2010 Deer Hunting Season Forecasts

Statewide Deer Forecast

New York is looking forward to another safe and successful deer hunting season in 2010. Hunters took approximately 223,000 total deer each of the past two years, including roughly 105,750 antlered deer in 2008 and 102,000 antlered deer in 2009. For 2010, hunters should expect the statewide deer take to drop slightly, consistent with management goals to reduce antlerless harvest a bit in many Wildlife Management Units (WMUs).

New York has a great diversity of options for deer hunters, with vastly different habitat types, an array of public hunting lands, and deer hunting opportunities that span four months. For hunters seeking solitude and freedom to cover lots of ground, the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York and Catskill Mountains in southeastern New York offer thousands of square miles of wilderness hunting. For hunters seeking to maximize their success, the highest harvest densities routinely occur throughout western New York, but great opportunities also exist in many suburban areas. For hunters seeking the greatest prospects for large antlered deer, the lake plains portion of western New York is a good option. For hunters seeking to extend their time afield, deer hunting runs through the end of December in Westchester County (bowhunting only), and Suffolk County's special firearms season continues on weekdays through January.

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