Whitetail harvest of antlerless deer, mature bucks both jump in latest national deer report

The National Deer Association released its annual deer report on Jan. 15 that takes a close look at nearly everything pertaining to whitetails, including detailed harvest and hunter information, from across the country. 

Two things that stood out: whitetail hunters in the U.S. shot more than 3 million antlerless deer for just the third time in 11 years, and the percentage of 3 ½-year-old and older bucks in the antlered buck harvest was the highest ever recorded.

The numbers in the 2026 report are from the 2024-25 hunting season, the latest season where complete harvest numbers are available from states. 

The antlerless harvest of 3,146,918 whitetails (antlerless numbers include male fawns, not just female deer) topped the buck harvest of 3,047,741. The antlered buck harvest is a 1% decline from the prior season, but still remains near record levels.

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Many state game agencies, along with National Deer Association leaders, have encouraged hunters to take more antlerless deer in recent years in areas of high deer densities.

“Nationally, the buck harvest has been on an upward trend for 10 years and still sits near record highs, but the doe harvest has been struggling to stay ahead of it,” Kip Adams, NDA’s Chief Conservation Officer, said in the NDA story announcing the release of the deer report. “The last two years, NDA has put increased effort into encouraging hunters to take does, so it was good to see this 2024 season data.”

The NDA says most eastern states should be harvesting more antlerless deer than antlered bucks to keep deer populations in good health and in balance with available habitat. In July of 2025, the NDA released an article highlighting the lack of doe harvest nationwide and listing eight states in particular where additional doe harvest is badly needed. 

The uptick in antlerless harvest in the 2024-25 season was not created equal across all regions. The Northeast saw the highest jump from the prior year at 12%. Hunters in the Southeast increased their antlerless harvest by 7%, and the Midwest antlerless harvest declined by 1%. 

When it comes to bucks, it seems more hunters than ever are shooting older deer. Not all states in the NDA deer report provide age data from their buck harvest, but 29 states reported the percentage of their buck harvest that was 1 ½ years old. A total of 21 states reported the percentage of the buck harvest that was 2 ½ years old, and 3 ½ and older.  

From those 21 states, an average of 46% of the bucks shot were 3 ½-years-old and older. That surpassed the record from the prior season of 43%.

“It’s amazing to realize that nearly half of the antlered bucks shot in the United States are at least 3 ½ years old,” Adams said. “This is a testament to how far we’ve come as hunters and deer managers. Hunters are clearly reaping the benefits of more naturally balanced age structures in herds across the whitetail’s range.”

More older-aged bucks being shot has meant fewer yearling bucks — those 1 ½ years old — are being taken in many areas. That yearling buck harvest dropped to 23%, an all-time low. The percentage of yearling bucks shot in the buck harvest breaks down like this by region:

• Southeast — 14%
• Northeast — 31%
• Midwest — 28%

The total whitetail harvest of 6,194,659 is the highest since 2020 and the fifth highest in modern records, according to the NDA report. A record harvest of 6,522,400 came in 2003.

Hunters can see detailed reports from individual states they are interested in by downloading the full 2026 NDA Deer Report. The report also features a deer disease update, as well as information on black-tailed, Coues, Key, and mule deer. 

Here are some numbers that stand out from the report: 

• Top states for antlered buck harvest: 1. Texas – 425,529; 2. Pennsylvania – 175,280; 3. Wisconsin – 162,336; 4. Michigan – 157, 204; 5. Alabama – 144, 828 
• Highest percentage of 3.5-plus year olds in the buck harvest: 1. Oklahoma – 81%; 2. Mississippi – 80%; 3. Louisiana – 75%; 4. Texas – 70%; 5. Arkansas – 67%
• Highest percentage of yearling bucks in harvest: T-1. Iowa and Wisconsin – 42%; 3. Maryland – 39%; 4. Maine – 38%; 5. Illinois – 36%
• Top states for antlerless harvest: 1. Texas – 411,480; 2. Pennsylvania – 301,600; 3. Alabama – 176,220; 4. Wisconsin – 165,614; 5. Mississippi – 154,168
• Lowest percentage of fawns in the antlerless harvest: 1. Kansas – 3%; 2. Texas – 4%; 3. Kentucky – 5%; T-4. Louisiana and Mississippi – 7%
• Highest percentage of fawns in the antlerless harvest: 1. Maine – 34%; 2. Massachusetts – 33%; 3. Pennsylvania – 31%; 4. Missouri – 30%; T-5. Minnesota and Wisconsin – 29%
• Top states for number of deer hunters: 1. Texas – 765,180; 2. Pennsylvania – 621,600; 3. Wisconsin – 604,007; 4. Michigan – 603,737; 5. New York – 536,720 
• In 2024, 66% of deer were taken by firearm, 25% by bow/crossbow, and 9% by muzzleloader

(Editor’s note: total numbers here are from the three major whitetail regions east of the Rocky Mountains — the Northeast, Southeast and Midwest. The NDA says in the report that it analyzes data from 37 states within those regions to allow for comparisons across many years. See the full deer harvest report for state-by-state details, which includes available numbers from Western states, as well as Canada.)