St. Lawrence County was ranked fifth in the state for most deer harvested by county, with hunters taking more than. 6,000 deer last hunting season, according to Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) officials.

Last year, 6113 total deer were reportedly harvested in St. Lawrence County. Of those, 4,261 were adult males. DEC says 6128 total deer were taken in 2022 in SLC; 4,401 of which were bucks.

During the 2023-24 hunting seasons, hunters harvested an estimated 209,781 deer across the state.

The 2023-24 deer harvest included more than twice as many older bucks, bucks two-and-a-half years old or older, than were harvested in the early 1990s, and nearly five times as many than were harvested in 1969 when DEC first began monitoring the age structure of New York’s deer herd.

Within the county, 6A Wildlife Management Unit, which includes the northern portion of the county near the river, lead the way with 4,513 harvests reported. In WMU 6C, which includes the central portion of the county, 3,278 were reported and 1,035 were taken in 6F, which includes southern towns such as Clifton,  Colton, and Clare.

The 2023-24 state-wide estimated deer harvest included an estimated 112,224 antlered bucks (i.e., adult males) and an estimated 97,557 antlerless deer (i.e., adult females and fawns of either sex).

Statewide, this represents a 3.6 percent decrease in antlered buck harvest and a 15.6 percent decrease in antlerless deer harvest from last season. The decrease in antlerless deer harvest, which is approximately 15 percent lower than the five-year average, is concerning because DEC manages deer populations through actions that encourage harvest of antlerless deer.

Harvesting antlerless deer helps ensure deer populations remain in balance with available habitat and do not exceed levels of public acceptance that can lead to increased crop damage, deer-vehicle collisions, and other potentially negative deer-related impacts.

Harvesting antlerless deer also helps ensure deer are able meet their nutritional demands for antler development, fawn recruitment, and body growth.

Throughout the 2023-24 deer hunting seasons, DEC staff and cooperating taxidermists collected biological samples from 2,713 deer for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) surveillance.

No samples tested positive, and New York State remains CWD-free. DEC reminds hunters to remain vigilant to prevent the introduction of CWD into New York.

Additionally, no outbreaks of epizootic hemorrhagic disease were documented in New York’s deer herd in 2023.

Deer harvest data are gathered from two main sources -- harvest reports required within seven days of harvest of all successful deer hunters, and DEC’s examination of harvested deer at meat processors and check stations across the state. Harvest estimates are made by cross-referencing these two data sources and calculating the total harvest from the reporting rate for each zone and tag type.

For the full report, visit https://dec.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2024-05/2023deerrpt.pdf