New York hunters harvested more than 227,000 deer during the 2025 hunting seasons, with state officials pointing to a major surge in crossbow use and a historic shift in the age of bucks being taken across the state.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced Wednesday that hunters harvested an estimated 227,032 white-tailed deer during the 2025-26 seasons, up about 2% from the previous year and nearly identical to the state’s five-year average.
DEC officials said the biggest trend from the latest season was the rapid expansion of crossbow hunting after state law changes in 2025 allowed crossbows to be used anywhere and anytime vertical bows are permitted during deer season.
According to DEC, crossbows accounted for 55% of the total archery deer harvest in 2025, up sharply from 33% the year before. State officials said hunters using crossbows were generally older and more likely to be female than traditional archery hunters.
“It is clear that deer hunters took advantage of expanded crossbow hunting opportunities this past season,” DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton said in announcing the figures.
The state’s antlered buck harvest totaled 120,909 animals, down slightly from 2024, but officials said the season marked a major milestone in New York deer management. For the first time in modern state history, hunters harvested as many mature bucks age 3.5 years or older as yearling bucks.
DEC said 28.1% of harvested bucks were at least 3.5 years old, compared to 28% that were yearlings. Officials noted that 25 years ago only 10% of harvested bucks reached that older age category.
Meanwhile, the antlerless deer harvest increased 5% statewide to 106,123 animals. Even with that increase, DEC said harvest levels in many parts of New York remain below what is needed to meet population management goals.
State wildlife officials recently proposed additional hunting regulation changes intended to encourage more antlerless deer harvests in future seasons.
DEC also reported that none of the more than 3,000 deer tested statewide showed signs of chronic wasting disease, continuing New York’s streak of remaining free from the fatal neurological disease affecting deer populations in other states.
More than 530,000 licensed hunters participated in New York deer seasons last year, according to the agency. Officials also said electronic tagging adoption continued to rise, with 11% of hunters using only E-tags and another 19% using a mix of electronic and paper tagging systems.
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