The Pennsylvania Game Commission reported results from the 2023-24 deer seasons, which ended in January.

Hunters harvested an estimated 430,010 white-tailed deer. The statewide buck harvest was estimated at 171,600, while antlerless harvest was estimated at 258,410.

The overall harvest is two percent greater than that from 2022-23, which was estimated at 422,960. It’s four percent higher than the total harvest seen as a 3-year average.

David Stainbrook, the Game Commission’s Deer and Elk Section Supervisor said, “The harvest estimates are calculated using antlered and antlerless harvest reports by hunters in combination with data from deer checked by crews at processors across the state to estimate reporting rates.”

Stainbrook also said, “Last year, 31 teams of trained deer agers visited more than 400 processors across the state during the statewide firearms season, to collect data, age deer based on tooth replacement and wear, and record information from harvest tags. They examined more than 24,000 whitetails.” 

Hunters themselves, meanwhile, reported taking more than 134,000 deer, most often using the Game Commission’s online reporting system. That accounted for 74 percent of all reports received. Another 18% of deer harvest reports came via report cards, while eight percent of reports were made by phone. 

The buck harvest was up in 2023-24 by five percent over the season previous and up six percent over the three-year average. Overall, 27 percent of deer hunters harvested a buck.

The majority of bucks harvested are older than in decades past. Before antler point restrictions, most of the bucks harvested were yearling deer, meaning those 1.5 years old. In 2023-24, 64 percent of bucks taken were at least 2.5 years old. 

As for the 2023-24 antlerless deer harvest, 69 percent of the harvest was adult females. Another 16 percent were button bucks and 14 percent were doe fawns. About one in four antlerless licenses issued for last season resulted in a harvest. 

As in years past, the regular firearms deer season accounted for the largest part of the 2023-24 deer harvest. Firearms hunters took an estimated 254,710 deer, with 86,260 of those being bucks and the remaining 168,450 being antlerless. Bowhunters accounted for little over a third of the total deer harvest, taking an estimated 154,850 whitetails, 83,370 bucks and 71,480 antlerless deer with either bows or crossbows. The estimated muzzleloader harvest was 20,450, 1,970 bucks and 18,480 antlerless deer.