New York DEC biologist, commissioner weigh in on antlerless deer proposals as public comment deadline looms

Albany — As the public comment period for a series of proposed hunting regulations, mainly involving antlerless deer, is poised to close, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation said it will not rush to make decisions regarding the potential adoption of the proposals.

As of mid-May, with about a week to go in the comment period that ends Sunday, May 17, DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton and Big Game Unit Leader Brendan Quirion said during a meeting with members of the New York State Outdoor Writers Association that there were over 900 comments to sort through at that time, which they had already begun to read and fully intend to analyze.

“I will say there’s not a firm timeline,” Lefton said. “We want to make sure that we do a really thorough analysis of those public comments. And then it’s going to all depend also on what steps we take. If we make significant changes to the regulations, that will require a second public comment period. If we don’t, then it won’t.”

In March, the agency put forth proposals that, in many cases, would simplify processes surrounding harvesting antlerless deer in New York. These included expanding the number Wildlife Management Units where a nine-day antlerless deer season takes place in September; easing restrictions on the transfer of antlerless deer permits between hunters; and, adding 19 WMUs to a list of those which have no antlerless harvest quota.

The most controversial proposal, however, is one that would require hunters to harvest an antlerless deer before being issued a second buck tag. Quirion said the earn-a-second-buck proposal has been well represented in the comments the agency had received at press time. One of the biggest being the potential for fraud where hunters would report a fake doe harvest to acquire a second antler deer tag.

“We’re aware of that potential,” Quirion said. “States that have also implemented earn-a-second-buck systems are not seeing the level of fraud that I think hunters anticipate. They’re not seeing it at a level that would affect their deer management.

“That being said,” Quirion continued, “We still want to make sure that the fraud, when it does occur, can be addressed. And so, we’re considering incorporating additional ways to verify or validate that an animal’s harvest that would have to occur before receiving that second antlered deer tag.”

Quirion mentioned that some states DEC has been in touch with to discuss the EA2B proposal required hunters to remain in possession of the head of an antlerless deer for a certain amount of time after the reported harvest. He also said he felt this may be too cumbersome for hunters. A better option may be a photo submission requirement.

“Either some type of photo verification of harvest, hunters having to retain some part of the carcass to facilitate DLE (law enforcement) spot checks of some kind, and then just attestation from the hunter that they have to be reporting legitimate information and they could be followed up on by our DOE as part of that process,” he said.

Buck age class and structure is another concern Quirion said hunters have expressed in the public comments.

“There’s some concern that having an opportunity to harvest a second buck during the regular season could change that trajectory,” he said. “But here’s some of the data on that: Less than 2% of our hunters take two antlered deer – two bucks – currently. Under the new system, they would have to harvest three deer.”

RELATED COVERAGE:

Steve Piatt: Unpacking the New York DEC’s deer dilemma

Dan Ladd: Like or don’t like New York’s deer management proposals? Let DEC know about it

Dan Ladd: Random thoughts on earning a second buck in New York

Quirion said there is an expected increase in the buck harvest under the proposed regulations but it was not expected to have a major impact on the buck population, or reduce buck age structure. He said hunters are voluntarily passing on younger bucks currently to improve New York’s buck age structure, which is something he expects to continue if the EA2B proposal is realized.

“Even with a second tag in hand, I doubt many of them are going to just all of a sudden start shooting yearlings,” he said.

Quirion too, addressed the agency’s concerns with a notable recent decrease in antler beam diameter, which he also attributes to over-population.

“As of 2025, we’re seeing more and more areas of the state with declining trends in antler beam diameter. So ironically, even though the age structure of our buck population is improving, their antlers are actually getting smaller in certain areas of the state,” Quirion said. “And that’s because there are too many deer on the landscape for them to have sufficient nutrients to produce great antler quality.”

Quirion also addressed the fact that several public comments suggest DEC is catering to the automobile insurance industry via the recent proposals.

“We do not talk to the car insurance industry when we make our deer management decisions,” he said. “I have never spoken to anyone from the car insurance industry or been contacted by them, but we do reference data, and that data influences our decision-making.”

According to Albany’s Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research, in 2024 there were 32,287 reported crashes statewide involving deer, compared to around 10,000 in 2005. This shows the numbers more than tripled over two decades.

Nationwide, Quirion said, deer are responsible for the deaths of about 440 Americans each year, making deer the deadliest species of wildlife in America.

Other factors include tick-borne diseases, as cases of Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and babesiosis are continuing to rise throughout New York State. Also, a Nature Conservancy study found that an estimated 50% of New York’s forests do not have sufficient regeneration to fully recover after a disturbance event, and that deer were the most significant driver of that lack of forest regeneration.

Both Quirion and Lefton said the agency has their work cut out for them pertaining to the regulations and hope hunters will be patient as they address the public comments.

“It does take some time for us to really do a full analysis of what those say,” Lefton said of the comments. “So I’m hopeful that we can do this, obviously relatively efficiently. But we want to make sure that we’re really listening to the public and the comments that we get in, and comparing that to the data.”

DEC is continuing to accept comments on the proposed regulations through Sunday, May 17. Email: wildliferegs@dec.ny.gov with Antlerless Deer Hunting in the subject line.