Hunters Share Reasons for Not Seeing Deer in Western New York

I have hunted in four of the eight counties in Western New York this season and have been in the woods just about every day since the opening day of archery season on October 1st.

Although I have been seeing deer here and there, it seems to me that the numbers of deer are down.
Depending on what deer “expert” you ask, there are a number of factors for why this may be and after speaking with hunters from around the state and especially here in Western New York, I have put together a list of reasons why hunters are not seeing as many deer as previous seasons. These are not in any particular order.

• Too warm
• Too windy
• Not enough wind
• Wind direction has been all wrong
• No snow
• Too much rain
• Moon phases are off
• Deer have become mostly nocturnal
• The rut is over
• The rut was early
• The rut never happened
• Lack of hunters/ Not enough young hunters coming in to the sport
• Too many hunters
• Coyotes are killing off the deer
• Last two winters were rough on deer herds
• The DEC is giving out too many doe permits
• The DEC is not being forward about take numbers/current herd population
• Hunters are not reporting deer take
• My personal favorite…Too many food plots, deer don’t need to travel to feed