Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources · Weaver Dataset

Deer Harvest
Analysis 2015–2025

Statewide harvest records across 11 seasons. 2,213,979 individual kill records normalized, cleaned, and ready for weather correlation analysis.

⚠

Data quality flags applied: 2015 file — 25 Oct–Dec dates corrected from year 2016→2015 (typos); 294 pre-2000/prior-year dates flagged suspect (possible birthdates). Codes 5 & 6 (spread </> 11") were introduced in 2025 but a system glitch collapsed many to Code 1 (Buck) — 2025 buck totals include uncategorized spread data. Antler point data is complete only for 2021+; 2018–2020 is ~80–90% (partial electronic reporting); pre-2018 has none.

Season Totals

All Years

Total Harvest by Season · All Species & Weapons

Monthly Harvest Profile

Day of Week Pattern · Core Season

Harvest Composition

By Type & Weapon

Animal Type by Season

Weapon Type Trends

Antler Quality Trend

2021+ Full Data

Average Antler Points · Verified Bucks with Reported Points (Electronic Reporting Era)

Only includes bucks with antler_reported = true. 2025 data reflects partial season. Count labels show number of qualifying bucks.

Top 20 Counties / Independent Cities

2015–2025 Combined

Cumulative Harvest · 3-Digit FIPS Code

Showing top 20 jurisdictions by cumulative harvest.

Weather Correlation Layer

Optional

🌡

Ready for Weather Integration

The cleaned dataset includes kill_date_clean and fips_full (5-digit VA FIPS). Run the weather integration script to pull county-level daily weather from Open-Meteo archive and join temperature/precipitation to each harvest record.

  # Run integration script

python3 pipeline/02_weather_integration.py \

  --harvest ./data/cleaned/harvest_clean.csv \

  --output ./data/cleaned/harvest_with_weather.csv \

  --output-dir ./data/cleaned

How to Read This Dashboard

Quick Guide

Start Here

This page shows harvest patterns over time. Read each chart as a pattern indicator, not a proof of cause. A higher bar or line means more recorded harvests in that category.

What Each Section Means

Season Totals: compares total harvest by year.

Monthly Profile: shows when harvest concentrates within a season.

Day of Week Pattern: highlights weekend pressure differences.

Composition charts: show the mix of animal and weapon types.

County chart: ranks locations by total recorded harvest.

How to Interpret a Change

If one year is much higher, first compare month and day-of-week patterns before drawing conclusions.

If Saturday is much higher, that usually reflects hunter participation, not only deer activity.

If a county moves up or down in rank, treat it as a signal to investigate regulations, weather, and reporting changes.

Glossary

Harvest: number of recorded deer taken.

Season year: the hunting season label used in the dataset.

FIPS: county or city code used for location grouping.

Composition: percentage split across categories (example: animal type).

Important Caveats

Correlation is not causation: matching movement in two metrics does not prove one causes the other.

Data quality flags in the notice box can affect specific years and fields.

Partial seasons and reporting changes can shift comparisons.