Deer Hunter Populations

[Doc]

I know that no one runs through the woods counting hunters, but I am curious what your impressions are of the deer hunting action that you have noted in shooting activity in recent years compared to older deer seasons that you have participated in in the past. Have you noticed any significant changes in opening day shooting activity?

[farmer 52]

Absolute decline in hunters and shooting.Have a place in Catt. county since 97,opening day used to be non stop shooting from before sun up till 11 ish and again from 2 till dark .This year probably heard 40-50 shots all day.Numerous cars parked on roads running thru the state land,this year 1 car Sat.nothing Sun. morning.

[suburbanfarmer]

As they say - Its a dying sport

Most of the new generation likes instant gratification and prefers warm rooms and video games

[land 1]

i think a few less hunters but also think as far as not hearing the shots hunting is diffrent back in the day brown was down and deer drives were the norm both resulted in way more shooting... plus more accurate fire arms/rifles back in the day smooth bore 12 ga with foster slugs empting the pump gun at 100yrds was commom

[GreeneHunter]

Overall the amount of shots fired opening day has dropper dramatically !  Just my opinion but the Internet and Video Games most likely have occupied youth today rather than Hunting / Fishing ---- Couch Potatoes the are called !

[Pygmy]

One opening morning about 30 years ago I decided to count all of the shots that I heard...By 9:00 AM I was up to 125 shots and quit counting...Of course that was back in the shotgun/driving days and   often you heard 3-5 shot volleys...Now with rifles and few people driving deer I might hear 15-20 shots on opening day, nearly all singles..

[Dr Juice]

Deer Hunters and deer population in the woods are declining annually. This hunting season, I saw more deer behind my home in a small community than the woods. More and likely due to the fact that my neighbors are feeding them. I stayed out all day for this year’s opener and didn’t see a tail. That was brutal!

[rob-c]

Actually this year we heard 3 times as many shots vs last year opening morning . Wife and I talked about it on the way home how surprised we were. 

[wolc123]

This was my first opening day of gun season, in the last 40, that I didn’t hear a single shot.  Could be because I was too far away:

Otherwise, Overall deer numbers are as high as I’ve ever seen in both areas where  I hunt (wmu 9F and 6C).  Antlered buck to doe ratio, after October 1, has been the same 4:1 in wmu 9F this year, as it has been about the last 25 years.  

Big change in that up in wmu 6C though. I had been seeing 4-5 antlerless deer per each antlered one up there the previous 10 years, but it was about 1:1 this year.  Most of the bucks I saw up there were very small though (spikes and 4 points).  

 

 

 

 

[boo711]

50 minutes ago, Dr Juice said:

Deer Hunters and deer population in the woods are declining annually. This hunting season, I saw more deer behind my home in a small community than the woods. More and likely due to the fact that my neighbors are feeding them. I stayed out all day for this year’s opener and didn’t see a tail. That was brutal!

It’s illegal to feed deer.  Call the DEC!!

[First-light]

2 hours ago, land 1 said:

i think a few less hunters but also think as far as not hearing the shots hunting is diffrent back in the day brown was down and deer drives were the norm both resulted in way more shooting... plus more accurate fire arms/rifles back in the day smooth bore 12 ga with foster slugs empting the pump gun at 100yrds was commom

Spot on. The hunters that come to my place this year for the first time passed on small bucks. After seeing what is around on trail cameras they have "been there done that " with the small ones. Each hunter could of tagged a buck opening weekend. 

Edited December 2, 2022 by First-light

[Kmartinson]

59 minutes ago, boo711 said:

It’s illegal to feed deer.  Call the DEC!!

They don't do anything unless you will sign a statement and be a witness in court. I dont need that drama with my neighbors. I still get plenty of opportunities 

[Gobbler Chaser]

Less hunter participation is definitely noticable around me in 3j. The State lands pretty much tell the story along with the only 4 shots I heard opening morning. Less hunters good in one way but bad in another I suppose 

[heavuser]

On 12/1/2022 at 4:28 PM, suburbanfarmer said:

As they say - Its a dying sport

Most of the new generation likes instant gratification and prefers warm rooms and video games

Hey now, I love me a warm room and some Call of Duty!!

[suburbanfarmer]

56 minutes ago, heavuser said:

Hey now, I love me a warm room and some Call of Duty!!

I am from the original  Doom era  

[heavuser]

2 minutes ago, suburbanfarmer said:

I am from the original  Doom era  

I used to play that on my Mom's PC when I was 10!

[genesee_mohican]

The shots I hear on the opener has been on a noticeably steady decline for several years now. This year was no exception, but there was a big decrease of hunters out during bow and crossbow season in my area this year.

 

[suburbanfarmer]

Lately it seems one sees or hear about more deer in the suburbs than out in the country/hills/farmland

I remember when a doe herd would be 8-10 heads and multiple groups on the farm. Now you are lucky to see 4 together in farm country until after the season when they yard up.

[Grouse]

Shots do not determine how many hunters are in the woods.  The number of hunting license sales is a more accurate figure.  Today there are more than 10 years ago.

Sporting License Sales Summary - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation

Hunting License Holders

License Year	Resident	Non-Resident	Total Hunting License Holders
2006-2007	521,805	40,445	562,250
2007-2008	521,960	40,459	562,419
2008-2009	554,918	40,986	595,904
2009-2010	524,276	38,251	562,527
2010-2011	519,472	36,480	555,952
2011-2012	533,624	37,155	570,779
2012-2013	544,275	39,895	584,170
2013-2014	551,391	40,347	591,738
2014-2015	549,999	41,974	591,973
2015-2016	547,223	43,065	590,288
2016-2017	528,327	40,920	569,247
2017-2018	532,149	38,897	571,046
2018-2019	506,873	37,575	544,448
2019-2020	552,804	38,697	591,501
2020-2021	563,063	37,550	600,613
2021-2022	539,837	39,980	579,817

Edited December 3, 2022 by Grouse

[Robby]

Seems to be way down compared to even five years ago. Driving around I don't see any young men heading into the woods. Less hunters, less power, less power, more regulation, more regulation, less hunters, less hunters, less guns, less guns, less power, less power, no guns.

Robby

[Grouse]

The way crime is going in this land today, I don't think fewer hunters will mean fewer guns.  Just fewer hunting guns.  people are buying weapons for self defense in greater numbers than ever before.  Fewer hunters will mean less votes though. 

I wonder if the number of hunting licenses sold each year includes all lifetime licenses issued, or just new ones sold that year.

[genesee_mohican]

5 hours ago, Grouse said:

Shots do not determine how many hunters are in the woods.  The number of hunting license sales is a more accurate figure.  Today there are more than 10 years ago.

Sporting License Sales Summary - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation

Hunting License Holders

License Year	Resident	Non-Resident	Total Hunting License Holders
2006-2007	521,805	40,445	562,250
2007-2008	521,960	40,459	562,419
2008-2009	554,918	40,986	595,904
2009-2010	524,276	38,251	562,527
2010-2011	519,472	36,480	555,952
2011-2012	533,624	37,155	570,779
2012-2013	544,275	39,895	584,170
2013-2014	551,391	40,347	591,738
2014-2015	549,999	41,974	591,973
2015-2016	547,223	43,065	590,288
2016-2017	528,327	40,920	569,247
2017-2018	532,149	38,897	571,046
2018-2019	506,873	37,575	544,448
2019-2020	552,804	38,697	591,501
2020-2021	563,063	37,550	600,613
2021-2022	539,837	39,980	579,817

It’s great that license sales are up to keep our DEC going but there must be a lot of folks buying a license and then spending very little time actually out in the woods. 

[suburbanfarmer]

One can clearly see the covid surge and then the decline this yr

[Grouse]

1 hour ago, genesee_mohican said:

It’s great that license sales are up to keep our DEC going but there must be a lot of folks buying a license and then spending very little time actually out in the woods. 

Or just shooting a lot less when out there.  I've been in the woods for a couple of weeks, but without a doe tag and in the AR zone, I have yet to fire a shot.

[WNYBuckHunter]

2 hours ago, Grouse said:

The way crime is going in this land today, I don't think fewer hunters will mean fewer guns.  Just fewer hunting guns.  people are buying weapons for self defense in greater numbers than ever before.  Fewer hunters will mean less votes though. 

I wonder if the number of hunting licenses sold each year includes all lifetime licenses issued, or just new ones sold that year.

It includes lifetime licenses