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Furbearers
Virginia Opossum seasons and rules in New York
Season rows, bag limits and rules for opossums, checked October 27, 2026.
Photo: Juliana Chong (CC BY 2.0)
Here are the 2026-27 opossum rules for New York as the DEC guide prints them, opening Oct 25, 2026, alongside harvest figures and public ground where the data has them.
Virginia Opossum in the DEC summary
- Take: No limit
- Methods: Same as raccoon.
DEC guide page (as of Aug 24, 2026), checked October 27, 2026.
GearHeading out for a hunt? Hunting gear checklists by season →
Every opossum season row
4 rows for opossums, as the 2026-27 guide lists them; the last column checks each against today.
| Season | Area | Units | How | From | To | Days | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunting | All areas except Long Island and NYC | 89 WMUs | Handgun, shotgun, rifle (by area), bow, crossbow, air gun; calls incl. electronic | Oct 25, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | 114 | |
| Trapping | Upstate (all WMUs except Long Island/NYC) | 89 WMUs | Legal traps (trapping license) | Oct 25, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | 114 | |
| Hunting | Long Island and NYC | 3 WMUs | No rifles on Long Island | Nov 1, 2026 | Feb 25, 2027 | 117 | |
| Trapping | Long Island and NYC | 3 WMUs | Legal traps | Nov 1, 2026 | Feb 25, 2027 | 117 |
Virginia Opossum row details
- After sunrise on opening day, then any hour day or night. No bag limit.
- No bag limit. Adirondack bait restriction for land body-gripping traps when fisher/marten closed. No traps set before 7:00 AM on opening day.
From DEC guide page, DEC guide page, checked October 27, 2026.
Virginia Opossum dates by Wildlife Management Unit
New York sets opossum dates by WMU, not by county. Each code links to a page with that unit's counties, every season and its harvest history.
| Hunting season | Trapping season | WMUs | List |
|---|---|---|---|
Oct 25–Feb 15 | Oct 25–Feb 15 | 89 | 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, 5A, 5C, 5F, 5G, 5H, 5J, 5R, 5S, 5T, 6A, 6C, 6F, 6G, 6H, 6J, 6K, 6N, 6P, 6R, 6S, 7A, 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 1–Feb 25 | Nov 1–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.
How New York divides opossum seasons
Area lists for opossums, read from the guide maps.
Daily checks apply to opossums in the Southern Zone; eight Adirondack WMUs allow every 48 hours.
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.
Virginia Opossum hunting areas open to the public
Ranked by acreage, these are the public places listing furbearers (top 60).
| Area | Kind | Acres | Where | WMU | Game list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Virginia Opossum bag limits and licenses
Every opossum limit row, plus the license, privilege and stamp prices.
| Row | Bag and possession |
|---|---|
| Coyote, raccoon, foxes, skunk, opossum, weasel, bobcat | No bag limits (hunting or trapping). |
Paying for a opossum hunt
| License | Who | Category | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hunting License | resident | Annual, ages 16-69 | $22 |
| Hunting License | nonresident | Annual, ages 16+ | $100 |
| Trapping License | resident | Ages 16-69 | $20 |
| Trapping License | nonresident | Ages 16+ | $275 |
DEC guide bag limits and the license fee table, checked October 27, 2026. New York hunting license guide.
Virginia Opossum rules in the field
Virginia Opossum: daily hours
Night calling for opossums is legal once the season is open past sunrise on opening day.
Sunday opossum hunting
Sunday hunting for opossums is legal everywhere in New York; the old county restrictions are gone.
Blaze and opossum hunting
Opossums can be hunted without blaze; the 250-square-inch requirement attaches to deer and bear firearm hunters.
Virginia Opossum bait rules
Any carcass bait near a foothold set for opossums has to be fully covered; Adirondack land body-grippers go unbaited outside the fisher and marten season.
Reporting opossums
There is no tag or report step for opossums.
Virginia Opossum dog rules
A dog is a legal partner for opossums, with training seasons set by the guide.
shooting hours, orange and pink rule, Sunday hunting, baiting rules, tagging and reporting, checked October 27, 2026. Legal shooting hours · Hunting laws.
Virginia Opossum weapons, methods and law
| Season | Legal | Not legal |
|---|---|---|
| Furbearer hunting | Handgun, shotgun, muzzleloading rifle, bow, crossbow, air gun; rifles per deer-season rule; spotlights, night vision, thermal, lasers. | Hunting from any motor vehicle incl. ATV/snowmobile. |
| Rifle restrictions | Rifles allowed where the legal implements map shows orange. | Any rifle afield in Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk; rifles larger than .22 rimfire during deer seasons in shotgun-only areas; Northern Zone: rifles over .22 rimfire, slug/buckshot loads or crossbows when hunting with a dog (except coyote). |
Method rules for opossums
- Spotlighting: Lights may be used to observe wildlife only if no implement is ready (cased, taken down, locked in trunk, or a handgun) and not within 500 ft of a home or farm building without permission when looking for deer/bear.
From the DEC guide and ECL Articles 11 and 71 on the NY Senate site, checked October 27, 2026. New York hunting laws.
Virginia Opossum FAQ
What are legal hunting hours for opossums?
Night calling for opossums is legal once the season is open past sunrise on opening day.
What are the Sunday rules for opossums?
Sunday hunting for opossums is legal everywhere in New York; the old county restrictions are gone.
Is fluorescent orange or pink required for opossums?
Opossums can be hunted without blaze; the 250-square-inch requirement attaches to deer and bear firearm hunters.
Can you hunt opossums over bait in New York?
Any carcass bait near a foothold set for opossums has to be fully covered; Adirondack land body-grippers go unbaited outside the fisher and marten season.
Is opossum reporting required?
There is no tag or report step for opossums.
When must a trapper visit opossum sets?
Daily checks apply to opossums in the Southern Zone; eight Adirondack WMUs allow every 48 hours.
Which public areas are known for opossums?
145 places list furbearers, led by Ferris Lake Wild Forest, Wilcox Lake Wild Forest, Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest and Debar Mountain Wild Forest.
What equipment is allowed for opossums?
Furbearer hunting: Handgun, shotgun, muzzleloading rifle, bow, crossbow, air gun; rifles per deer-season rule; spotlights, night vision, thermal, lasers. Not legal: Hunting from any motor vehicle incl. ATV/snowmobile.
When does opossum season open in New York?
From Oct 25, 2026 through Feb 25, 2027, in 4 rows set by WMU, zone or area.
How many opossums may one hunter keep?
No bag limits (hunting or trapping).
Do you need a special license for opossums?
DEC lists Hunting License (resident) $22; Hunting License (nonresident) $100; Trapping License (resident) $20; Trapping License (nonresident) $275; hunter or trapper education comes first for new buyers.
Other photos on this page: Charles Patrick Ewing (CC BY 2.0); Tony Webster (CC BY-SA 2.0); Mike's Birds (CC BY-SA 2.0); Under the same moon… (CC BY 2.0).