10/22/2026
๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ! ๐ฆ
The DEC encourages hunters to consider choosing a doe through its โChoose A Doeโ campaign.
Hunting experiences and wildlife populations vary across NYS...Watch the video and share your observations with us!
โข What is your experience with doe harvests?
โข Did you apply for a Deer Management Permit?
๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ!
White-tailed deer prefer to eat nutritious plants that lack defenses, such as forbs, wildflowers, tree seedlings, and shrubs. When deer densities increase, it negatively impacts these plants, while promoting the growth of plants less preferred by deer such as grasses, mosses, ferns, sedges, and invasive plants.
Under high deer densities, nearly all plants in the forest understory (under about 6 feet) will be significantly reduced or eliminated, creating a โpark-likeโ setting where only mature trees remain. The loss of plant diversity and abundance in a forest can negatively impact the entire ecosystem, the deer, and many other species of wildlife. Over time, this can cause lasting ecological damage that:
๐ณ Reduces biodiversity in the forest
โ Enables invasive plants to establish, spread, and outcompete native plant species
๐ฑ Prevents tree seedlings from growing into the future forest
Signs that your forest is suffering from too many deer include:
๐ฆ The forest understory has little to no vegetation or is dominated by plant species that are not preferred by deer
๐ฆ A visible deer browse line where most vegetation within the reach of deer has been consumed
๐ฆ Deer that are in poor physical condition (small antlers, skinny, etc.)
When hunters it helps keep deer populations in balance with the habitat and promotes healthy forests and deer. Visit the link in the comments to learn more about the importance of Choosing a Doe ๐
