New York Hunters Having A Good Deer Season But its Slow for Bear

The 2017 New York deer season has been a successful for many hunters. The same can't be said for the bear hunters. The Department of Environmental Conservation thinks they know why.

Reports into the DEC show more deer taken in the northern zone this season as compared to 2016. The southern zone reports indicate a "steady as she goes" season compared to last.

DEC.gov

When comparing numbers year to year for bears, there's a huge decline. Northern zone reports show a whopping 60% decrease in the number of bear taken. The southern zone is down about 20%. The DEC thinks warm weather and the abundance of natural food sources have bears staying in one place rather than searching the hillsides. In fact the figures track about the same as 2011 when we has a similar fall weather pattern.

SOURCE: Department of Environmental Conservation

Restrictions on Bringing Deer, Elk and Moose into New York