Hunters reported harvesting 143,529 deer in the 2018-19 season. Most of the decline occurred in the antlered buck harvest in the southeastern and northeastern zones, which fell 23.9 percent and 24.9 percent, respectively. Overall, harvest in these zones declined by 19.2 percent and 20.4 percent, respectively. Harvests changed little in the central and northwestern zones, falling 1.2 percent in the central zone and rising 0.6 percent in the northwestern zone. 

Of the deer harvested, 51.5 percent were antlered bucks, 4.6 percent were button bucks and 43.9 percent were does. Guns were responsible for 81.1 percent of the harvest, with black powder at 8.1 percent, bows at 6.3 percent and crossbow at 4.5 percent. 

Significant rule changes — including a statewide antlered bag limit of two and antlerless bag limit of four — along with weather events such as Hurricane Florence, likely impacted hunter effort, harvest selectivity and reporting compliance, all of which can affect harvest numbers. The rule changes implemented last year were intentionally aimed at reducing harvest to stabilize deer numbers and improve the sex ratio and age structure of the herd. 

Annual harvest summaries are online at www.ncwildlife.org/learning/species/mammals/whitetail-deer#6328485-harvest-reports.