The state’s deer harvest was up 5 percent in the 2016-17 season, according to officials with the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
Hunters took 213,061 deer during the season, up from 202,973 in the 2015-16 season.
“Deer hunting in New York is a proud and economically important tradition that is safely enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors each year,” DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said in a statement. “Not only is deer hunting important for providing high quality local protein to families, it is an essential conservation tool that helps reduce negative ecological impacts of deer on forests, farms and communities throughout the state.”
However, the figure was less than the five-year average of 231,306 deer.
The 2016 deer take included 106,055 antlerless deer and 107,006 antlered bucks, the DEC said.
Overall, 5,964 deer were taken in Jefferson County in 2016, along with 4,563 in Oswego County, 4,292 in St. Lawrence County and 2,639 in Lewis County.
The DEC said nearly half of the adult bucks taken this past year were older than 2.5 years. The department said it started a campaign last year to encourage hunters to voluntarily pass up shots at young bucks to increase the population of larger bucks.
A total of 2,447 deer were tested for chronic wasting disease, with none testing positive for the illness.