The 2008 Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge Deer Hunt took place between October 18 and December 16.  Early archery season ran from October 18 to November 14, followed by regular shotgun season from November 15 to December 7, and concluding with muzzleloader/late archery season from December 8 to December 16.  Hunters were allowed to hunt on the refuge using the permit system. There are five hunt kiosks located around the refuge where hunters acquired a big game hunt permit. Once they finished hunting, hunters recorded their harvest information on a portion of the hunt permit card. The card was then deposited into the designated kiosk drop box. Over 4500 hunters participated in 2008, a 28% increase from the 2007 hunting season.  This was also larger than the long term average of 3235 hunters.  Total deer harvest decreased slightly with hunters bagging a total of 214 deer as compared with the 2007 harvest of 222 but was still an increase above the long-term average of 198. The weather during all seasons was generally good.  Weather was similar to last year as being dry throughout archery season and into shotgun season. This was a likely contributor to the highest hunter turnout Iroquois has seen.

Archers harvested 36 deer (two deer less than 2007) during the early archery season.  Shotgun hunters harvested 178 deer, two deer less than 2007.  The harvest during the muzzleloader/late archery season was 16 deer, which is up from the 2007 season by 10 deer.

Overall, Iroquois deer hunters enjoyed an excellent season.  The good weather combined with a healthy deer herd likely accounted for the increase in hunter visits and higher harvest numbers.  New York State continues to estimate relatively high deer populations in this area and next season should result in a similar harvest, barring any unusual weather events.