DEC harvest reports · heaviest bears of 2025
New York Hunting Records
DEC keeps no state trophy book, so New York's records are its harvest reports: the ten heaviest bears of 2025, led by a 562-pound dressed male from Ulster County, the bear harvest by year since 1993 and the deer harvest back to 1954.
Photo: Under the same moon… (CC BY 2.0)
The heaviest New York bears of 2025
All ten are males, and 3 from Ulster County, 2 from Orange County and 1 from Albany County lead the list. 7 came in the regular season, 2 in the early firearms season and 1 to a bowhunter.
| Rank | Dressed weight | Sex | Season | Town | County | WMU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 562 lb | Male | Regular | Olive | Ulster | 3C |
| 2 | 550 lb | Male | Early | Rochester | Ulster | 3C |
| 3 | 544 lb | Male | Regular | Bethlehem | Albany | 4J |
| 4 | 528 lb | Male | Regular | Woodhull | Steuben | 8X |
| 5 | 511 lb | Male | Regular | Tuxedo | Orange | 3P |
| 6 | 509 lb | Male | Regular | Jewett | Greene | 3A |
| 7 | 499 lb | Male | Bowhunting | Horseheads | Chemung | 8Y |
| 8 | 481 lb | Male | Regular | Middleburgh | Schoharie | 4G |
| 9 | 479 lb | Male | Regular | Wawarsing | Ulster | 3J |
| 10 | 461 lb | Male | Early | Warwick | Orange | 3M |
Sources: DEC 2025 bear harvest summary; records note, each one opened again on October 27, 2026.
Bear harvest high marks
2003 holds the top total on file at 1,864 bears. In 2025 the Southern Zone gave 1,202 and the Northern Zone 557.
| Year | Early | Bow | Muzzleloader | Regular | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 426 | 310 | 138 | 613 | 1,487 |
| 2010 | 255 | 315 | 81 | 413 | 1,064 |
| 2011 | 70 | 293 | 30 | 865 | 1,258 |
| 2012 | 386 | 371 | 55 | 525 | 1,337 |
| 2024 | 207 | 438 | 30 | 1,007 | 1,685 |
| 2025 | 182 | 454 | 14 | 1,103 | 1,759 |
74 of 88 open WMUs had harvest; highest density WMU 3C (21/100 sq mi); oldest 2024 bear 26 years (Mooers, Clinton County, WMU 5A); 668 teeth submitted.
DEC history tables cover 1993-2012 and the 2025 report gives 2024 and 2025; the years between are on the WMU pages. Sources: DEC bear history 1993-2012; DEC 2025 bear summary; DEC 2025 bear release, each one opened again on October 27, 2026.
Deer harvest records
2002 is the biggest season on file at 308,216 deer. DEC does not run a big game records list in the guide; the 2026 deer report notes 28.1% of bucks were 3.5+ years old (first year equal to yearlings).
| Top seasons since 1954 | Deer taken |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 308,216 |
| 2000 | 295,859 |
| 2001 | 281,870 |
| 1999 | 255,959 |
| 2020 | 253,990 |
| 2025 season fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Licensed hunters | 530,808 |
| Crossbow share of archery deer | 55% |
| Bucks 3.5 years or older | 28.1% |
| Hunter reporting rate | 63% |
| Deer taken in the youth hunt | 2,567 |
| Highest buck take density | WMU 8R 17.1/sq mi |
| Lowest | WMU 5F 0.7/sq mi |
1965-2013 from DEC Historic Deer Harvest (calculated take by sex/age); 2014-2021 sums of WMU tables; 2022-2025 DEC harvest press releases. Sources: DEC 2025 deer harvest release; 2002 source; DEC deer harvest pages, each one opened again on October 27, 2026.
Leading deer counties in the 2025 season
Steuben County led the state in 2025 with 15,913 deer; the ten counties below took about 36 percent of the statewide estimate.
| County | Deer, 2025 | Adult males | Adult females |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steuben | 15,913 | 7,730 | 6,609 |
| Chautauqua | 10,120 | 4,892 | 4,216 |
| Cattaraugus | 9,661 | 5,225 | 3,586 |
| Allegany | 9,179 | 4,825 | 3,520 |
| Livingston | 6,740 | 2,949 | 3,077 |
| Erie | 6,401 | 3,256 | 2,546 |
| St. Lawrence | 6,306 | 4,353 | 1,516 |
| Jefferson | 6,226 | 3,219 | 2,375 |
| Ontario | 6,138 | 2,881 | 2,642 |
| Wyoming | 5,428 | 2,636 | 2,257 |
Spring turkey take
DEC estimates 24,416 spring gobblers in 2026, the most of the 10 springs from 2017, summed from its 23 WMU aggregates.
Bear Management Cooperator patch
Bear Management Cooperator patch and age letter for tooth submitters; Snapshot NY trail-camera program.
Sources: DEC 2025 deer report; spring turkey layer; bear hunting, each one opened again on October 27, 2026.
New York records questions
Which county takes the most deer?
Steuben County in 2025, with 15,913 deer, followed by Chautauqua County and Cattaraugus County.
Why send DEC a bear tooth?
Requested: premolar tooth and dressed weight (Bear Management Cooperator Program; patch). DEC ages the tooth and sends the hunter an age report.
What was the heaviest bear taken in New York in 2025?
A 562-pound dressed male taken in regular season in the town of Olive, Ulster County (WMU 3C).
How many deer came from the youth hunt?
2,567 in the 2025 youth firearms hunt, out of about 227,032 deer statewide.
What was the New York bear take in 2025?
1,759: 1,103 in regular seasons, 454 by bowhunters, 182 in the early season, 14 with muzzleloaders and 6 in the youth hunt.
Does DEC keep a record book for deer antlers?
DEC does not run a big game records list in the guide. No antler or trophy list is shown here for that reason.
Where were the heaviest 2025 bears taken?
Olive (Ulster), Rochester (Ulster), Bethlehem (Albany), Woodhull (Steuben) and Tuxedo (Orange) produced the top five.
Which year had the biggest deer harvest?
2002, with 308,216 deer, among the seasons DEC has published since 1954.
Read the DEC wording
New York sets most big game dates by Wildlife Management Unit, so a county can hold two or three different sets of dates. Find your WMU before you trust any single date.
Other photos on this page: Under the same moon… (CC BY 2.0); Tony Webster (CC BY-SA 2.0); Alabama Extension (CC0 1.0); fishhawk (CC BY 2.0); NPS Photo (Public domain).