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DEC: More deer, fewer bear taken in St. Lawrence County in 2018

Posted 4/15/19

Hunters in St. Lawrence County took slightly more deer, but slightly fewer bear, according to figures from the state Department of Environmental Conservation. DEC says hunters in St. Lawrence County …

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DEC: More deer, fewer bear taken in St. Lawrence County in 2018

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Hunters in St. Lawrence County took slightly more deer, but slightly fewer bear, according to figures from the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

DEC says hunters in St. Lawrence County took just over 5,000 deer in 2018, a 1 percent increase from 2017.

Total harvest in St. Lawrence County was 5,046 in 2018, compared with 4,998 in 2017.

The total statewide take for 2018 in St. Lawrence County was 227,787, compared to 203,427 in 2017, was is up about 12 percent.

The proportion of bucks – defined as males at least a year and a half old – was more than half of the deer taken. Of the 5,046 deer taken in the county in 2018, 3,772 were bucks.

The Town of Potsdam led all townships in the county in the number of white-tailed deer harvested in 2018 with 345. Lisbon was next with 338, and Russell was third with 294.

The town-by-town take in the county for 2017 was:

Brasher, 177 deer; Canton, 279; Clare, 115; Clifton, 72; Colton, 139; DePeyster, 62; DeKalb, 158, Edwards, 114; Fine, 124; Fowler, 112; Gouverneur, 105; Hammond, 143; Hermon, 160; Hopkinton, 171; Lawrence, 116; Lisbon, 338; Louisville, 55; Macomb, 131; Madrid, 147; Massena, 59; Morristown, 211; Norfolk, 150; City of Ogdensburg, 23; Oswegatchie, 237; Parishville, 229; Piercefield, 47; Pierrepont 157; Pitcairn, 94; Potsdam, 345; Rossie, 76; Russell, 294; Stockholm, 250; Waddington, 157.

Statewide, the take by weapon was 64.7 percent with rifles and shotguns, 20.2 percent by bow, 8.9 percent by muzzleloader, 0.4 percent by handgun, and 5.8 percent by crossbow.

No CWD Detections in 2018

DEC tested 2,483 harvested deer across the state and found no evidence of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in the herd.

CWD has now been found in 26 states, with Mississippi and Tennessee joining the list in 2018. Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs) stepped up enforcement efforts this past year, seizing and destroying hunter-killed deer brought in illegally from states where CWD has been found. CWD continues to pose a threat to New York's wild white-tailed deer herd. Chronic wasting disease is a highly contagious disease that affects deer, elk, moose, and reindeer. CWD is always fatal and there are no vaccines or treatments available.

CWD is believed to be caused by a prion, which is an infectious protein, that can infect animals through animal-to-animal contact or contaminated environments.

DEC has tested more than 52,000 wild white-tailed deer for CWD since 2002. In 2005, CWD was found in both captive and wild white-tailed deer in Oneida County. After intensive disease response efforts, no subsequent cases have been detected.

Bear Take

Fewer bears were harvested in St. Lawrence County in 2018 than in 2017, according to figures released by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

The harvest in St. Lawrence County during the 2017 seasons was 81, down from 90 in 2017.

Statewide, hunters took 1,420 bears in 2017, down from the 1,539 reported for the 2016 seasons.

The take per town in 2018 was: Of the 81 bears harvested in St. Lawrence County in 2018, the town-by-town tally was: Canton, 3; Clare, 6; Colton, 8; Edwards, 5; Fine, 7; Fowler, 3; Gouverneur, 1; Hopkinton, 14; Louisville, 1; Macomb, 1; Parishville, 10; Piercefield, 2; Pierrepont, 3; Pitcairn, 9; Russell, 8.

Two of the nine bears taken in the Town of Pitcairn during the 2018 season were among the 10 largest in the state.

The third-heaviest, from Pitcairn at 485 pounds dressed, was 100 pounds lighter that the 585-pounder taken in Ulster County. Most of the black bears taken in the state last year weighed between 100 and 200 pounds.