Furbearers
2026-27 New York Mink trapping guide
Every 2026-27 New York row for mink, with sources.
Photo: ilouque (CC BY 2.0)
Everything a New York mink hunter needs for 2026-27 is gathered here: 5 segments starting Nov 1, 2026, each linked to its source.
The DEC line on mink
- Bag in short: No limit
- Methods and dates: Trap by WMU (Nov. 1-Apr. 15 N); hunt S Zone .22.
DEC guide page (as of Aug 24, 2026), checked October 27, 2026.
GearHeading out for a hunt? Hunting gear checklists by season →
Mink opening and closing days
The mink calendar below has 5 lines; zone links lead to the guides where dates change by WMU.
| Row | Zone | WMU count | Methods | Begins | Through | Days | Right now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trapping | Northern Zone and 7A | 15 WMUs | Legal traps | Nov 1, 2026 | Apr 15, 2027 | 166 | |
| Trapping | Central/western WMUs | 39 WMUs | Legal traps | Nov 10, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | 98 | |
| Trapping | Southeastern WMUs | 35 WMUs | Legal traps | Nov 10, 2026 | Apr 7, 2027 | 149 | |
| Hunting (Southern Zone only) | Southern Zone during the open mink trapping season | Firearm not larger than .22 caliber | During trapping season | ||||
| Trapping | Long Island and NYC | 3 WMUs | Legal traps | Dec 15, 2026 | Feb 25, 2027 | 73 |
Mink season footnotes
- No single date range applies: the hunt follows the WMU trapping season.
From DEC guide page, DEC guide page, checked October 27, 2026.
Which WMUs open for mink, and when
Every WMU appears below with its mink dates; the unit pages add DMP odds, bear and turkey rules and land in the unit.
| Hunting dates | Trapping dates | WMUs | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
– | Nov 10–Feb 15 | 39 | 6P, 7F, 7H, 7J, 7M, 7P, 7R, 7S, 8A, 8C, 8F, 8G, 8H, 8J, 8M, 8N, 8P, 8R, 8S, 8T, 8W, 8X, 8Y, 9A, 9C, 9F, 9G, 9H, 9J, 9K, 9M, 9N, 9P, 9R, 9S, 9T, 9W, 9X, |
– | Nov 10–Apr 7 | 35 | 3A, 3C, 3F, 3G, 3H, 3J, 3K, 3M, 3N, 3P, 3R, 3S, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4F, 4G, 4H, 4J, 4K, 4L, 4O, 4P, 4R, 4S, 4T, 4U, 4W, 4Y, 4Z, 5R, 5S, 5T, 6R, |
– | Nov 1–Apr 15 | 15 | 5A, 5C, 5F, 5G, 5H, 5J, 6A, 6C, 6F, 6G, 6H, 6J, 6K, 6N, |
– | Dec 15–Feb 25 | 3 | 1A, 1C, |
WMU lists read from the 2026-27 guide season maps and DEC WMU layer, checked October 27, 2026. All 92 WMUs.
Mink areas and WMU groups
The mink rules change by area; this table shows which WMUs fall in each.
| Trapping class | WMUs | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 1-Apr. 15 | 15 | 5A, 5C, 5F, 5G, 5H, 5J, 6A, 6C, 6F, 6G, 6H, 6J, 6K, 6N, |
| Nov. 10-Apr. 7 | 35 | 3A, 3C, 3F, 3G, 3H, 3J, 3K, 3M, 3N, 3P, 3R, 3S, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4F, 4G, 4H, 4J, 4K, 4L, 4O, 4P, 4R, 4S, 4T, 4U, 4W, 4Y, 4Z, 5R, 5S, 5T, 6R, |
| Nov. 10-Feb. 15 | 39 | 6P, 7F, 7H, 7J, 7M, 7P, 7R, 7S, 8A, 8C, 8F, 8G, 8H, 8J, 8M, 8N, 8P, 8R, 8S, 8T, 8W, 8X, 8Y, 9A, 9C, 9F, 9G, 9H, 9J, 9K, 9M, 9N, 9P, 9R, 9S, 9T, 9W, 9X, |
| Dec. 15-Feb. 25 | 3 | 1A, 1C, |
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 land for mink in New York
Use the filter to find mink ground near you among 145 public tracts.
| Tract | Type | Acres | Counties | Units | 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.
How many mink you may take
Limits first, then costs, for mink.
| Category | Limit as printed |
|---|---|
| Fisher, otter, beaver, mink, muskrat | No bag limits (trapping). |
Mink: licenses and stamps
| License | Who | Category | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trapping License | resident | Ages 16-69 | $20 |
| Trapping License | nonresident | Ages 16+ | $275 |
| Trapping License | resident | Ages 12-15 | $5 |
DEC guide bag limits and the license fee table, checked October 27, 2026. New York hunting license guide.
How to hunt mink legally
Mink hunting hours
Trappers wait until 7 a.m. on opening day before setting for mink.
Mink on Sundays
The statewide Sunday allowance covers trapping mink.
Baiting mink
Bait rules for mink are trap rules: covered carcass bait at foothold sets, and no baited land body-grippers in the Adirondacks while fisher and marten are closed.
Mink tags and reports
DEC asks for no harvest report on mink.
Mink trap visits
In the Southern Zone, visit traps for mink every 24 hours; the Northern Zone rule depends on WMU and set.
shooting hours, orange and pink rule, Sunday hunting, baiting rules, tagging and reporting, checked October 27, 2026. Legal shooting hours · Hunting laws.
Gear rules for mink
Mink: how you may take them
- 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.
What breaking mink rules costs
- 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.
Answers on mink
How many mink may one hunter keep?
No bag limits (trapping).
What are the 2026-27 mink season dates in New York?
From Nov 1, 2026 through Apr 15, 2027, in 4 rows set by WMU, zone or area.
What is the opening-day rule for mink traps?
Trappers wait until 7 a.m. on opening day before setting for mink.
What paperwork does a mink trapper need?
Expect Trapping License (resident) $20; Trapping License (nonresident) $275; Trapping License (resident) $5, valid Sept. 1, 2026 to Aug. 31, 2027.
Are baited traps legal for mink?
Bait rules for mink are trap rules: covered carcass bait at foothold sets, and no baited land body-grippers in the Adirondacks while fisher and marten are closed.
Can mink trappers go out on Sundays?
The statewide Sunday allowance covers trapping mink.
How often must traps for mink be checked?
In the Southern Zone, visit traps for mink every 24 hours; the Northern Zone rule depends on WMU and set.
What reporting applies to mink?
DEC asks for no harvest report on mink.
Can you hunt mink on state forests and WMAs?
145 public properties list furbearers in our New York land data; the largest are Ferris Lake Wild Forest, Wilcox Lake Wild Forest, Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest and Debar Mountain Wild Forest.
Other photos on this page: ShenandoahNPS (Public domain); ImagePerson (CC BY 4.0); Tony Webster (CC BY-SA 2.0); DenaliNPS (CC BY 2.0).