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Hamilton County, New York
Wells, New York, as a hunting base
Hunting from Wells, New York: land on the map by distance, WMU rules for Hamilton County, legal light and where to buy a license.
Photo: Shot on Silver Lake Wilderness, 0.7 mi from Wells; a nearby stand-in, not the town. ke9tv (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Wells is part of Hamilton County, out in the eastern Adirondacks and Lake Champlain. Wells works as the gateway to Silver Lake Wilderness, the line less than a mile out. Wilcox Lake Wild Forest is the reason Wells is listed: its closest boundary lies less than a mile out. Inside 10 miles of the town point, state forest, Forest Preserve, WMA, park and federal boundaries take in about 151,936 acres over 5 listed tracts. Top of the distance list sits Silver Lake Wilderness, its nearest boundary less than a mile out.
Town point and land area from the Census 2024 Gazetteer; public acreage and boundary miles within 10 miles are a GIS measure over DEC Lands, Finger Lakes National Forest and USFWS boundaries (places.json). Closed areas from the guide closed big game areas. Checked October 27, 2026.
Public tracts mapped around Wells
All miles are straight lines from the Census point for Wells; road miles run longer.
For room to roam, Wilcox Lake Wild Forest offers 127,860 acres, the most near town. 5 Forest Preserve units reach the ring, nearest Silver Lake Wilderness; wilderness units keep motor vehicles out, so plan to walk.
| Tract | Type | Agency | WMU | Edge | Center | Acres | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Lake Wilderness 0.7 mi SW Anchor land | Wilderness | DEC | 5H | 0.7 mi | 6.6 mi | 109,774 | – |
| Jessup River Wild Forest 0.8 mi NW Anchor land | Wild forest | DEC | – | 0.8 mi | 11 mi | 48,456 | deer, bear |
| Wilcox Lake Wild Forest 0.8 mi E Anchor land | Wild forest | DEC | – | 0.8 mi | 9.7 mi | 127,860 | deer, bear |
| Siamese Ponds Wilderness 4.4 mi N | Wilderness | DEC | 5H | 4.4 mi | 17 mi | 115,124 | deer, bear |
| Shaker Mountain Wild Forest 8.3 mi SW | Wild forest | DEC | – | 8.3 mi | 15 mi | 45,312 | deer, bear |
| Perkins Clearing And Speculator Tree Farm Conservation Easement Tracts 12 mi N | Easement tract | DEC | 5H | beyond 10 mi | 12 mi | 40,476 | ruffed grouse, woodcock |
| West Canada Lake Wilderness 20 mi NW | Wilderness | DEC | 5H | beyond 10 mi | 20 mi | 177,527 | deer, bear |
| Ferris Lake Wild Forest 20 mi W | Wild forest | DEC | – | beyond 10 mi | 20 mi | 147,936 | deer, bear |
| Peck Hill State Forest 23 mi S | State forest | DEC | 5H, 5J | beyond 10 mi | 23 mi | 2,744 | waterfowl |
| Johnstown Forest Preserve Detached Parcel 23 mi S | Forest Preserve parcel | DEC | – | beyond 10 mi | 23 mi | 135 | – |
Before you park near Wells
- Silver Lake Wilderness (0.7 mi). The tract sits in the towns of Lake Pleasant, Benson, Hope, Wells and Arietta, Hamilton County. 10 parking spots and 7 downloadable maps are on file with DEC.
- Jessup River Wild Forest (0.8 mi). DEC gives 35 parking locations and 16 property maps for planning. DEC notes: “Hunting on Township 33 Tract is prohibited.”
- Wilcox Lake Wild Forest (0.8 mi). DEC posts 3 maps and 28 marked parking areas for it. DEC notes: “Hunting on Johnny Cake Lake and Gordon's Creek Tracts is prohibited.”
- Siamese Ponds Wilderness (4.4 mi). Look for it in the towns of Johnsburg and Thurman, Warren County; Towns of Indian Lake, Lake Pleasant and Wells, Hamilton County. DEC gives 17 parking locations and 4 property maps for planning.
Lands, acreage, WMUs and access from DEC property pages, the DEC WMU layer, NYS Parks, NYC DEP and federal pages (lands.json); boundary distances inside 10 miles from places.json; center distances are straight lines from the Census point for Wells. Checked October 27, 2026. Statewide public land map.
Which WMU rules apply near Wells
DEC sets deer and bear dates in Hamilton County by 3 Wildlife Management Units: 5H, 6J and 5F, all in the Northern Zone. Silver Lake Wilderness, the nearest listed land in a county unit, lies in WMU 5H. Antlerless DMPs are not available in 5H, 6J and 5F. Every license carries one Antlered Deer Tag; a second comes only after an antlerless deer is reported. The Northeastern duck zone applies around Wells, with Northeast for geese.
| Unit | Share | Zone | Early archery | Regular | Muzzleloader | Bear season | Fall turkey | DMP target | Chance (res.) | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5H Near town | 74% | Northern | Sept 27–Oct 23 | Oct 24–Dec 6 | Oct 17–Oct 23 | Sept 19–Dec 6 | Oct. 1-14 | None by law | NA | – |
| 6J | 20% | Northern | Sept 27–Oct 23 | Oct 24–Dec 6 | Oct 17–Oct 23 | Sept 19–Dec 6 | Oct. 1-14 | None by law | NA | – |
| 5F | 6% | Northern | Sept 27–Oct 23 | Oct 24–Dec 6 | Oct 17–Oct 23 | Sept 19–Dec 6 | Oct. 1-14 | None by law | NA | – |
WMU shares and 2026-27 dates from the DEC WMU season layer (counties.json); DMP targets and odds from the DEC 2026 DMP table; antler, bowhunting-only and rifle rules from the 2026-27 guide; bear areas and fall turkey from the guide bear pages. Checked October 27, 2026.
Wells hunting businesses by distance
Processors come from DEC’s 2026 deer and bear processor list plus listings that name deer or game, sorted by miles from Wells. For venison donations, Big Buck Deer Processors is 24 mi away.
| Service | Within 15 mi | Within 35 mi | Nearest | Miles | Town |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Processors | 0 | 2 | Big Buck Deer Processors | 24 mi S | Broadalbin |
| Mounts | 0 | 6 | Bill's Taxidermy | 19 mi SW | Caroga Lake |
| Gun and bow shops | 2 | 30 | Shooters Choice | 4.3 mi S | Northville |
| Town clerks (licenses) | 6 | 35 | Town of Wells | 0.8 mi NE | Wells |
Processors
Mounts
Gun and bow shops
Town clerks (licenses)
9 licensed guides with hunting on their license list a Hamilton County address. Find a licensed guide
Processors from the DEC 2026 deer and bear processor list and Yellow Pages; bear cooperators from the DEC cooperating bear taxidermists and processors list; clerks from the DEC license issuing agents dataset; shops from Yellow Pages and store locators. Checked October 27, 2026; hours were not checked.
Deer and bear take behind Wells
In 2025, 959 deer came out of Hamilton County, which ranks 51st of the 56 counties with deer hunting. 2008 tops the chart with 1,444. DEC’s 2019 town table gives the town of Wells 164 deer. By unit, WMU 5H shows 2,794 deer for 2022. Bear take in Hamilton County ran 26 in 2020, 35 in 2021 and 30 in 2022. In 2025, a record bear year statewide, WMU 5H produced 93 bears (3.1 per 100 square miles). The town of Wells shows 7 bears in the 2022 town table. For gobblers, WMU 5H belongs to the Central Adirondacks group: 1,335 spring birds in 2026, 1,280 the year before.
| Year | Estimate | Adult bucks | Adult does | Fawns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1,037 | 933 | 76 | 28 |
| 2024 | 1,012 | 909 | 91 | 12 |
| 2025 | 959 | 864 | 75 | 20 |
| Year | Deer, town of Wells | Adult bucks |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 146 | 119 |
| 2016 | 161 | 137 |
| 2017 | 189 | 159 |
| 2018 | 232 | 205 |
| 2019 | 164 | 148 |
Deer take from DEC deer reports (latest county table, take by town 2007-2019); bear from the DEC bear take by town and county and the 2025 bear harvest summary; spring turkey from the DEC turkey WMU aggregate layer. Figures are DEC calculated take, printed as DEC labels them. Checked October 27, 2026.
DEC offices near Wells
Nobody needs to visit DEC for a license; these offices are for permits, land and wildlife staff near Wells.
NYSDEC Region 5 Northville Sub-Office (14 mi southeast)
NYSDEC Region 5 Warrensburg Sub-Office, 26 mi off to the east
From the DEC statewide office list (services.json; Region 9 phones from the DEC permit administrators page), checked October 27, 2026.
Hamilton County season rows for Wells
32 species and 44 dated windows reach Wells; the last column compares each with today.
| Quarry | Season | Units | From | To | Status today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed deer | Early Bowhunting | All WMUs here | Sep 27, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Youth deer weekend | All WMUs here | Oct 10, 2026 | Oct 12, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Early Muzzleloading (deer of either sex) | All WMUs here | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Regular Season | All WMUs here | Oct 24, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Regular Season (Adirondacks) | All WMUs here | Sep 19, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Youth Firearms Bear Hunt | All WMUs here | Oct 10, 2026 | Oct 12, 2026 | |
| Wild turkey | Fall Season | All WMUs here | Oct 1, 2026 | Oct 14, 2026 | |
| Wild turkey | Youth Spring Turkey Hunt | All WMUs here | Apr 24, 2027 | Apr 25, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring Season | All WMUs here | May 1, 2027 | May 31, 2027 | |
| Pheasant | Youth Pheasant Hunt | All WMUs here | Sep 26, 2026 | Sep 27, 2026 | |
| Pheasant | Regular (either sex) | All WMUs here | Oct 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Ruffed grouse | Hunting | All WMUs here | Sep 20, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Woodcock | Hunting | All WMUs here | Oct 1, 2026 | Nov 14, 2026 | |
| Cottontail | Hunting | All WMUs here | Oct 1, 2026 | Mar 21, 2027 | |
| Snowshoe hare | Hunting | All WMUs here | Oct 1, 2026 | Mar 21, 2027 | |
| Gray squirrel | Hunting | All WMUs here | Sep 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Black squirrel | Hunting | All WMUs here | Sep 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Fox squirrel | Hunting | All WMUs here | Sep 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Ducks | Split 1 | Northeastern Zone | Oct 10, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Split 2 | Northeastern Zone | Dec 12, 2026 | Dec 20, 2026 | |
| Scaup | 2-scaup window | Northeastern Zone | Nov 19, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | |
| Scaup | 2-scaup window | Northeastern Zone | Dec 12, 2026 | Dec 20, 2026 | |
| Canada goose | September season | Northeast goose area | Sep 1, 2026 | Sep 25, 2026 | |
| Canada goose | Regular season | Northeast goose area | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | |
| Canada goose | Regular season | Northeast goose area | Dec 12, 2026 | Dec 19, 2026 | |
| Snow goose | Regular season | Northeastern Zone | Oct 1, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | |
| Snow goose | Regular season | Northeastern Zone | Feb 26, 2027 | Mar 10, 2027 | |
| Brant | Regular season | Northeastern Zone | Oct 10, 2026 | Nov 8, 2026 | |
| Youth waterfowl | Youth days | Northeastern Zone | Sep 26, 2026 | Sep 27, 2026 | |
| Veteran waterfowl | Veteran days | Northeastern Zone | Sep 26, 2026 | Sep 27, 2026 | |
| Snipe | Hunting | All WMUs here | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 | |
| Rails | Hunting | All WMUs here | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 | |
| Gallinule | Hunting | All WMUs here | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 | |
| Crow | Hunting | All WMUs here | Sep 1, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | |
| Coyote | Hunting | All WMUs here | Oct 1, 2026 | Mar 28, 2027 | |
| Raccoon | Hunting | All WMUs here | Oct 25, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Red fox | Hunting | All WMUs here | Oct 25, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Gray fox | Hunting | All WMUs here | Oct 25, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Bobcat | Hunting | All WMUs here | Oct 25, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Skunk | Hunting | All WMUs here | Oct 25, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Opossum | Hunting | All WMUs here | Oct 25, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Weasel | Hunting | All WMUs here | Oct 25, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Snapping turtle | Hunting | Statewide | Jul 15, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | |
| Frogs | Hunting | Statewide | Jun 15, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 |
From the 2026-27 New York Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation), WMU lists as printed, checked October 27, 2026.
Wells: three closest ranges
Wells shooters have these three closest, each card with its access rule.
For a range open to everyone, Saratoga Sand Plains WMA Archery Range is about 34 miles away. Range page
Straight-line miles from the town center; ranges checked October 27, 2026.
Wells legal hours on key dates
The DEC guide prints sunrise and sunset for Albany only. The times here are worked out for the centre of Wells and match the Albany table within four minutes.
| Day | Hunt | First sun | Last sun | Big game window | Bird window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27, 2026 | Northern bow opener | 6:49 a.m. | 6:49 p.m. | 6:19 a.m.–7:19 p.m. | 6:19 a.m.–6:49 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Southern bow opener | 6:54 a.m. | 6:41 p.m. | 6:24 a.m.–7:11 p.m. | 6:24 a.m.–6:41 p.m. |
| Oct 24, 2026 | Northern regular opener | 7:22 a.m. | 6:02 p.m. | 6:52 a.m.–6:32 p.m. | 6:52 a.m.–6:02 p.m. |
| Nov 21, 2026 | Southern regular opener | 6:59 a.m. | 4:29 p.m. | 6:29 a.m.–4:59 p.m. | 6:29 a.m.–4:29 p.m. |
| Dec 14, 2026 | Southern late season | 7:24 a.m. | 4:22 p.m. | 6:54 a.m.–4:52 p.m. | 6:54 a.m.–4:22 p.m. |
| Jan 1, 2027 | Late season close | 7:31 a.m. | 4:30 p.m. | 7:01 a.m.–5:00 p.m. | 7:01 a.m.–4:30 p.m. |
| May 1, 2027 | Spring turkey opener | 5:52 a.m. | 7:58 p.m. | 5:22 a.m.–8:28 p.m. | 5:22 a.m.–7:58 p.m. |
Hours rule from the DEC guide sunrise and sunset page; sun times calculated for the county centre (NOAA method), checked against the guide’s Albany table; checked October 27, 2026. Legal hours for every county.
Questions from Wells hunters
Are antlerless permits easy to draw near Wells?
WMU 5H gets no DMPs; use a Bow/Muzz Antlerless tag instead.
Do Wells hunters get a bear season?
Bears near Wells follow the Adirondacks rules for WMU 5H.
How does turkey season work near Wells?
Fall turkey in WMU 5H: Oct. 1-14. Spring gobbler hunting runs statewide from May 1, half an hour before sunrise to noon.
How fast must a Wells hunter report a deer?
Tag it in the field and report it, immediately for e-tags or within two days for paper tags, by app, web or 1-866-426-3778.
Do Wells hunters face any Sunday limits?
It is legal statewide. Crow hunting is limited to certain days by season, not by a Sunday rule.
What are the orange rules for deer hunters in Hamilton County?
Gun hunters for big game must show 250 square inches of fluorescent orange or pink; bowhunters in archery seasons are exempt.
What is the closest license agent to Wells?
Online, by phone or at a clerk office. One clerk office that sells them is Town of Wells, 0.8 mi from Wells.
Who processes deer close to Wells?
Try Big Buck Deer Processors in Broadalbin first; it is the nearest venison cutter in the data. Phone first during the regular season.
What CWD rules apply to Wells hunters?
CWD is not known in wild New York deer. DEC samples thousands each year (3,050 in 2025, none positive) and bans importing whole carcasses from other states.
What is the 500-foot rule near Wells?
State law sets 500 feet for firearms near occupied buildings; crossbows need 250 feet and bows 150 feet.
Which tract is the closest public hunting ground to Wells?
The list starts with Silver Lake Wilderness, its nearest boundary less than a mile out. Behind it on the distance table comes Jessup River Wild Forest.
How big is the state land base around Wells?
Some 151,936 acres, by a GIS overlay of DEC Lands, national forest and refuge boundaries.
What are the deer dates in WMU 5H?
In WMU 5H, the unit of the nearest public land, early bow runs Sept. 27 – Oct. 23 and the regular season Oct. 24 – Dec. 6. Hamilton County also has 6J and 5F.
Answers drawn from the sources in each section above; reporting from the guide reporting page; orange and Sunday rules from the guide big game page; setbacks from ECL 11-0931; CWD from DEC CWD page. Checked October 27, 2026.
Before Wells hunters head out
Every mile here is a straight line from Wells; state forests, Forest Preserve units, parks and refuges each add rules, so read the land page and the 2026-27 guide first.
Other photos on this page: ke9tv (CC BY-SA 2.0); Tony Webster (CC BY-SA 2.0); andyarthur (CC BY 2.0); andyarthur (CC BY 2.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Midwest Region (Public domain); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Midwest Region (Public domain); Birding for Climate (Public domain); USFWS Headquarters (CC BY 2.0).