ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — State environmental conservation officials say hunters harvested more than 243,000 deer in New York state during the 2013 hunting season, nearly the same as the take for the previous year.

Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens says the 2013 harvest included nearly 129,000 adult female deer and fawns and about 114,700 adult bucks. The 2012 deer harvest was just under 243,000.

The DEC says most of the 2013 deer harvest, some than 208,000,  was taken in New York's Southern Zone, which includes most of the state.

The agency's wildlife management experts say harvest trends indicate that deer populations in New York are too high, particularly in parts of southeastern New York and areas near lakes Erie and Ontario in western New York.