Deer harvest down in 2013 but still a top 10 season

Hunters harvested fewer deer in the 2013 season than in each of the previous five seasons. The reported harvest of 125,635 deer was about 10,600 fewer deer than the record harvest of 136,248 in 2012, a decline

of 7.8 percent. It still ranks eighth best since regulated deer hunting began in 1951.

The firearms season accounted for 57 percent of the total, followed by archery at 27 percent. The muzzleloader (8 percent), late antlerless (5 percent), and youth season (2 percent) made up the rest.

At least two and possibly three factors contributed to the lower harvest – carryover from a widespread outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) in 2012 and more in 2013, a record antlerless harvest in 2012, and the second season of new hunting regulations aimed at lowering deer densities in some areas of the state.

The full harvest report is at wildlife.IN.gov, under Featured Topics.

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