Crossbows are popular with New York’s deer hunters, according to recent data from the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
The DEC last week released its annual whitetail deer harvest estimates for the 2025-26 season, showing that more than half the deer taken during archery season were killed with a crossbow.
“It is clear that deer hunters took advantage of expanded crossbow hunting opportunities this past season,” said DEC commissioner Amanda Lefton. “We are pleased that more hunters can participate in New York’s archery deer seasons and contribute to effective deer management into the future.”
The 2025-26 deer season marked the first time hunters in NY were allowed to use a crossbow in the same seasons, places, and manner as a vertical bow.
Crossbows accounted for 55% of the total archery season deer harvest this past season. That’s a big jump from the 2024 season, when crossbows accounted for only 33% of the total archery harvest.
Crossbows make deer hunting easier for hunters who are new to archery or who may have physical limitations that make it difficult for them to draw a vertical bow.
According to DEC data, the average age of bowhunters who harvested a deer with a crossbow in 2025 was on average nine years older. They were also more than twice as likely to be female as hunters who harvested a deer with a vertical bow.
Deer Harvest for 2025-26 season
Deer hunters in NY harvested an estimated 227,032 white-tailed deer during the 2025-26 hunting season, approximately 2% more than the 2024 season and within 1% of the 5-year average.
The 2025 antlered buck harvest of 120,909 was 1% less than 2024, but finally passed a landmark in buck age structure.
For the first time in modern history, NY hunters harvested as many 3.5-year-old or older bucks (28.1%) as yearling bucks (28.0%). For comparison, 25 years ago, only 10% of harvested bucks in NY were at least 3.5 years old and 67% were 1.5 years old.
The 2025 antlerless deer harvest of 106,123 was up 5% from 2024. However, antlerless deer harvest throughout much of the state was still below DEC’s deer population objectives.
DEC wants hunters to shoot more antlerless deer to keep deer populations in balance with available habitat and at levels that are acceptable to all members of the public. In April, the agency released a set of proposed changes to hunting regulations aimed at reducing the antlerless deer population.