New York State deer hunting

As the snow begins to fall on an almost daily basis in the Adirondacks, hunters still on the search for that perfect prize big game of the season are beginning to count their sunsets. 30 minutes after the big bright ball falls this Sunday, December 5th, a large section of New York's premier white tail deer and bear terrain will be shut down for regular hunting for another season.

New York State deer hunting season in the Northern Zone, of which we belong in the Capital Region, began the second week of September and will run through the end of January. According to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, the 2020 deer harvest was more than 253,000 white tail deer, a 13% increase over 2019. Those are exciting numbers for the field sports community. Hunters and guides have been scouting the woods since the summer months, planning for their big game opportunities and maybe a shot at that deer of a lifetime.

Deer hunting season is upon us in New York State. Bowhunters are roaming the woods looking for that once-in-a-lifetime white-tailed deer. I am not a hunter but fish enough to have a lot of friends that are hunters. My brain can only handle my fishing obsession. Through the years, I have heard people say that all of the big bucks are gone and to some extent that is true, based on quantity. However, the quality of New York State white-tail deer is still out there.