Hunters in New York State killed 181,879 deer last fall, the
state's Department of Environmental Conservation reported.
Although this was a 6 percent decrease from 1988, the number of
bucks taken, 99,589, was a record high. The previous record, set
in 1987, was 97,595. In New York State, a licensed hunter may
shoot one male deer with horns at least three inches long each
season. In addition, in areas of the state's southern zone where
deer populations are deemed to exceed the carrying capacity of
the range, so-called management permits are issued. Those
permits allow the taking of one additional deer of either sex.
Much of the reason for the lowered overall kill last fall can be
attributed to a reduction in the number of management permits
issued. There were 258,624 permits handed out in 1989, and
394,589 in 1988. Archers killed 12,770 deer in 1989, and 749
were shot by those using muzzleloading rifles. As in 1988,
Steuben County accounted for the largest number of deer taken
last fall, 14,260, followed by Al