DEC Announces Bowhunting Seasons for Deer and Bear - Youth Big Game Hunt Slated for October 11-13

ALBANY — New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton announced that bowhunting seasons for deer in the Northern Zone began on Sept. 27. In the Southern Zone, bowhunting seasons for deer and bear begin on Oct. 1. The bowhunting season for bear in the Northern Zone began Sept. 13.

"Bowhunters enjoy tremendous opportunities here in New York, and those opportunities are even better now that crossbows can be used during the entire bow season and in bowhunting-only areas,” Commissioner Lefton said. “Late summer weather, fall foliage, and plentiful big game populations combine to create outstanding conditions. It’s an exciting time of year.”

New for fall 2025, hunters in New York State may use a crossbow in the same seasons, places, and manner as a vertical bow for hunting deer and bear. Crossbows have been used throughout most of New York, in both rural and developed areas, for more than a decade, but until now New York State law limited the locations, times, and types of crossbows that could be used.  

Changes to the hunting rules signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul this year remove most of those barriers and will make hunting with a crossbow more accessible and a more effective tool for deer management. Expanding use of crossbows in the urban and suburban areas previously restricted to vertical bows will create more opportunities for hunters of diverse backgrounds to hunt near where they live. Additionally, removing the minimum width and maximum draw weight requirements for crossbows will allow New York hunters to now legally access the majority of crossbows on the market. To hunt deer and bear with a crossbow during the bowhunting seasons, a hunter must have a hunting license and bowhunting privilege. Read more about Crossbow Hunting on DEC’s website.

Deer Management Permit (DMP) Deadline 

Hunters are reminded that the application deadline for Deer Management Permits (DMPs) is Oct. 1.  

Prior to applying for a DMP, hunters should be prepared with the Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) they intend to hunt. The DMP Availability and Probability of Selection webpage has more information regarding DMP availability and chances of being selected in each WMU. 

Youth Big Game Hunt 

New York's annual Youth Big Game Hunt occurs Oct. 11-13 for junior hunters (hunters aged 12-15) accompanied by an experienced, licensed adult hunter. Only the junior hunter may carry a firearm during the youth hunt.  

The Youth Big Game Hunt takes place throughout the State, except in Suffolk and Westchester counties and bowhunting-only areas. Licensed 12- to 13-year-old hunters may only take deer with a firearm in counties that participate in the youth pilot program. Though junior hunters may have multiple deer tags, they may only take one deer with a firearm during the Youth Big Game Hunt. Antlerless deer taken with a firearm may be tagged with a regular season tag, DMP, or a Deer Management Assistance Program tag, while antlered deer may only be tagged with the regular season tag. 

Additional rules that apply to junior hunters and their adult mentors can be found on pages 44 and 45 of the Hunting and Trapping Guide or on DEC’s Youth Firearms Hunting webpage. 

Help Needed with Chronic Wasting Disease Sampling 

In fall 2024, DEC and the Department of Agriculture and Markets (AGM) confirmed Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in a captive deer facility in the town of Columbia in southern Herkimer County. CWD is always fatal in deer, moose, and elk. AGM took immediate action to depopulate and test the infected captive herd and investigate risks associated with other captive deer facilities. Simultaneously, DEC responded aggressively to test for CWD presence among wild deer in the area. 

DEC has not found CWD in wild deer in the area. More testing is needed, and DEC is requesting that hunters in the towns of Columbia, German Flatts, Litchfield, Warren, or Winfield in Herkimer County, and the town of Richfield in Otsego County submit the head of all deer they harvest. See CWD Sampling for drop box locations in each town. 

Venison Donation Program 

Big game hunters are reminded that they can help feed the hungry donating all or part of their harvested deer through cooperating processors or by making a monetary contribution to the Venison Donation Program at any license-issuing outlet.  

To reduce the potential for lead fragments in venison, hunters are encouraged to follow “best practices” when processing their deer. To eliminate the risk, donate deer taken with bow or crossbow or use lead-free ammunition. For more information on best practices for venison processing or lead-free ammunition, visit DEC’s website.

For more information about DEC's big game hunting seasons, recent rule changes, and hunter safety information including new requirements to wear hunter orange or pink, go to DEC's website.