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Read from the DEC guide, 2026-27
New York Hunting
1,206 public places from Montauk to the St. Lawrence, all 62 counties, 240 base towns, the 92 Wildlife Management Units, Deer Management Permit odds and every DEC license fee, each checked against New York State Department of Environmental Conservation sources on October 27, 2026.
Photo: Jonathan Miske (CC BY-SA 2.0)
New York hunting in numbers
DEC land covers about 4,055,158 acres by GIS measure, three quarters of it Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserve. Hunters took an estimated 227,032 deer in 2025 and 1,759 bears, and none of the 3,050 deer tested for chronic wasting disease that season was positive.
Acres are GIS measures of DEC land polygons summed by county, not official acreages; harvest figures are DEC estimates as published. Sources: DEC Lands layer; 2025 deer harvest; 2025 bear harvest; spring turkey take; DMP program; CWD testing, looked over on October 27, 2026.
Where the public hunts in New York
Wildlife Management Areas, state forests and the Forest Preserve are open under the statewide seasons with 6 NYCRR rules on stands and camping. Watershed units need the free DEP Access Permit, and state parks open only their designated areas through a park hunting permit.
| Public land hub | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Wildlife Management Areas | 123 areas |
| State forests and multiple use areas | 456 properties |
| Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserve | 123 units and parcels |
| NYC watershed recreation units | 374 units |
| State parks and historic sites | 88 with hunting |
| Tidal wetlands and cooperative areas | 28 places |
| Refuges, national forest, Fort Drum | 11 places |
| Pheasant release and waterfowl areas | 2 statewide programs |
Another 368 DEC, park and federal properties are closed to hunting; the public land hub lists each one with the reason DEC or the manager gives. Public land hub
Every land page carries its own source links. Sources: DEC Places to Go; DEC WMU layer; DEC regions, looked over on October 27, 2026.
Every mapped New York hunting property
1,190 places with a map point, from the Long Island tidal wetlands to the High Peaks and the Lake Erie shore. Bigger dots are the properties of 20,000 acres and up.
New York seasons open now and next
Drawn from the 203 season rows of the 2026-27 guide. Many rows apply only to some WMUs, so open the WMU page before you go; the Today column reads the date on your own device.
Seasons running on Oct 28, 2026 (48 rows)
| Game | Season | Where | Opens | Closes | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Crow | Hunting | Upstate New York and Long Island | Sep 1, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | |
| Virginia and Sora Rails | Hunting | Upstate New York | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 | |
| Wilson's Snipe | Hunting | Upstate New York | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 | |
| Gray Squirrel | Hunting | All areas except Long Island and NYC | Sep 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Common Gallinule | Hunting | Upstate New York | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 | |
| Fox Squirrel | Hunting | All areas except Long Island and NYC | Sep 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Gray Squirrel | Hunting | All areas except Long Island and NYC | Sep 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Black Bear | Regular Season (Adirondacks) | Northern Zone Adirondacks | Sep 19, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Ruffed Grouse | Hunting | Northern Zone and 7A | Sep 20, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| American Woodcock | Hunting | Upstate New York and Long Island | Oct 1, 2026 | Nov 14, 2026 | |
| Black Bear | Early Bowhunting | Southern Zone open WMUs | Oct 1, 2026 | Nov 20, 2026 | |
| Black Bear | Bowhunting-only WMUs | WMUs 3S, 4J, 8C | Oct 1, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | |
| Eastern Cottontail | Hunting | Northern Zone | Oct 1, 2026 | Mar 21, 2027 | |
| Eastern Cottontail | Hunting | Southern Zone except Long Island/NYC | Oct 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Coyote | Hunting | Statewide except Long Island and NYC | Oct 1, 2026 | Mar 28, 2027 | |
| Northern Bobwhite | Hunting | Orange and Putnam counties | Oct 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Ring-necked Pheasant | Regular Season (cocks and hens) | Northern and eastern NY | Oct 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Ruffed Grouse | Hunting | Rest of upstate | Oct 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Snow Goose | Regular season | Northeastern Zone | Oct 1, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | |
| Snow Goose | Regular season | Lake Champlain Zone | Oct 1, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | |
| Snowshoe (Varying) Hare | Hunting | Northern Zone | Oct 1, 2026 | Mar 21, 2027 | |
| White-tailed Deer | Early Bowhunting | Southern Zone | Oct 1, 2026 | Nov 20, 2026 | |
| White-tailed Deer | Westchester County Regular Season (bowhunting only) | WMU 3S | Oct 1, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | |
| White-tailed Deer | Suffolk County Regular Season (bowhunting only) | WMU 1C | Oct 1, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Canada Goose | Regular season | Lake Champlain goose hunting area | Oct 10, 2026 | Nov 23, 2026 | |
| Brant | Regular season | Western Zone | Oct 10, 2026 | Nov 8, 2026 | |
| Brant | Regular season | Northeastern Zone | Oct 10, 2026 | Nov 8, 2026 | |
| Brant | Regular season | Southeastern Zone | Oct 10, 2026 | Nov 8, 2026 | |
| Brant | Regular season | Lake Champlain Zone | Oct 10, 2026 | Nov 8, 2026 | |
| Ducks, Mergansers and Coots | Regular season (split 1) | Western Zone | Oct 10, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | |
| Ducks, Mergansers and Coots | Regular season (split 1) | Northeastern Zone | Oct 10, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | |
| Ducks, Mergansers and Coots | Regular season (split 1) | Lake Champlain Zone | Oct 10, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | |
| Ring-necked Pheasant | Regular Season (cocks and hens) | Central and western NY | Oct 17, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Ring-necked Pheasant | Regular Season (cocks only) | Lake plains/Finger Lakes WMUs | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | |
| Wild Turkey | Fall Season | Southern Zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 30, 2026 | |
| Canada Goose | Regular season | Northeast goose hunting area | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | |
| Canada Goose | Regular season | East Central goose hunting area | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 20, 2026 | |
| Canada Goose | Regular season | South goose hunting area | Oct 24, 2026 | Jan 11, 2027 | |
| Black Bear | Regular Season (Western Periphery) | Northern Zone Western Periphery | Oct 24, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| White-tailed Deer | Regular Season | Northern Zone | Oct 24, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Bobcat | Hunting | Northern and southeastern WMUs | Oct 25, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Bobcat | Hunting | Southern tier/central WMUs | Oct 25, 2026 | Nov 20, 2026 | |
| Gray Fox | Hunting | All areas except Long Island and NYC | Oct 25, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Weasels | Hunting | All areas except Long Island and NYC | Oct 25, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Virginia Opossum | Hunting | All areas except Long Island and NYC | Oct 25, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Raccoon | Hunting | All areas except Long Island and NYC | Oct 25, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Red Fox | Hunting | All areas except Long Island and NYC | Oct 25, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Striped Skunk | Hunting | All areas except Long Island and NYC | Oct 25, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 |
The next ten openers
| Game | Season | Where | Opens | Closes | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gray Squirrel | Hunting | Long Island and NYC | Nov 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Eastern Cottontail | Hunting | Long Island and NYC | Nov 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Fox Squirrel | Hunting | Long Island and NYC | Nov 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Gray Fox | Hunting | Long Island and NYC | Nov 1, 2026 | Feb 25, 2027 | |
| Gray Squirrel | Hunting | Long Island and NYC | Nov 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Weasels | Hunting | Long Island and NYC | Nov 1, 2026 | Feb 25, 2027 | |
| Muskrat | Hunting (Lake Champlain only) | Lake Champlain | Nov 1, 2026 | Apr 15, 2027 | |
| Northern Bobwhite | Hunting | Long Island | Nov 1, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | |
| Virginia Opossum | Hunting | Long Island and NYC | Nov 1, 2026 | Feb 25, 2027 | |
| Raccoon | Hunting | Long Island and NYC | Nov 1, 2026 | Feb 25, 2027 |
Trapping, falconry, closed and year-round rows stay on the season and species pages. Sources: deer seasons; bear; turkey; small game; seasons summary, looked over on October 27, 2026.
Species guides for 52 New York game animals
Whitetails in every county outside Nassau and New York City, bears from the Adirondacks to the Catskills and the Southern Tier, spring and fall turkey, five duck zones and nine Canada goose areas. Moose, Mourning Dove, Sandhill Crane and Eurasian Boar have no season; their pages say why.
Moose · Eastern Cottontail · Snowshoe (Varying) Hare · Gray Squirrel · Fox Squirrel · Ring-necked Pheasant · Northern Bobwhite · Snow Goose · Brant · American Woodcock · Wilson's Snipe · Virginia and Sora Rails · Common Gallinule · American Crow · Youth and Military Waterfowl Days · Falconry seasons · Mourning Dove · Sandhill Crane · Clapper and King Rails · Coyote · Raccoon · Red Fox · Gray Fox · Striped Skunk · Virginia Opossum · Weasels · Bobcat · Beaver · River Otter · Fisher · American Marten · Mink · Muskrat · Woodchuck · Red squirrel · Porcupine · Eastern chipmunk · English (house) sparrow · European starling · Rock pigeon · Monk parakeet · Eurasian Boar · Snapping Turtle · Frogs · Gray Wolf · Spruce Grouse
Zones and WMUs across New York
The zone line runs from the Salmon River at Lake Ontario through Rome and Middleville to Whitehall. North of it, 14 WMUs open the regular deer season on Oct 24, 2026; the 78 southern units wait until the third Saturday in November, Nov 21, 2026 this year.
| Deer zone | WMUs | Early bow | Regular season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Zone | 14 | Sep 27-Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 24-Dec 6, 2026 |
| Southern Zone | 78 | Oct 1-Nov 20, 2026 | Nov 21-Dec 13, 2026 |
| WMU group | Units |
|---|---|
| Antler point restrictions | 11 |
| Bowhunting only for deer | 4 |
| Unlimited bonus DMPs, 2026 | 23 |
| No DMPs by law | 9 |
| Bear hunting area | WMUs |
|---|---|
| Adirondacks | 10 |
| Western Periphery | 4 |
| Southern Zone, early firearms | 11 |
| Southern Zone open | 72 |
| Closed | 3 |
Deer Management Permits · Antler restrictions · Bear hunting areas · Turkey hunting areas · Waterfowl zones · CWD rules
Regular season dates are for most WMUs in each zone; bowhunting-only units and Long Island run their own calendars. Sources: zone line; antler restrictions; DMP availability; bear areas, looked over on October 27, 2026.
Nine DEC regions, 62 counties
DEC runs the state from nine regional offices, from Stony Brook on Long Island to Buffalo. Choose a region, then a county for its WMUs and their dates, DMP odds, harvest history and the nearest DEC office.
Region 3 counties, the lower Hudson Valley
Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, Westchester
Region 4 counties, the Capital District and northern Catskills
Albany, Columbia, Delaware, Greene, Montgomery, Otsego, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Schoharie
Region 5 counties, the eastern Adirondacks and Lake Champlain
Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Saratoga, Warren, Washington
Region 6 counties, the western Adirondacks, Tug Hill and the St. Lawrence Valley
Region 7 counties, central New York
Broome, Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga, Oswego, Tioga, Tompkins
Region 8 counties, the western Finger Lakes and Genesee Valley
Chemung, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, Yates
Region 9 counties, western New York
Regions follow county lines; land pages are counted by the region DEC gives on the property page. Sources: DEC regions layer; DEC office list, looked over on October 27, 2026.
Eight DEC rules worth learning before opening day
Licenses
Residents pay $22 for a hunting license and nonresidents $100; add the bowhunting or muzzleloading privilege and the $10 turkey permit as needed.
Reporting
Paper tags are reported within 48 hours; e-tags right away in the HuntFishNY app, online or by phone.
Orange or pink
Firearm deer and bear hunters, and anyone with them, wear 250 square inches of fluorescent orange or pink, or a hat at least half orange or pink.
Sunday
Sunday hunting is allowed in all areas of the state; crow hunting is limited to Friday through Monday by its season.
Deer Management Permits
Apply Aug. 3 to Oct. 1 for limited WMUs; 23 WMUs have unlimited bonus DMPs, and the 2026 target is 306,073.
Legal hours
Deer and bear from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset; spring turkey to noon; small game sunrise to sunset.
Setbacks
No firearm discharge within 500 feet of a dwelling, school or church, 250 feet for a crossbow, 150 for a bow, unless you have consent.
Junior hunters
Ages 12 to 15 hunt with a mentor; the youth deer and bear hunt is Oct 10-12, 2026 and youth spring turkey Apr 24-25, 2027.
Sources: license fees; harvest reporting; orange or pink; Sunday hunting; DMPs; shooting hours; legal implements; youth seasons, looked over on October 27, 2026.
Banquets, classes and ranges statewide
61 hunting events are dated from Oct 28, 2026 onward, most of them Ducks Unlimited and NWTF banquets, with DEC hunter education courses and mentored youth pheasant hunts among them. DEC runs no firearm range; its two archery ranges are at Saratoga Sand Plains and Black Creek Marsh.
| Date | Event | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 30, 2026 | Peconic Bay Ducks Unlimited Banquet | Southold, Suffolk County | Banquet |
| Oct 31, 2026 | Canajoharie Forest Fish and Game and Capital Region Pheasants Forever Women and Novice Pheasant Hunt | Canajoharie, Montgomery County | Youth hunt |
| Oct 31, 2026 | South Seneca Sportsmens Club Pheasant Hunt | Ovid, Seneca County | Youth hunt |
| Oct 31, 2026 | Trapper Education Course – Sullivan County Conservation Club | Ferndale, Sullivan County | Class |
| Nov 1, 2026 | Bliss New York Novice Pheasant Hunt | Bliss, Wyoming County | Youth hunt |
| Nov 1, 2026 | CNY Pheasants Forever / Little Tags Youth, Women, and Novice Pheasant hunt | Truxton, Cortland County | Youth hunt |
Processors, mounts and shops for New York hunters
Deer processors
142 listed, 55 of them taking donated venison on the DEC list.
Taxidermists
155 shops, 28 of them DEC bear cooperators.
Guides and preserves
21 guide services and preserves, plus counts of the 730 DEC licensed hunting guides by county.
Gun and bow shops
666 gun, archery, outdoor and chain stores.
DEC offices
24 DEC offices: the Albany central office, nine regional headquarters and their sub-offices.
Sources: DEC processor list; DEC bear cooperators; licensed guides dataset; license agents; DEC offices, looked over on October 27, 2026.
New York hunting questions
Has CWD turned up in New York deer?
CWD is not currently known in wild deer. First found in captive and wild deer in Oneida County in 2005 (eliminated after a $1 million effort). 2024: CWD in a captive red deer herd in Herkimer County (Dept. of Agriculture and Markets); 200+ wild deer around it tested negative.
Can you hunt Eurasian boar in New York?
No. Hunting, trapping or taking free-ranging Eurasian boar is illegal because DEC is eradicating them; report sightings instead.
How many acres of public land can New York hunters use?
DEC land alone measures about 4,055,158 acres in GIS, of which about 3,001,984 acres are Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserve. Watershed units, state parks, refuges, Finger Lakes National Forest and Fort Drum add more.
When does the regular deer season open in New York?
In the Northern Zone on Oct 24, 2026, running to Dec 6, 2026; in most of the Southern Zone on Nov 21, 2026 through Dec 13, 2026. Suffolk and Westchester are bowhunting only.
May New Yorkers hunt on Sundays?
Sunday hunting is allowed in all areas of New York State (historic county restrictions no longer apply). Crow hunting is limited to Friday-Monday by season, not a Sunday rule.
Can you bait deer in New York?
No. Hunting big game with bait or over a baited area is illegal, and intentional feeding of deer and bear is banned year-round, salt licks and mineral blocks included.
How is a New York deer tagged and reported?
Paper tags: fill out immediately, attach at camp/home/vehicle, report within 48 hours. E-tags: report immediately in HuntFishNY. Report by phone 1-866-426-3778, online or app.
How many deer did New York hunters take last season?
An estimated 227,032 in 2025: 120,909 antlered and 106,123 antlerless. The highest season on file since 1965 is 2002, at 308,216.
What was the heaviest bear taken in New York in 2025?
A 562-pound dressed male from the town of Olive in Ulster County (WMU 3C), taken in the regular season.
What does a Deer Management Permit let me take?
An antlerless-only tag good in one WMU. Apply Aug. 3 to Oct. 1 for limited units; the 23 unlimited units take applications any time and issue a bonus DMP once one is filled and reported.
Lay out your New York season
Start with a county for its WMUs, DMP odds and harvest, or a town for the closest state land and a processor down the road.
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