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Early reports from DEC say deer harvest numbers are up and bear numbers are down in St. Lawrence County

Posted 12/7/17

In St. Lawrence County, deer numbers are up and bear numbers are down, while New York State hunters overall have been more successful in 2017 than last year through the first several weeks of big …

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Early reports from DEC say deer harvest numbers are up and bear numbers are down in St. Lawrence County

Posted

In St. Lawrence County, deer numbers are up and bear numbers are down, while New York State hunters overall have been more successful in 2017 than last year through the first several weeks of big game season, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

Early reports from Northern Zone hunters through Dec. 3 show they harvested about 18 percent more deer this season so far than during the equivalent time last year.

Through the third weekend of the Northern Zone regular big game season, hunters reported 11,349 deer in 2017, compared to 9,417 deer in 2016.

For bears, hunters report a take lagging behind last year in the Northern Zone with only 291 bears in 2017, compared to 450 bears at this point in 2016.

The late bow and muzzleloading season for deer started in portions of the Northern Zone on Dec. 4 (including in St. Lawrence County WMUs 6A north of US Rt. 11, 6C, south of Rt. 11 to roughly the Adirondack Park Blue line), and will continue through Dec. 10, while hunters in the Southern Zone still have several more days of the regular firearms season remaining.

“While numbers and reports are still being calculated, early indications show the deer harvest in New York is up and hunters are having greater success than last year,” DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said. “Even though it is too early to say if this reflects an increase in hunter compliance with mandatory reporting rules, an increase in harvest, or both, it is clear that our efforts to foster harvest reporting through our Take It · Tag It · Report It campaign are working.”

A final tally of the seasons’ deer and bear harvests will be compiled and released early in 2018.

DEC also observed a slight increase in reporting via the web and wildlife app in 2017 compared to 2016.

For more information on these and other important hunting safety tips, please visit DEC's website, http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/9186.html.