Report Nr. 3043 1985 Deer Seasons

White-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus) were legal game in 1985 during several hunting seasons. During the regular firearm season 712,050 hunters harvested 146.400 bucks. The buck kill was a new record. Statewide, 148,310 Hunter's Choice license holders harvested 48,150 antlerless deer. The antlerless deer harvest was 76 percent more than the 27,390 taken in 1984. Interest in hunting deer with a muzzleloading rifle or shotgun continued to increase. The number of muzzleloader hunters reached 48,950 in 1985. Their harvest (4,940) was a sizeable increase over the 1983 season. Both the number of bowhunters (226,640) and their harvest (42,050) were new all time records. In 1985, 981 camps took 390 bucks.