Dan Ladd

If the unofficial but preliminary harvest figures coming in from DEC on the expanded early September antlerless deer hunt in parts of New York’s Southern Zone serve as any indication, then hunters are wasting no time doing their part in taking more antlerless deer this fall.
Of course, the dangling carrot that is the earn-a-second-buck tag program is certainly providing some incentive. It’s also a fact that this year the number of Wildlife Management Units included in the 9-day hunt, which took place Sept. 12-20, was expanded from 13 to 23. Still, the early figures aren’t just impressive, they’re eye-popping.

This is starting to become a “thing,” meaning that every year it seems there’s something new for New York’s hunting community, mainly big game, and especially whitetails.