Forest Preserve units

123 Forest Preserve records are open to hunting: 35 wild forests, 23 wilderness areas, 11 complexes and units, 51 detached parcels and a few primitive and canoe areas, 2,933,848 acres on file.

Map All public land Hunting gear

123Units

2,933,848Acres

Photo: GlacierNPS (Public domain)

About forest preserve units

123 Forest Preserve records are open to hunting: 35 wild forests, 23 wilderness areas, 11 complexes and units, 51 detached parcels and a few primitive and canoe areas, 2,933,848 acres on file.

The Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserve is hunted under the State Land Use Regulations (6 NYCRR Part 190): open seasons apply unless posted, trees may not be cut or fitted with hardware, and camps sit 150 feet from roads, trails and water unless at a designated site.

74 of these records overlap WMUs where DMPs are barred by law (5A, 5C, 5F, 5G, 5H, 5J, 6F, 6J, 6N). Detached parcels have no DEC property page; DEC says Forest Preserve land is open for hunting in season.

From lands.json (DEC, DEP, NYS Parks and federal sources); checked October 27, 2026.

Forest Preserve units, sorted A to Z with a filter

Place	Type	County	Acres	WMU
Aldrich Pond	Wild forest	Herkimer, Lewis…	26,586	6J
Andes	Detached parcel	Delaware	98	4P
Athens	Detached parcel	Greene	81	4S
Balsam Lake Mountain	Wild forest	Delaware, Ulster	13,615	3A
Big Indian	Wilderness	Ulster	34,161	3A
Black River	Wild forest	Herkimer, Oneida…	128,160	5H, 6J
Blue Mountain	Wild forest	Hamilton, Essex	42,635	5F, 5H
Blue Ridge	Wilderness	Hamilton	48,490	5H
Bluestone	Wild forest	Ulster	3,059	3C
Bog River Complex	Forest Preserve unit	Franklin, Hamilton…	17,058	5F, 6J
Boonville	Detached parcel	Oneida	647	6J
Catskill	Detached parcel	Greene	23	3C
Chazy Highlands	Wild forest	Clinton, Franklin	47,589	5C
Clinton	Detached parcel	Clinton	626	5A
Clinton Mooers	Detached parcel	Clinton	450	5A
Colchester	Detached parcel	Delaware	779	4W
Colgate Lake	Wild forest	Greene	1,500	3A
Coxsackie	Detached parcel	Greene	33	4S
Cranberry Lake Complex	Forest Preserve unit	St. Lawrence	25,911	6F, 6J
Cranberry Lake	Wild forest	St. Lawrence	2	6J
Crystal Lake	Wild forest	Sullivan	502	4W
Davenport	Detached parcel	Delaware, Otsego	195	4F
De Peyster	Detached parcel	St. Lawrence	81	6A
Dead Creek	Primitive area	St. Lawrence	1,154	6J
Debar Mountain	Wild forest	Franklin	88,354	5C, 6F
Dekalb	Detached parcel	St. Lawrence	–	6A
Delaware	Detached parcel	Delaware	67	4W
Delaware	Wild forest	Delaware, Ulster…	29,590	3A, 4W
Diana	Detached parcel	Lewis	461	6C, 6J
Dry Brook Ridge	Wild forest	Delaware	9,539	3A
Elm Ridge	Wild forest	Greene	2,380	3A, 4R
Essex Chain Lakes Complex	Forest Preserve unit	Essex, Hamilton	9,746	5H
Ferris Lake	Wild forest	Hamilton, Fulton…	147,936	5H, 5J
Five Ponds and Pepperbox	Wilderness	Hamilton, Herkimer…	157,632	6J
Forestport	Detached parcel	Oneida	664	5H, 6J
Former Dairy Hill Firetower	Detached parcel	Herkimer	–	5H
Franklin	Detached parcel	Franklin	138	6F
Fulton Chain	Wild forest	Herkimer	15,566	5H, 6J
Fulton	Detached parcel	Fulton	207	5J
Giant Mountain	Wilderness	Essex	23,753	5F
Gouverneur	Detached parcel	St. Lawrence	17	6C
Grass River Complex	Forest Preserve unit	St. Lawrence	14,179	6C, 6F
Greene County	Detached parcel	Greene, Delaware	450	4R
Greenville	Detached parcel	Greene	102	4S
Greig	Detached parcel	Lewis	245	6J
Ha-De-Ron-Dah	Wilderness	Herkimer, Lewis	25,663	6J
Halcott Mountain	Wild forest	Greene	4,934	4R, 3A
Hammond Pond	Wild forest	Essex	46,850	5F, 5G
Hancock	Detached parcel	Delaware	1,702	4W
Herkimer	Detached parcel	Herkimer	922	5H, 5J
High Peaks Wilderness Complex	Wilderness	Essex, Franklin…	275,351	5F
Hoffman Notch	Wilderness	Essex	38,529	5H, 5F
Hudson Gorge	Wilderness	Essex, Hamilton	24,534	5H
Hunter-West Kill	Wilderness	Greene, Ulster	24,549	3A
Hurricane Mountain	Wilderness	Essex	14,235	5F
Independence River	Wild forest	Lewis, Herkimer	79,217	6J
Indian Head	Wilderness	Greene, Ulster	17,439	3A
Indian Meadows	Detached parcel	St. Lawrence	45	6A
Jay Mountain	Wilderness	Essex	7,864	5F
Jessup River	Wild forest	Hamilton	48,456	5H
Johnstown	Detached parcel	Fulton	135	5H
Kaaterskill	Wild forest	Greene, Ulster	8,099	3A
Lake Champlain Islands Complex	Forest Preserve unit	Essex	171	5G
Lake George	Wild forest	Warren, Washington	76,871	5G, 5H
Lesser Wilderness	Wilderness	Lewis	13,873	6N
Lewis	Detached parcel	Lewis	886	6K, 6N
Lisbon	Detached parcel	St. Lawrence	34	6A
Lot 127	Detached parcel	Lewis	272	6K
Lot 134	Detached parcel	Lewis	74	6K
Lot 38	Detached parcel	Lewis	61	6N
Lot 50	Detached parcel	Lewis	124	6N
Lot 69	Detached parcel	Lewis	24	6N
Lot 74	Detached parcel	Lewis	239	6N
Lot 98	Detached parcel	Lewis	188	6N
Louisville	Detached parcel	St. Lawrence	332	6A
Lyonsdale	Detached parcel	Lewis	29	6J
McKenzie Mountain	Wilderness	Essex	37,366	5F
Middletown	Detached parcel	Delaware	62	4P
Moose River Plains Complex	Forest Preserve unit	Hamilton, Herkimer	79,479	5H, 6J
New Baltimore	Detached parcel	Greene	78	4S
Oneida	Detached parcel	Oneida	852	6K
Overlook Mountain	Wild forest	Ulster	1,131	3A
Pharaoh Lake	Wilderness	Essex, Warren	46,814	5G
Phoenicia – Mt. Tobias	Wild forest	Greene, Ulster	7,820	3A, 3C
Pigeon Lake	Wilderness	Hamilton, Herkimer	50,836	6J
Pitcairn	Detached parcel	St. Lawrence, Lewis	174	6C, 6J
Raquette Boreal Complex	Forest Preserve unit	St. Lawrence	25,638	6F, 6J
Rusk Mountain	Wild forest	Greene	3,907	3A
Saint Regis	Canoe area	Franklin	18,994	6F
Saranac Lakes	Wild forest	Essex, Franklin	80,651	5F, 6F
Saratoga	Detached parcel	Saratoga	142	5J
Sargent Ponds	Wild forest	Hamilton	43,793	5F, 6J
Sentinel Range	Wilderness	Essex	23,871	5F
Shaker Mountain	Wild forest	Fulton, Hamilton	45,312	5H, 5J
Shandaken	Wild forest	Greene, Ulster	6,114	3A, 4R
Siamese Ponds	Wilderness	Hamilton, Warren	115,124	5H
Silver Lake	Wilderness	Hamilton	109,774	5H
Slide Mountain	Wilderness	Ulster	50,718	3A
Split Rock Mountain	Wild forest	Essex	3,542	5G
St. Lawrence	Detached parcel	St. Lawrence	289	6C
Stamford	Detached parcel	Delaware	79	4P
Sullivan	Detached parcel	Sullivan	361	3H, 3K
Sundown	Wild forest	Sullivan, Ulster	30,768	3A, 3C
Taylor Pond	Wild forest	Clinton, Franklin…	39,698	5C, 5F
Tompkins	Detached parcel	Delaware	511	4O, 4W
Turin	Detached parcel	Lewis	13	6N
Ulster	Detached parcel	Ulster	471	3C, 3H
Unclassified parcels	Forest Preserve unit	Ulster, Greene…	2,365	3A, 3C
Unclassified parcels	Forest Preserve unit	St. Lawrence, Essex…	1,742	5F, 5H
Unclassified parcels	Forest Preserve unit	Ulster, Essex	1,004	3C, 5F
Valcour Island	Primitive area	Clinton	946	5A
Vanderwhacker Mountain	Wild forest	Essex, Warren…	96,577	5F, 5G
Waddington	Detached parcel	St. Lawrence	10	6A
Walton	Detached parcel	Delaware	110	4P
Washington	Detached parcel	Washington	37	5S
Watson's East Triangle Complex	Forest Preserve unit	Herkimer, Lewis	13,461	6J
West Canada Lake	Wilderness	Hamilton, Herkimer	177,527	5H
Wilcox Lake	Wild forest	Warren, Hamilton…	127,860	5H, 5J
William C. Whitney Wilderness	Wilderness	Franklin, Hamilton	31,865	6J
Willowemoc	Wild forest	Sullivan, Ulster	15,534	3A, 3H
Wilmington	Wild forest	Clinton, Essex	16,940	5C, 5F
Windham-Blackhead Range	Wilderness	Greene	17,024	3A
Woodhull Detached Parcel	Detached parcel	Oneida	301	5H

Forest Preserve records by class

35Wild forest

23Wilderness

11Forest Preserve unit

51Detached parcel

2Primitive area

1Canoe area

DEC Places to Hunt; checked October 27, 2026.

Forest Preserve units in pictures

Autumn maples and birch near Cranberry Lake in the northwest Adirondacks

Eastern gray squirrel eating a peanut at the base of a tree

Snow geese feeding in a flooded field during spring migration

Do the Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserve lands allow hunting?

Yes, in season, unless an area is posted.

Can I camp while hunting the Forest Preserve?

Yes, at least 150 feet from roads, trails and water unless at a designated site.

Are DMPs issued in the Adirondacks?

Not in WMUs 5A, 5C, 5F, 5G, 5H, 5J, 6F, 6J and 6N, where state law bars them.

Other photos on this page: Tony Webster (CC BY-SA 2.0); nayukim (CC BY 2.0); eflon (CC BY 2.0).