DOVER — State hunters registered a record 17,265 harvested deer with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control during the 2020-21 hunting season.

The harvest surpassed the previous record of 16,969 deer, set last year. This season marks the eighth consecutive year that more than 14,000 deer were harvested.

Along with the record-breaking total harvest, numerous other records were surpassed this year, including:

• November shotgun season harvest — 7,072 deer (previous record: 7,016 deer during the 1999-2000 season).

• Adult doe harvest — 8,439 deer (previous record: 8,122 deer during the 2019-20 season).

• Nine of the 18 Wildlife Management Zones had record harvests — zones 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16 and 17.

• Public-lands harvest — 14.8% of total harvest (previous record: 14.4% in 2018-19 season).

Sussex County had the highest harvest, with 9,580 deer during the 2020-21 season, followed by Kent County with 4,863 and New Castle County with 2,822.

With all Sundays during the season open to deer hunting for the third consecutive year, a total of 2,168 deer were harvested on those 22 Sundays on private lands and designated Division of Fish & Wildlife public wildlife areas.

During the 2020-21 season, hunters harvested more females (does) than males (bucks), with the harvest comprised of 56.3% (9,722) does of all age classes and 43.7% (7,543) bucks. Antlerless deer — does and bucks without antlers or antlers measuring less than 3 inches — represented 72.4% of the total harvest.

The doe harvest increased to 56.3% of the total, and Delaware continues to have one of the highest antlerless deer-harvest rates per square mile in the nation. Both of these harvests are important to manage the size and quality of Delaware’s deer population.

Biologists will continue to analyze the harvest data over the coming weeks, and more detailed information will be posted on the department’s website upon completion of all analyses.

The Sportsmen Against Hunger Program had another successful year through the generosity of hunters, with 758 donated deer, yielding more than 21,000 pounds of processed venison meat. The venison was distributed by the Division of Fish & Wildlife to charitable organizations, providing over 84,000 meals to those in need.

For more information about hunting on state wildlife areas, including maps and rules, licensing and other requirements, visit DNREC's website. More information on hunting seasons and wildlife areas is available in “Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide: 2020-2021” or by calling the Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Wildlife Section at 739-9912.