Hunting News

Bear, deer, turkey harvest data totals decease in 2021-22

Bear, deer, turkey harvest data totals decease in 2021-22

By Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources

Wildlife biologists have compiled preliminary figures for the 2021-22 hunting season. Bear, deer and fall turkey harvests all decreased from the previous season, as expected.

The 2021-22 season was the first season which hunters were required to report their game through the harvest reporting system using phone, internet or the GoOutdoors mobile app. The data is used to monitor game populations and inform future regulatory decisions.

Deer Harvest
Hunters harvested 190,582 deer, down approximately 8% from the 208,131 deer taken during the same period the previous season. The total included 93,870 antlered bucks, 1,640 bucks that had shed their antlers, 12,101 button bucks, and 82,971 does (44%). The fall 2021 deer harvest numbers were also down 8% from the last ten year average of 207,630.

The youth and apprentice weekend resulted in a harvest of 3,147 deer. Archery hunters took 14% of the total deer harvest while muzzleloading deer hunters and firearms hunters took 23% and 63% of the total harvest, respectively.

Deer Project Coordinator Matt Knox noted that, over much of the state, the Department is aggressively managing to reduce deer populations which, if successful, would also result in reduced fall deer harvest numbers in the future.

Annual deer harvest totals by county dating back to 1947, including the county specific 2021 deer harvest totals, can be found online.

Preliminary data does not include deer taken during the late urban archery or special late antlerless-only deer seasons.

Wild Turkey Harvest
A total of 1,644 wild turkeys were harvested during fall turkey season, a 21.4% decrease over the 2020–2021 harvest of 2,092. The harvest declined equally among counties east and west of the Blue Ridge at 21.6% and 21.2%, respectively.

While the turkey population remains robust, fall harvests fluctuate due to other factors which vary across the state and include length and timing of the fall season, annual variation in reproductive success, acorn abundance, hunting pressure and weather. Acorn abundance also has a significant impact on fall harvest rates. With abundant acorns, wild turkey home ranges are small, which makes them harder for hunters to find. Harvest rates often decline when mast is abundant.

Similar to trends observed in the fall of 2020–2021, the archery harvest (bows and crossbows combined) remained relatively high making up approximately 19% of the overall harvest. Thanksgiving Day and the Wednesday before Thanksgiving continue to be popular fall turkey hunting days statewide. This year 391 birds were harvested in the two day timeframe, nearly 24% of the total fall harvest. Thanksgiving Day accounted for the single highest day of harvest with 252 birds or 15% of the total fall harvest.

The decline in fall turkey hunting participation has been an ongoing issue for Virginia and many other eastern states. One of the goals of the Wild Turkey Management Plan is to reverse the general decline in hunting interest. For additional details on wild turkeys and their management in Virginia click here.

Bear Harvest
Hunters harvested 2,988 bears during the 2021–2022 bear seasons, 14% lower than the previous year, and 16% lower than the statewide harvest during the 2019-20 record season. It was only 1% lower than the previous 5-year average during 2016–2020.

A lower proportion of the 2021-22 season harvest consisted of female bears (44%) than the previous year (47%). Significant harvest decreases during the 3-day early firearms season (35%) and archery season (35%) were the main contributors to the overall decline. The youth/apprentice weekend harvest decreased by 13% and the firearms season decreased by less than 1% from the 2020-21 season. The muzzleloader season increased by 2% from the previous season.

The harvest decrease could have resulted from unusually warm and dry weather throughout the season, and spotty acorn crops contributing to decreased bear movements. Also, 2017 and 2019 firearms season expansions and the 3-day early firearms season were designed to reduce bear populations in much of western and northern Virginia.

As bear populations decline, harvests are expected to decline. The Department considers mange and its potential implication on black bears an important issue and continues to gather reports, conduct investigations, and collaborate with other states to develop potential long-term management strategies and assess possible impacts on bear populations.

During 2021–2022 hunters could only check bears by phone, internet or mobile app. The majority (62%) of hunters reported their bear harvest using the mobile application, 31% called in their harvest by phone, and 7% reported their harvest using the internet.

Across all seasons when hounds could be used, an estimated 61% of bears were taken by hunters using hounds during 2021–2022. Season estimates for the proportion of bears harvested by hunters using hounds were as follows: 3-day early firearms season (46%), firearms season (63%), and youth/apprentice weekend (82%).

For more details on black bear management and the harvest summary, click here.

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