N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. tit. 6 § 1.11

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 50, December 11, 2024

Section 1.11 - Deer hunting seasons

(a) Seasons.

(1) Northern Zone.

Season	Season dates
Youth Firearms	3 consecutive days beginning on the Saturday of Columbus Day weekend
Regular	44 consecutive days beginning on the 2nd Saturday after Columbus Day
Bowhunting	Early Season: September 27 through the Friday immediately preceding the regular season
Late Season: seven consecutive days immediately following the regular season in the areas open for late muzzleloader season as listed in paragraph (d)(6) of this section.
Muzzleloader	Early Season: seven consecutive days beginning on the 1st Saturday after Columbus Day
Late Season: seven consecutive days immediately following the regular season in the open areas listed in paragraph (d)(6) of this section.

(2) Southern zone.

Season	Season dates
Early Antlerless	9 consecutive days beginning on the 2nd Saturday of September
Youth Firearms	3 consecutive days beginning on the Saturday of Columbus Day weekend
Regular	23 days beginning on the 3rd Saturday in November
Bowhunting	Early Season: October 1st through the Friday immediately preceding regular season
Late Season: nine days immediately following the regular season and December 26th through January 1st
Muzzleloader	Early Season: closed
Late Season: nine consecutive days immediately following the regular season and December 26th through January 1st

(3) Westchester County.

Season	Season dates
Regular	October 1 through December 31

(4) Suffolk County.

Season	Season dates
Regular	October 1 through January 31

(b) Valid tags.

Early Antlerless	Southern Zone	Deer Management Permits and Deer Management Assistance Program tags.
Youth Firearms	Northern Zone and Southern Zone	Regular season deer tags, Deer Management Permits, and Deer Management Assistance Program tags. Junior hunters may take any deer on a regular season tag.
Regular	Northern Zone and Southern Zone	Regular season deer tags, Deer Management Permits, Deer Management Assistance Program tags. For junior bowhunters only, bow/mz either-sex tags may be used when hunting with a bow.
Westchester County and Suffolk County	Regular season deer tags, Deer Management Permits, Deer Management Assistance Program tags, bow/mz either-sex tags, and bow/mz antlerless-only tags. Any deer may be taken on a regular season tag.
Early Bowhunting	Northern Zone and Southern Zone	Bow/mz either-sex tags, bow/mz antlerless-only tags, Deer Management Permits, Deer Management Assistance Program tags.
Late Bowhunting	Northern Zone and Southern Zone	Any unfilled tag for the current license year; any deer may be taken on a regular season tag.
Early Muzzleloader	Northern Zone	Bow/mz either-sex tags, bow/mz antlerless-only tags, Deer Management Permits, Deer Management Assistance Program tags.
Late Muzzleloader	Northern Zone and Southern Zone	Any unfilled tag for the current license year; any deer may be taken on a regular season tag.

(c)License requirements.

(1) Any person who hunts or takes deer during a bowhunting, muzzleloading or regular season must possess, on his or her person, a license and carcass tag valid to hunt deer during that particular season.

(d)Other requirements.

(1) During the regular season in Westchester and Suffolk Counties, white-tailed deer may only be taken by longbow.

(2) During all seasons in wildlife management units 4J and 8C, white-tailed deer may only be taken by longbow.

(3) During the youth firearms season, junior bowhunters, hunting pursuant to a junior bowhunting license, may only take deer by longbow. Junior hunters, hunting pursuant to a junior hunting license, may take deer with a firearm.

(4) During the youth firearms season, junior hunters may take only one deer, of either sex, by use of a firearm.

(5) Any youth participating in the firearms season shall be accompanied by an adult as required by Environmental Conservation Law section 11-0929. A n adult who is accompanying a junior hunter during the youth firearms season, may not possess a firearm, longbow or crossbow and shall not be actively engaged in any other hunting.

(6) It is unlawful for any person to hunt or take a deer during the muzzleloading deer season except with a muzzleloading firearm capable of being loaded with only one charge or a crossbow.

(7) During the Northern Zone muzzleloading seasons, the types of deer that may be legally harvested and the open wildlife management units (WMUs) as described in section 4.1 of this Title are as set forth below.

Season

Open WMUs for harvest of deer of either sex

Open WMUs for harvest of antlerless deer only

Open WMUs for harvest of antlered deer only

Early Muzzleloader

5A, 5C, 5F, 5G, 5H, 5J, 6A, 6C, 6F, 6G, 6H, 6J, 6K

Late

Muzzleloader

5A, 5G, 5J, 6A, 6C, 6G, 6H

(8) During the Early Antlerless season, antlerless deer may be taken with any legal implement in the following wildlife management units (WMUs) as described in section 4.1 of this Title: WMUs 3M, 3R, 8A, 8F, 8G, 8J, 8N, 9A, and 9F. Antlerless deer may be taken with longbows in the following WMUs as described in section 4.1 of this Title: WMUs 1C, 3S, 4J, and 8C.

(9) Repealed

N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. Tit. 6 § 1.11

Amended, New York State Register August 27, 2014/Volume XXXVI, Issue 34, eff. 8/27/2014

Amended, New York State Register December 31, 2014/Volume XXXVI, Issue 52, eff. 12/31/2014

Amended New York State Register August 5, 2015/Volume XXXVII, Issue 31, eff. 8/5/2015

Amended New York State Register August 3, 2016/Volume XXXVIII, Issue 31, eff. 8/3/2016

Amended New York State Register February 17, 2021/Volume XLIII, Issue 07, eff. 2/17/2021

Amended New York State Register September 1, 2021/Volume XLIII, Issue 35, eff. 9/1/2021