It was a record-breaking deer hunting season in New York State.

On Tuesday, the DEC announced that New York State hunters harvested an estimated 203,427 deer during the 2017-18 hunting season.

"Deer hunting in New York is a cherished and economically important tradition safely enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors each year," DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said. "Through the careful work of our conservation experts, hunting is a sound wildlife management tool that benefits all New Yorkers by reducing negative impacts of deer on forests, communities, and crops while providing millions of pounds of high-quality local meat to families throughout the state.

With 53.3% of the adult buck harvest averaging 2.5 years or older, hunters took an estimated 57,494 older bucks, setting a record in total number and greatest percentage of older bucks in the harvest, according to DEC wildlife biologists.

"This is great news for New York hunters," Seggos said. "Many hunters are choosing to voluntarily 'Let Young Bucks Go and Watch Them Grow,' and all hunters are now having greater opportunity to see and take older, larger bucks."

The 2017 estimated deer take included 95,623 antlerless deer and 107,804 antlered bucks, an estimated 5% fewer deer than the previous year.

Below is a summary of the 2017 deer hunting season and how the season compares to other years:

DEC
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