And that's just the number reported. According to Cornell University, six deer are hit for every deer vehicular death reported. That would put the number of collisions at about 70,000 per year. The reason for such a high number would appear to be the burgeoning deer population. The DEC estimates that there are about 1 million deer in the state, with that number expected to grow rapidly.
Officials attribute the rising numbers partly to former dairy pastures reverting to woodlands.
In addition, in 1984 there were approximately 710,000 hunters in New York. That figure is down to about 500,000. Those hunters are proficient. The harvest in 1999 was 255,050, the most in state history. At a public meeting last month in Oneonta, some suggestions were made.