Western New York, they found herds of whitetails. But as habitat for deer was cleared for farming and industrial-level timbering, coupled with intense overhunting, deer were all but eliminated in most of New York. According to Olean Times Herald archives, the last recorded deer sightings in the western Southern Tier was in 1881 near Independence, Allegany County..,
The Great White-tail Count November 16, 2023 New York, All Otsego
... There was a marked decline of the New York deer population through most of the 19th century, to a low between 1880 and 1890... Throughout the 20th century the deer population returned sporadically, only to decrease again, due both to starvation, during the severe winters of 1925-26, 1930-31, and 1947-48, and to the then-illegal killing of antlerless deer..,
DEC encourages hunters to take more antlerless deer when big game season opens this weekend in NY November 16, 2023 New York, syracuse.com
...A recent string of mild winters has also contributed to rising deer populations, particularly in the Adirondack and Catskill regions, says Quirion... “so we’re increasing the availability of deer management permits for hunters" [DEC big game biologist, Brendan Quirion] ...
To help eagles, NYS deer hunters can choose non-toxic ammo November 15, 2023 New York, Cornell Chronicle - Cornell University
... Lead rifle bullets shatter on impact into tens or hundreds of fragments ... That can potentially pepper game meat and carcasses with toxic particles, creating a hazard for humans and wild scavengers, including bald eagles. Consuming a lead fragment as small as a grain of rice can be lethal to an eagle...
New York Deer News and Information Archive by Topic: Population and Management, Deer in the News, Disease, Suburban, Transportation, Deer Resistant Plants
New York data: A mild early 2023-24 winter with abundant acorns followed mild winters into 2022-23 which supported deer survival. The state increased 2023 deer hunting permits by 1.6%, but the hunt fell by 9.5% from 2022. The estimated average of the pre-hunt and post-hunt population for 2023 is 933,000 for 2023 and 2022 for 955,000 based on hunting data as described in this spreadsheet and illustrated in the graph below. Blue dots are estimates from the state or reported to the press. The population decline in 2022 from 2021 represents a decline in the buck kill from the hunt and reduced hunting licenses.
In 2022 the DEC planned to hold the population stable in most of the state based on ecological and public preferences. An informal state estimate of 1.2 million deer pre-hunt in 2021 with about 950,000 expected post-hunt gives an average of 1,075,000 for the period. . This number appears in the chart above as a large blue dot indicating a population estimate from a reliable source which is combined with hunting data to create the population estimates for years 2000 through 2021.
For 2023 the Department of Environmental Conservation increased the number of deer management permits across the majority of the state, largely in response to continued mild winters and the recovery of deer populations affected by outbreaks of epizootic hemorrhagic disease in 2021. A press report in 2023 of 1.2 million deer. In 2023 the DEC asked hunters to kill more antlerless deer to control the population as 84% of hunters did not take any although they are the most abundant and commonly observed. The 2023-24 Deer Seson Forecast notes that "Winter-related stress and mortality were minimal for deer during the winter of 2022-2023, which was the eighth mild winter in a row across the state."
In 2022 the DEC planned to hold the population stable in most of the state based on ecological and public preferences. An informal state estimate of 1.2 million deer pre-hunt in 2021 with about 950,000 expected post-hunt gives an average of 1,075,000 for the period. . This number appears in the chart below as a large blue dot indicating a population estimate from a reliable source which is combined with hunting data to create the population estimates for years 2000 through 2021.
The DEC expected a buck harvest in 2021 similar to 2020 given a relatively mild winder and good conditions during fawning season and early summer, but the buck harvest fell by 5 percent. A stable to slightly increased population in 2020 from a relatively mild winter with about one million deer pre-hunt. The 13% increase in the deer kill for 2020 is partly attributable to a 7% increase in hunters. The buck kill fell by 3% while the doe kill increased by 30%. Populations are up after a few mild winters into 2019. A 2018 population estimate of 950,000.
A mild 2015-16 winter increased deer populations into 2016, about 900,000. Drought in 2016 for western New York. The 2016-17 hunting data indicates a modest increase into 2017. The herd continues to recover after significant declines in 2014 and 2015 from harsh winters in 2011-14. About 680,000 deer in 2015 post-hunt, 880,000 pre-hunt. Antlerless permits, reduced by 20 to 30 percent in parts of the state to grow the herd. The 2015 deer harvest fell by 15 percent reflecting a harsh 2014-15 winter.
An estimated deer population of 940,000 in 2015. About 750,000 deer in 2014 post-hunt, 1,000,000 pre-hunt. The 2014 harvest fell by about 2 percent. Estimated post-hunt population of 800,000 deer in the state in 2013, pre-hunt 1,050,000. A little over a million deer in 2004. Increasing coyote predation. Relatively stable population with some good forest managment, logging, and habitat projects. Population density is mixed with some areas down such as the Adirondacks due to mature forests and in some areas due to coyote predation.
In 2015, the DEC curtailed the harvest of antlerless deer in portions of Jefferson, St. Lawrence, and Franklin counties to increase the population, and increase the harvest of antlerless deer in all or portions of Suffolk, Orange, Ulster, Sullivan, Westchester, Albany, Niagara, Erie, Wyoming, Orleans, Genesee, Monroe, Livingston, Steuben, Wayne, Ontario, Yates, Seneca and Cayuga counties to reduce the population. A total of 626,389 permits were issue in 2015, down 45,393 from 2014.
Two harsh winters in 2013-14 and 2014-15 reduced deer populations in the north and central regions. From the 2016 deer report: "Statewide, we are anticipating deer harvests to be slightly lower in 2015 than in 2014, largely due to some deer mortality this past winter and resulting reductions in antlerless permits in parts of the state." In 2015, the harvest fell by about 15 percent; 47 percent of the bucks were yearlings.
In 2014 deer populations were above goals in 35 percent of the state so the DEC encouraged hunters to take does in central and western New York. In much of the state, deer are below target populations. A mild 2011 - 2012 winter resulted in a greater survival rate for fawns and an abundance of apples and nuts in 2013 provided food for many types of wildlife.
From 550,00 to 500,000 hunters took about 220,000 deer per year, about 25 percent on opening day. The state has increased antlerless harvests to reduce the population, but the harvest still favors bucks over does so a population increase is not unexpected.
In 2014, bucks accounted for 45.5% of the harvest. In 2014, 52 percent of the bucks in areas without antler restrictions were 1.5 years old compared to 48 percent statewide. In 2013, 48 percent of the herd was 2.5 years or older, up from 28 percent in 2000. 48 percent of the bucks killed in 2013 were 2.5 years or older, up from about 28 percent in the 1990's.
Antler restrictions have been imposed in some areas, Quality Deer Management and other factors have influenced hunter decisions to help normalize herd demographics. About $35 million in license sales and federal excise taxes on guns and ammunition.
A population estimate of 780,000 in 2009. A 2005 population estimate of 960,000. An estimate from Cornell puts the number at over 1 million around 2001 with other wildlife experts estimating 1.5 million. The population "hit one million" between 2000 and 2002 as reported by Outdoor Life. The deer kill from the hunt peaked at 308,216 in 2002 [see the historical data from DEC in the sheet labeled NY Hunting Data...]. A 1990 population estimated at 800,000.
Peak conception day was found to be November 14 from a study in 2007-09 with the peak range from Nov. 9 through Nov. 20.
Chronic wasting disease was first and last reported in the state in 2005. It was apparently brought to New York after a taxidermist disposed of infected tissue from a trophy head brought from out of state. Quick response from the state apparently prevented the disease from spreading. It continues to move closer to New York from Pennsylvania, just 5 miles away in 2021. No CWD positive deer found in 2022 testing.
Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD). The disease first appeared in New York State in 2007 in Albany, Rensselaer and Niagara counties. Another outbreak occurred in Rockland County in 2011 and the third in 2020. An outbreak in the Hudson Valley in 2021. EHD detected in Dutchess county in 2022. An outbreak of bluetongue, closely related to EHD) in Southhampton in 2022.
History
Graph and data from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation
Deer were abundant abundant in New York during the 1600's. "Henry Hudson found deer in the valley which now bears his name, and Champlain likewise found them in the Mohawk lowlands. Edson and Merrill (1894: 40) quoted from letters written in 1687 by Baron LaHouton about that part of Chautauqua County between the highlands and Lake Erie: "I cannot express what quantities of deer and turkeys are to be found in these woods ..." From History of White-tailed Deer in New York, p. 134, which describes the distribution and abundance of deer in New York in pre-Colonial times and from the Colonial Period through the mid-1950s.
"When European settlers arrived in New York ... Relatively high densities of deer lived in open areas maintained by Native Americans primarily through periodic burning." From 2021 Deer Management Plan, p. 11. The first hunting license in America was instituted by New York in 1864.
Deer were nearly exterminated from New York by 1890 also see. The last recorded deer sightings in the western Southern Tier region was in 1881 near Independence, Allegheny County. The deer population in the state fell to about 20,000 by the early 1900s. The deer population rose to an estimated 450,000 by 1978 and 800,000 in 1988. Severe winters of 1925-26, 1930-31 and 1947-48, 1948-49 and 1983-84 killed a large percentage of the deer herd, reportedly 80 percent in some areas. The winter of 1978-79 was also severe. Deer population estimate 2009-2014, page 62.
Suburbs provide ideal deer habitat where deer thrive and have caused conflicts in areas such as Long Island and Cayuga Heights where deer management strategies are a matter of public controversy. Although deer were native to Staten Island, they were hunted to extinction by the early 1900's. The press often makes an issue of the population growth, citing percentage increases from the very low numbers in recent history.
Moose About 400 to 500 moose in 2019. An estimated 400 moose in 2018 in the Adirondacks, where the majority of the animals are found. About 800 in 2010 near the Adirondacks. Native to New York, moose disappeared from the state in the 1860's largely due to habitat change and unregulated hunting. Returned in 1980, moving in from neighboring states. A 2023 update.
Elk No elk in New York. The last elk in New York was killed in 1847. Unsuccessful attempts were made to restore elk from 1900 to 1940 in the Adirondacks.
Bears About 2,500 brown bears
Cougar Eastern cougars were in New York until around 1900, but are now considered extinct. In the 1880's dozens were shot by bounty hunters, mostly in the Adirondacks. A cougar sighted in 2010 came from South Dakota and was killed by a car in Connecticut.
Coyote An estimated 14,500 breeding pairs of coyotes in 2017, 30,000 to 40,00 coyotes.
Bobcats, a deer predator, are at very low levels in New York according to a 2024 Cornell study.
Report Sick Deer: The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is asking the public to report any instances of deer appearing sick or acting abnormally. Report sightings to its office in Ray Brook by calling 518-897-1200. Or report it to your nearest DEC regional wildlife office
Other useful links:
- Help in recovering wounded deer: 585-935-5220
- CayugaDeer,org information about deer management in the city of Cayuga Heights.
- Senecawhitedeer.org proposes a tourist facility at the former Depot that would feature not only the white deer, but the fascinating military history of the site and the other wildlife “beyond the fence.”