By Glen Wunderlich

Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)

The National Deer Association (NDA) is a non-profit deer conservation group that leads efforts to ensure the future of wild deer, wildlife habitat and hunting. Each year, the group presents a compilation of whitetail statistics from the season completed the past year (this one covers years 2020-2021) – the most recent season with complete harvest data available from all major deer states.  Its goal is to change deer management for the betterment of hunting and to protect North America’s most vital and admired game species for future generations.

Deer hunters in the United States harvested an estimated 6.3 million white-tailed deer in the 2020-21 hunting season – the most since 2011, according to the NDA’s latest deer report. Harvests of both antlered bucks and antlerless deer were up over the 2019 season, but the estimated buck harvest of 3,041,544 was the most in 21 years.

“2020 saw the highest buck harvest in the new century, and amazingly we estimate that we set another new record for the percentage of those bucks that were 3½ years old or older,” said Kip Adams, NDA’s Chief Conservation Officer. “U.S. hunters are taking fewer yearling bucks and killing more of them as mature deer, but this doesn’t mean fewer bucks harvested overall. We’re killing older bucks and more bucks than ever in America.”

A look back in time offers a glimpse of how our hunting habits have changed.  Consider that the nation’s record season of 1999 may have seen more bucks taken; however, more than 50 percent of them were yearlings (1 ½ year-old bucks).  The steadily climbing percentage of 3½-and-older bucks in the harvest is the result of declining pressure nationwide on yearling bucks. Only 26 percent of the 2020 antlered-buck harvest was yearlings

Michigan ranks second in the nation for the sheer number of bucks taken at 219,387 followed by Pennsylvania with 174,780.  Only Texas topped Michigan with its 449,933 antlered bucks.

Among the top states with antlered buck harvest per square mile is Michigan with 3.9 bested slightly by Delaware.

The take of antlerless deer is an important aspect of deer management and Michigan rated third in the country with 191,252 behind only Pennsylvania and Texas.

Inexplicably, Michigan’s statistics relative to the age structure of animals taken is not being reported.

“We know 2020 hunting license sales increased by about 5 percent over 2019, and those license buyers took home half a million more whitetails than the previous season, or an increase of almost 9 percent,” said NDA’s Chief Conservation Officer, Kip Adams. “They helped increase the antlerless harvest back above the buck harvest where it needs to be, but they also saw more mature bucks in the woods than ever before. Hunters are clearly reaping the benefits of more naturally balanced age structures in herds across the whitetails’ range.”

For what it’s worth, the report mirrors our own anecdotal experiences right here in Shiawassee County, as we continue to see more mature bucks afield than previous years.  We are doing something right!

Deer hunters in the United States harvested an estimated 6.3 million white-tailed deer in the 2020-21 hunting season, the most since 2011, according to the National Deer Association’s latest Deer Report released this week. Harvests of both antlered bucks and antlerless deer were up over the 2019 season, but the estimated buck harvest of 3,041,544 was the most in 21 years.

“2020 saw the highest buck harvest in the new century, and amazingly we estimate that we set another new record for the percentage of those bucks that were 3½ years old or older,” said Kip Adams, NDA’s Chief Conservation Officer. “U.S. hunters are taking fewer yearling bucks and killing more of them as mature deer, but this doesn’t mean fewer bucks harvested overall. We’re killing older bucks and more bucks than ever in America.”

The steadily climbing percentage of 3½-and-older bucks in the harvest is the result of declining pressure nationwide on yearling bucks (1½ years old). Only 26% of the 2020 antlered buck harvest was yearlings, another new record low in modern history. The total buck harvest of 3,041,544 was up 5.3% from the previous season. It is estimated 41% of them were 3½ or older, or 1.2 million. While hunters killed slightly more bucks in total in the record 1999 season, the national harvest at that time was more than 50% yearlings, therefore the 2020 season likely saw the greatest number of mature bucks killed by American hunters in modern history. Read more

Bozeman, Montana. January 25, 2022. The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) recently concluded its 45th convention, Sheep Week®, with record amounts raised again for wild sheep conservation.

At this premier event for raising dedicated funding for state, provincial, territorial, and tribal wildlife agencies through the auctioning of their special conservation permits, eleven permits were sold for record amounts, with one tying and existing record. From these twelve permits alone, $2,274,500 million was raised.

WSF is entrusted by these wildlife agencies to auction their special conservation permits, primarily for wild sheep but also for other coveted big game species.

“This was another big year for state, provincial, territorial, and tribal wildlife conservation efforts,” said Gray N. Thornton, president and CEO of the Wild Sheep Foundation. “The fact that a handful of individuals stepped at these levels to benefit entire populations in exchange for the opportunity to hunt one special animal is the definition of paying it forward. That’s the definition of conservation.” Read more