Furbearers
Fisher trapping in New York, 2026-27
2026-27 dates, limits, licenses and public land for fishers, from the DEC guide.
Photo: Tony Webster (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Fishers in New York: 4 season rows between Nov 15, 2026 and Dec 31, 2026, plus bag limits, license prices and the state land that lists them.
Fisher rules in one list
- Limit summary: No limit
- Seasons in brief: Trap Nov. 15-Dec. 31, Nov. 26-Dec. 10, Dec. 1-31 or Dec. 5-10 by WMU.
- Also: New 2026 seasons; tag and seal.
DEC guide page (as of Aug 24, 2026), checked October 27, 2026.
GearHeading out for a hunt? Hunting gear checklists by season →
Fisher calendar by zone and method
5 season lines for fishers, opening to closing.
| Hunt | Applies to | WMUs | Implements | Start | End | Days | Open now? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trapping | Northern periphery and southeastern WMUs | 37 WMUs | Legal traps | Nov 15, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | 47 | |
| Trapping | Central and western WMUs | 33 WMUs | Legal traps | Nov 26, 2026 | Dec 10, 2026 | 15 | |
| Trapping | Central Adirondacks | 7 WMUs | Legal traps | Dec 1, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | 31 | |
| Trapping | Lake plains WMUs | 9 WMUs | Legal traps | Dec 5, 2026 | Dec 10, 2026 | 6 | |
| Closed | 1A, 1C, 2A, 3P, 3R, 3S | 6 WMUs | – | Closed this year |
What the fisher rows add
- Fisher only; new/expanded 2026 area.
- Fisher and marten. New 2026 fisher season structure. Tag and seal. Fisher may not be hunted.
From DEC guide page, checked October 27, 2026.
WMU lookup for fishers
Look up a WMU here, then open its page for county shares, the full calendar and land inside the unit.
| Hunting | Trapping | How many | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
– | Nov 15–Dec 31 | 37 | 3A, 3C, 3F, 3G, 3H, 3J, 3K, 3M, 3N, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4G, 4H, 4J, 4K, 4L, 4P, 4R, 4S, 4T, 4U, 4W, 4Y, 4Z, 5A, 5R, 5S, 5T, 6A, 6C, 6G, 6H, 6K, 6N, 6R, |
– | Nov 26–Dec 10 | 33 | 4F, 4O, 6P, 7A, 7F, 7H, 7J, 7M, 7P, 7R, 7S, 8M, 8N, 8P, 8R, 8S, 8T, 8W, 8X, 8Y, 9G, 9H, 9J, 9K, 9M, 9N, 9P, 9R, 9S, 9T, 9W, 9X, |
– | Dec 5–Dec 10 | 9 | 8A, 8C, 8F, 8G, 8H, 8J, 9A, 9C, |
– | Dec 1–Dec 31 | 7 | 5C, 5F, 5G, 5H, 5J, 6F, |
Closed | 6 | 1A, 1C, 2A, 3P, 3R, |
WMU lists read from the 2026-27 guide season maps and DEC WMU layer, checked October 27, 2026. All 92 WMUs.
Fisher area table
The guide maps split fisher seasons into these groups.
| Trapping class | WMUs | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Dec. 1-31 (with marten) | 7 | 5C, 5F, 5G, 5H, 5J, 6F, |
| Nov. 15-Dec. 31 | 37 | 3A, 3C, 3F, 3G, 3H, 3J, 3K, 3M, 3N, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4G, 4H, 4J, 4K, 4L, 4P, 4R, 4S, 4T, 4U, 4W, 4Y, 4Z, 5A, 5R, 5S, 5T, 6A, 6C, 6G, 6H, 6K, 6N, 6R, |
| Nov. 26-Dec. 10 | 33 | 4F, 4O, 6P, 7A, 7F, 7H, 7J, 7M, 7P, 7R, 7S, 8M, 8N, 8P, 8R, 8S, 8T, 8W, 8X, 8Y, 9G, 9H, 9J, 9K, 9M, 9N, 9P, 9R, 9S, 9T, 9W, 9X, |
| Dec. 5-10 | 9 | 8A, 8C, 8F, 8G, 8H, 8J, 9A, 9C, |
| Closed | 6 | 1A, 1C, 2A, 3P, 3R, |
Southern Zone: once every 24 h. Northern Zone WMUs 5C, 5F, 5G, 5H, 5J, 6F, 6J, 6N: every 48 h. WMUs 5A, 6A, 6C, 6G, 6H, 6K: water sets and land body-grippers 48 h, restraining traps 24 h.
guide trapping maps, checked October 27, 2026.
Public tracts with fishers
145 WMAs, state forests, Forest Preserve units, refuges and other tracts carry furbearers in our land data.
| Name | Type | Size (acres) | Counties | Unit | Listed as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferris Lake | Forest Preserve Wild Forest | 147,936 | Hamilton · +1 | furbearers | |
| Wilcox Lake | Forest Preserve Wild Forest | 127,860 | Warren · +2 | furbearers | |
| Vanderwhacker Mountain | Forest Preserve Wild Forest | 96,577 | Essex · +1 | furbearers | |
| Debar Mountain | Forest Preserve Wild Forest | 88,354 | furbearers | ||
| Lake George | Forest Preserve Wild Forest | 76,871 | Warren · | furbearers | |
| Allegany | State Park | 64,160 | furbearers | ||
| Slide Mountain | Forest Preserve Wilderness | 50,718 | furbearers | ||
| Jessup River | Forest Preserve Wild Forest | 48,456 | furbearers | ||
| Sargent Ponds | Forest Preserve Wild Forest | 43,793 | furbearers | ||
| Hoffman Notch | Forest Preserve Wilderness | 38,529 | furbearers | ||
| Sundown | Forest Preserve Wild Forest | 30,768 | Sullivan · | 3A, | furbearers |
| Delaware | Forest Preserve Wild Forest | 29,590 | Delaware · +1 | furbearers | |
| Aldrich Pond | Forest Preserve Wild Forest | 26,586 | Herkimer · +1 | furbearers | |
| Raquette Boreal | Forest Preserve Unit | 25,638 | 6F, | furbearers | |
| Hunter-West Kill | Forest Preserve Wilderness | 24,549 | Greene · | furbearers | |
| Sterling Forest | State Park | 19,487 | furbearers | ||
| Indian Head | Forest Preserve Wilderness | 17,439 | Greene · | furbearers | |
| Bog River | Forest Preserve Unit | 17,058 | Franklin · +1 | 5F, | furbearers |
| Windham-Blackhead Range | Forest Preserve Wilderness | 17,024 | furbearers | ||
| Willowemoc | Forest Preserve Wild Forest | 15,534 | Sullivan · | 3A, | furbearers |
| Grass River | Forest Preserve Unit | 14,179 | furbearers | ||
| Watson's East Triangle | Forest Preserve Unit | 13,461 | Herkimer · | furbearers | |
| Iroquois | National Wildlife Refuge | 10,810 | Genesee · | furbearers | |
| Dry Brook Ridge | Forest Preserve Wild Forest | 9,539 | furbearers | ||
| Kaaterskill | Forest Preserve Wild Forest | 8,099 | Greene · | furbearers | |
| High Tor | Wildlife Management Area | 6,937 | Ontario · | furbearers | |
| Stewart | State Forest | 6,653 | furbearers | ||
| Moreau Lake | State Park | 6,640 | Saratoga · | furbearers | |
| Neversink River | Unique Area | 6,583 | furbearers | ||
| Mongaup Valley | Wildlife Management Area | 6,416 | Orange · | furbearers | |
| Taconic | State Park | 6,183 | Columbia · | furbearers | |
| Shandaken | Forest Preserve Wild Forest | 6,114 | Greene · | 3A, | furbearers |
| Rattlesnake Hill | Wildlife Management Area | 5,138 | Allegany · | furbearers | |
| Halcott Mountain | Forest Preserve Wild Forest | 4,934 | furbearers | ||
| Partridge Run | Wildlife Management Area | 4,592 | furbearers | ||
| Fish Creek | Wildlife Management Area | 4,556 | furbearers | ||
| Beebe Hill & Harvey Mt. | State Forest | 4,012 | 4U, | furbearers | |
| Rusk Mountain | Forest Preserve Wild Forest | 3,907 | furbearers | ||
| Vernooy Kill | State Forest | 3,721 | furbearers | ||
| Lakeview | Wildlife Management Area | 3,444 | furbearers | ||
| Leonard Hill & High Knob | State Forest | 2,981 | furbearers | ||
| Erwin | Wildlife Management Area | 2,770 | furbearers | ||
| Honeoye Inlet | Wildlife Management Area | 2,763 | furbearers | ||
| Grafton Lakes | State Park | 2,612 | furbearers | ||
| John Boyd Thacher | State Park | 2,475 | furbearers | ||
| Canadaway Creek | Wildlife Management Area | 2,190 | furbearers | ||
| Hall Island | State Forest | 2,120 | furbearers | ||
| Sampson | State Park | 2,047 | furbearers | ||
| Huckleberry Ridge | State Forest | 1,948 | furbearers | ||
| Whetstone Gulf | State Park | 1,903 | furbearers | ||
| West Osceola | State Forest | 1,897 | 6K, | furbearers | |
| Plainfield | State Forest | 1,862 | furbearers | ||
| Darien Lakes | State Park | 1,844 | furbearers | ||
| Lutheranville | State Forest | 1,803 | Otsego · | furbearers | |
| Bear Swamp | State Forest | 1,748 | furbearers | ||
| Coles Creek | State Park | 1,731 | furbearers | ||
| Mount Tom | State Forest | 1,725 | furbearers | ||
| Hither Hills | State Park | 1,665 | furbearers | ||
| Wagner Farm & General Jacob Morris | State Forest | 1,649 | furbearers | ||
| Gilbert Lake | State Park | 1,590 | furbearers |
Game lists from DEC, USFWS, USFS, State Parks and NYC DEP pages in our land data, retrieved 2026-10-27. All public land · Wildlife Management Areas.
What New York allows for fishers
How many fishers one hunter may keep, and the licenses that cover the hunt.
| Applies to | Limit |
|---|---|
| Fisher, otter, beaver, mink, muskrat | No bag limits (trapping). |
Licenses and privileges for fishers
| License | Who | Category | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trapping License | resident | Ages 16-69 | $20 |
| Trapping License | nonresident | Ages 16+ | $275 |
| Trapping License | resident | Ages 12-15 | $5 |
| Possession tag and pelt seal | anyone | Required for bobcat, otter, fisher, mart | Free |
DEC guide bag limits and the license fee table, checked October 27, 2026. New York hunting license guide.
Field rules for fishers
Hours for fisher hunting
The 7 a.m. opening-day rule applies to every set for fishers.
Sunday rules for fishers
No Sunday rule touches trapping fishers.
Bait and fishers
Trappers using carcass bait with foothold traps for fishers must cover it completely, and in the Adirondacks land body-grip traps may not be baited when fisher and marten are closed.
Reporting a fisher
Tag and seal rules apply to fishers, as to the other three sealed furbearers.
Fisher: checking traps
The trap-check clock for fishers is 24 hours in the Southern Zone and 24 to 48 hours in the Northern Zone.
shooting hours, orange and pink rule, Sunday hunting, baiting rules, tagging and reporting, checked October 27, 2026. Legal shooting hours · Hunting laws.
What you may use on fishers
Fisher method limits
- Trap rules: Name/address or DEC ID on traps; foothold max 5-3/4 in. on land (7-1/4 in. in water during beaver/otter), pan tension and covered if >4 in. on land; no teeth; no snares; no traps before 7 AM opening day; not within 100 ft of house/school/playground/church without permission; land body-grippers not within 100 ft of public trails (except WMAs); 15 ft from beaver dams/lodges with exceptions; 5 ft from muskrat houses.
- Trap checks: Southern Zone every 24 h; Northern Zone 24-48 h by WMU and trap type.
- Licenses non-transferable: Licenses and tags may only be used by the holder except DMPs; one hunting license per year; show license on demand to officers or landowners.
Penalties tied to fishers
- General Fish and Wildlife Law violations: Violation: up to 15 days and/or up to $250 (ECL 71-0923(1)), plus schedule penalties of $200 + $100 per animal (71-0925(1)).
From the DEC guide and ECL Articles 11 and 71 on the NY Senate site, checked October 27, 2026. New York hunting laws.
What hunters ask about fishers
Where are the biggest public tracts for fishers?
WMAs, state forests, Forest Preserve units and refuges listing furbearers number 145; by size, Ferris Lake Wild Forest, Wilcox Lake Wild Forest, Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest and Debar Mountain Wild Forest come first.
Do fisher traps need daily checks?
The trap-check clock for fishers is 24 hours in the Southern Zone and 24 to 48 hours in the Northern Zone.
How many fishers can you take in New York?
No bag limits (trapping).
What dates cover fishers in New York?
Dates run from Nov 15, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026 across 4 dated rows, which vary by WMU or zone.
Can fisher traps go in at midnight?
The 7 a.m. opening-day rule applies to every set for fishers.
What does it cost to trap fishers?
Trapping License (resident) $20; Trapping License (nonresident) $275; Trapping License (resident) $5; Furbearer possession tag / pelt seal (anyone) Free, as printed in the license fee table.
Is carcass bait legal for fisher sets?
Trappers using carcass bait with foothold traps for fishers must cover it completely, and in the Adirondacks land body-grip traps may not be baited when fisher and marten are closed.
Are fishers open on Sundays?
No Sunday rule touches trapping fishers.
How do you report a fisher harvest?
Tag and seal rules apply to fishers, as to the other three sealed furbearers.
Other photos on this page: USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain); Under the same moon… (CC BY 2.0); Under the same moon… (CC BY 2.0); fishhawk (CC BY 2.0).