INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A state wildlife biologist says Indiana’s deer harvest fell last year for the second straight year, but those declines were by design and part of a long-term deer-reduction strategy.

The state Department of Natural Resources says Indiana hunters killed just over 120,000 white-tailed deer last year.

The DNR says last year’s deer harvest was a 4.4 percent drop from 2013 and a nearly 12 percent drop from 2012’s record harvest of more than 136,000 deer.

Fish & Wildlife chief wildlife biologist Mitch Marcus says those declines had been expected because the DNR tweaked its deer management strategy several years ago to focus on a strategic approach to reducing the state’s deer herds.

Officials hope the falling deer harvest numbers mean Indiana’s overall deer populations are indeed on the decline.