Two years ago, I rang the alarm about declining doe harvests in too many states. NDA is always careful to emphasize that doe harvest is not one-size-fits-all and should be set based on local information, but it was clear doe harvest was falling in too many regions where it should not have been. It’s time for another report card, and I’m sorry to say we did not make the honor roll yet.
We are struggling to get back into a world where doe harvest is consistently higher than buck harvest. The goal is made more difficult by the fact that the national buck harvest is at a record level, which for many hunters means the home venison supply is adequate – no room in the freezer for a “freezer queen.” In the 2023-24 season, hunters harvested 3% more antlered bucks than antlerless deer, the largest gap since 1999.
Tags and opportunity are not lacking in most cases. Active hunters are choosing to pass does they could legally take because they don’t want more venison or don’t have a way to share it. Meanwhile, hunter numbers are slowly eroding in many areas. Deer processing services are not as easy to find as they used to be. Hunters are losing access to land, especially in developing areas around cities. There are a lot of steps NDA is taking to help address some of these issues, but the underlying goal remains: Hunters in most states need to take more does to manage deer populations.
Nationally We Struggle
This report is based on multi-year trends through the 2023-24 season, the most recent year of complete data for all whitetail states and the focus of NDA’s latest Deer Report. For some states, preliminary harvest estimates for 2024-25 are already available, and I included those notes as “2024 Preliminary” information.
As you read, keep in mind that “antlerless” harvest includes buck fawns, so it is not “doe harvest.” If your antlerless harvest equals the antlered buck harvest, you’re still taking fewer does than bucks, and that’s not good. Nationally, 20 states killed fewer than a “balanced” 1.0 antlerless deer per antlered buck in 2023, and 13 killed more than 1.0, the same figure as two years ago. We need more states above 1.0 antlerless deer per antlered buck harvested.
The 2023 antlerless harvest declined from the previous season in 23 of 37 states (14 were flat or climbed). This is an improvement from the report two years ago when 31 states declined. Also, fewer states declined in antlerless harvest from their five-year average – 20 instead of 24. At best, you could say we are turning a corner, but most whitetail states still need to increase their doe harvest.
Antlered buck harvest exceeded antlerless harvest in five seasons out of the last 25, all of those within the last seven years.
States doing well in our analysis are indicated by a trophy emoji. States in trouble received a red siren. If I don’t mention your state by name in this report, it probably “needs improvement” but could be doing worse. I encourage you to use our Interactive Deer Report to see the Deer Harvest Trend graph for any state as you read this article. Additionally, you can see all the data and trends for every state in the full Deer Report.
Thumbs Up in the Southeast
As a region, the Southeast is leading the nation in doe harvest. Seven states increased their 2023 antlerless harvest over the previous season, more than the Northeast or Midwest. The 2023 antlerless harvest was also higher than the five-year average in seven states, again the most of any region. This region also holds the highest antlerless harvest per 100 deer hunters at 46. But there are still some states that need to remain focused on doe harvest.
🚨 Texas. In the arid portions of the Lonestar State where rainfall is king of deer productivity – not density – managing deer is a little more tricky. Antlerless harvest in Texas did not exceed the antlered buck harvest even in the boom years of the early 2000s. But, the two have been growing apart in more recent years as antlerless harvests decline and the buck harvest grows. The Texas antlerless harvest is down 15% off the five-year average, the steepest decline in the Southeast, though the 2023 harvest of 315,000 antlerless deer was up 4% from the previous season. Still, this is well below the harvests in the 400,000-range of five to six years ago. At 0.7 antlerless-per-antlered, Texas is the lowest in the Southeast with the exception of Florida. With CWD now in multiple locations in wild and captive deer in Texas, it’s a good time to get antlerless harvests trending upward again.
🏆 Louisiana. No other whitetail state has increased their doe harvest in recent years as much as Louisiana – literally. From 2022 to 2023, Louisiana hunters had the highest single-year jump in antlerless harvest as a percentage (29%) in the nation and the highest increase over the 5-year average in the nation (38%). But it works in real numbers, too. Louisiana hunters killed almost 30,000 more antlerless deer from the 2022 to 2023 season, the largest actual increase of any state of any size. All that said, Louisiana’s buck harvest has also been on a big upswing at the same time and is still slightly higher than the antlerless harvest at a ratio of 0.9. That’s okay, y’all. You can have that, just keep shooting those does!
🏆 Mississippi. This state earned a trophy in our last report, and they deserve to keep it. They continue to take significantly more antlerless deer than bucks and, in a tie with Georgia, hold the highest ratio in the Southeast at 1.3. Their 2023 antlerless harvest was up 7% over the previous year and 16% over the five-year average. Still, last fall officials with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks said the state deer population is likely at an all-time high while hunters are becoming more selective. Don’t take your foot off that doe-harvest pedal!
📈 LEVEL UP: In our last report, we gave Florida a caution sign. Florida is a special case with low-productivity deer habitat in much of the state, so doe harvest is a more delicate balancing act. Regardless, Florida needed to get its doe harvest turned in an upward direction, and it did so. Tennessee got a red flag in our last report, then made a big improvement in 2022. They lost ground again in 2023, with an 11% decline, but preliminary reports from last season suggest a rebound. No red flag this time, but with 0.8 antlerless deer per buck, Tennessee still needs more does in freezers. South Carolina also sheds its red flag with a couple of years of steady though small increases in doe harvest, bringing them up to 1.0 antlerless deer per buck. Keep it going, y’all!
Mixed Bag in the Northeast
🚨 Massachusetts. Normally I don’t pick on the New England states when it comes to doe harvest. These deer herds live on landscapes dominated by mature pine/hardwood forests and where harsh winters can take a chunk out of deer survival rates in many years. But it’s still important even here to balance buck and doe harvest, especially in the more temperate areas of the region. Massachusetts’ antlerless harvest has not been keeping up with its buck harvest, and the 2023 harvest was down in the basement at a 0.6 antlerless-to-antlered ratio. In 2022, the Massachusetts Division of Fish & Wildlife launched a Hunters Share the Harvest Program in part to help increase antlerless harvest by providing venison donation outlets, and they continue to work to expand the network of donation locations. 2024 Preliminary: 2024 data shows the antlerless harvest jumped more than 25% to a new record of 7,237 deer, likely thanks to a record archery-season harvest. That takes the ratio up to 0.9. Great news!
🚨 New Jersey. The caution flag from our last report has been downgraded to a siren. The New Jersey antlerless harvest continues to slide with a 13% one-season decline and a whopping 27% below the five-year average. In the nation, only Nebraska has plunged further below its five-year average, but Nebraska’s reduced doe harvest was intentional. Credit where it’s due: New Jersey is still above water with a 1.2 antlerless-to-antlered ratio, but if the doe harvest continues to plunge, it will fall below the buck harvest very soon. In a state with so much suburban deer habitat, this spells trouble. 2024 Preliminary: New Jersey recently provided 2024-25 harvest data, and the antlerless harvest jumped back up 15% to a level equal with 2022. It would be good to see that trend continue this fall.
🚨 New York. There are three giants of deer harvest in the Northeast that stand out from many other states, and of those New York is struggling the most with doe harvest. Despite numerous regulatory efforts to increase doe harvest in central and western New York, nothing has worked well. The 2023 antlerless harvest was down 16% from 2022 and down 15% from the five-year average. The antlered buck harvest has exceeded the antlerless harvest in most seasons of the last decade, and in 2023 the ratio was 0.9. 2024 Preliminary: Though the antlerless harvest increased by a slight 3% last season, the buck harvest jumped 9%, increasing the gap and taking the ratio down to 0.8.
⚠️ By the way, one of the other three giants of the Northeast, Virginia, is not looking so hot either. But their antlerless harvest is more stable in recent years, and their ratio is higher at 1.0. Virginia hunters could stand to put more breathing room between their antlerless and antlered buck harvest by increasing doe harvest.
🚨 West Virginia. We gave West Virginians a red flag last time, and it’s still flying. The 0.6 antlerless-per-antlered ratio is still in the bottom of the barrel. Their 2023 antlerless harvest was down 9% from the previous season and 6% from the five-year average. As a state battling CWD, West Virginia needs to get its doe harvest up closer to its buck harvest.
🏆 Delaware. In our last report, Delaware’s doe harvest had just fallen off a cliff for a few years, then it rebounded in 2022. It was down again by 18% for the 2023-24 season, but when you look at the long-range trend, Delaware is still in a stable zone. More importantly, Delaware has the highest antlerless-to-antlered ratio in the nation at 2.4. Yes, they were the only whitetail state to achieve more than two antlerless deer per antlered buck in the harvest in 2023-24! That’s a big achievement for a small state. Their antlerless deer harvest per square mile of 5.3 was second in the nation to Pennsylvania’s 5.8. 2024 Preliminary: Preliminary reports indicate the total deer harvest jumped an incredible 29% last season, but a breakdown of antlered and antlerless was not yet available.
🏆 Pennsylvania. This trophy stays where it is. Pennsylvania hunters continue to stand tall among the nation’s leaders in doe harvest. Though the 2023 antlerless harvest was flat from the previous season, it’s flat on a high plateau. Pennsylvania holds the highest antlerless harvest per square mile of deer habitat at 5.8, and the highest antlerless-to-antlered ratio at 1.5. Interestingly, Pennsylvania’s antlerless harvest per 100 deer hunters is only ho-hum at 40, ninth place in the nation. I see room for improvement! 2024 Preliminary: Amazingly, Pennsylvania hunters increased their antlerless harvest 17% last season while only increasing the buck harvest 2%. That ratio jumped to 1.7.
🏆 Rhode Island. There are many counties in the nation that take more whitetails than tiny Rhode Island does annually. They are also interesting for the fact they take more deer with smokepoles as a percentage of their harvest than any other state. But Rhode Island hunters have been on a good run with their deer harvest, taking more bucks and does in recent seasons. Their antlerless harvest was up 17% against the five-year average. With a total deer harvest under 3,000 whitetails, one harsh winter could quickly jolt the trend lines again, but for now Rhode Island looks good. Even small states need wise deer management!
📈 LEVEL UP: Maryland got a caution flag last time around for steep declines in antlerless harvest from the 60,000 to the 40,000 range over the last decade. They seem to have stopped the crash in more recent years and found a little stability, and they’re holding at a respectable 1.3 antlerless deer per antlered buck. We’ll drop the caution flag and hope to see continued stability if not recovery of those once-high doe harvests.
Trouble in the Midwest
🚨 Michigan. The red siren is still flashing for Michigan hunters. You dropped from 0.8 to 0.7 antlerless-per-antlered since our last report. Though Michigan’s antlerless harvest was up 3% in 2023 over the previous season, it was still 13% down from the five-year average and at a 22-year low. Buck harvest remains healthy, but the story is still the same in the Lower Peninsula (LP): hunters just aren’t taking enough does, especially considering their fight against CWD. 2024 Preliminary: The picture got brighter last season. Michigan’s antlerless harvest increased by 18% to 164,000, while the buck harvest increased 1% to 209,000. This takes the ratio back up to 0.8. The increase was greater in the northern LP than in the southern LP, so there’s still work ahead. But another good season this fall could get rid of that red siren.
🚨 Minnesota. The antlerless harvest in Minnesota has been on a steady downward slide since 2020. The 2023 harvest was down 14% from the previous year and down 18% from the five-year average. 2024 Preliminary: Preliminary deer harvest data from Minnesota DNR shows the buck harvest made a significant 17% leap last season (2024-25). Unfortunately, the antlerless harvest slid again, down 4% more. That will push Minnesota down to a ratio of 0.7 antlerless deer per antlered buck, alarmingly low for a productive deer state.
🚨 Wisconsin. The last few years, the antlered buck and antlerless deer harvest in Wisconsin have been locked at about the same level, with a few jumps up and down, but the story remains the same: Wisconsin hunters aren’t taking enough does. The 2023 antlerless harvest was down 14% from the previous season and 10% down from the five-year average. Meanwhile, in most of the state outside of the core CWD zones in southwest Wisconsin, estimates show the deer population in record territory and climbing. 2024 Preliminary: Data from Wisconsin DNR showed the 2024 antlerless harvest was up 5% from 2023, but the buck harvest was up 9%, actually surpassing the antlerless harvest for the first time in decades. “The notion of shooting many more antlerless deer than bucks – still the goal of many County Deer Advisory Councils – has been unrealistic since the Legislature outlawed the Earn-A-Buck regulation,” wrote Paul Smith of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Regardless of legislative actions, the fact remains: Wisconsin hunters need to be taking significantly more does.
🏆 Iowa. This state still holds the top antlerless-to-antlered ratio in the Midwest at 1.3. Though the antlerless harvest isn’t climbing significantly, it’s holding steady above the buck harvest, and not many states can say the same.
🏆 Ohio. Like Iowa, Ohio is holding a steady gap between antlered and antlerless harvest, with a ratio of 1.2. And their antlerless harvest is on an overall trend upward. The 2023 antlerless harvest was 7% above the five-year average.
🏆 Missouri. After our last report two years ago, Missouri hunters made great strides, significantly increasing their 2023 antlerless harvest by 12% to a level 16% above the five-year average. The antlerless harvest also jumped faster than the buck harvest to a ratio of 1.2 antlerless-per-antlered. This long-term trend deserves a trophy. 2024 Preliminary: New data just in from last season was not as good. Both the antlered and antlerless harvests fell significantly from 2023, including a 21% drop in the antlerless harvest. That’s still a 1.1 ratio and higher than the Midwest average.
📈 LEVEL UP: Kentucky got a red flag last time for a three-year plunge in antlerless harvest that looked like it was headed further south. The year of that report, Kentucky hunters made a significant recovery. They seem to have arrested the plunge for now. We’ll give them a clean review this time, but continued doe harvest emphasis is needed.
Get Your Freezer Queen
Keeping deer populations in balance with nutritional resources is a responsibility every hunter should take seriously. Across time, hunters in most areas should strive to take a doe for every buck they harvest. In the most productive areas, hunters need to take two or more does per buck to keep herds healthy. State wildlife agencies in many states are handing hunters more opportunity and all but begging them to help with doe harvest, but too few hunters are answering the call.
In my home state of Georgia, despite a 10-doe bag limit, more than half of hunters take zero does. Another 20% take only one. I suspect in many cases this is because hunters just don’t need another deer in the freezer. If that’s your situation, look for opportunities to share that extra doe or two with others. Give one away to neighbors. Or donate one to organizations that will share the venison with needy citizens. To help connect you with a donation program near you, NDA created and maintains a venison processor map.
Local indicators always override national recommendations, and if deer populations where you hunt are below carrying capacity – lower than the number that can be supported in healthy condition by the habitat – you shouldn’t harvest does. But most of us are not in that situation. Most of us need to pitch in this fall and take a freezer queen for conservation.