More than 209,000 deer statewide — and about 3,000 in Niagara County — were harvested during the 2023-24 hunting season.
In addition to the hunting numbers, there are an additional 5,000 deer killed a year in New York state that are not included in those numbers.
Despite those numbers, there’s been a noticeable rise in the number of deer complaints locally.
That rise in the deer population has led to problems within Niagara County, according to Department of Environmental Conservation spokesperson TJ Pignataro. He said it’s due to “land-use changes, milder winters, higher fawn survival and changes in hunting pressure on given properties.”
The DEC has two options for landowners who are experiencing problems, particularly for rural farmers.
The first is the Deer Management Assistance Program which allows for additional tags provided to landowners who wish to encourage hunters to hunt deer on their land during the regular hunting season.
Recreational hunting does not always cull the herd enough to stop the total amount of damage to a farm or property. The Deer Damage Permit allows land owners to kill deer through “shooting at night, use of bait and capture-and-kill,” all before and after — not during — the regular season, according to the DDP rules and regulations on the DEC’s website.
Over-abundant deer populations impact agriculture, horticultural and silvicultural damage — the practice of managing forests and woodlands. If regular hunting does not decrease these impacts, a Deer Damage Permit can be issued.
“DDPs are not meant to be a replacement for hunting,” Pignataro said. “Individuals seeking DDPs should include legal recreational hunting in their efforts.”
In 2023, more than 1,333 deer nuisance permits were issued statewide. These were mostly awarded to landowners who experience damage to crops. If no other reasonable means are working, such as fences or repellents, then a nuisance dear permit may be given. Municipalities may also collaborate with private landowners to remove deer by permit if there is a municipal-wide issue with deer.
The permits are not generally given out to landowners who have deer in their yards that eat grass or bushes for landscaping, even if it routinely occurs.