The state Department of Natural Resources says hunter supplied numbers show 366,747 deer were harvested during the 2012 seasons, a five percent increase from 2011. The preliminary total marks an increase in the harvest for the third consecutive year.
Of the grand total, 245,539 deer were harvested during the traditional nine-day November gun season while over 93,452 were taken during the archery season. Bow hunters also set a new state record by shooting 45,775 bucks.
DNR officials say the high numbers are the result of good weather conditions last fall, along with the high numbers of both hunters and deer in the state.