Outdoors with Larry DiDonato - Holiday Hunt Gives Hunters Hope for More Hunting

Hunters still have options to harvest a deer in NY. The "Holiday Hunt" is a nice Christmas present for bow and muzzleloader hunters, and Long Island's firearms season remains an option for diehard deer hunters.

Regular gun season for deer and bear in the Southern Zone came to a closed on Sunday, December 7th. Bow, crossbow, and muzzleloading big game season opened the following day on December 8th and concluding one half hour after sunset on Tuesday, December 16th. 

Those who can’t get enough deer hunting need not be disappointed. Santa has one last belated gift in his bag for deer hunting afficionados. After a brief hiatus, the bow, crossbow and muzzleloading season for deer resumes on the day after Christmas. The relatively recent advent of the annual “Holiday Hunt” for upstate counties commences on December 26th and runs through New Year’s Day on January 1st. 

Those who dream of antlers instead of sugar plumbs dancing in their heads have even more than that to look forward to if they are willing to travel south a bit to Westchester or Long Island. In Westchester County’s Wildlife Management Unit, (WMU) 3S, you can hunt deer and bear with a bow or crossbow from October 1st right through December 31st of each year. 

For Long Island, DEC recently announced that their annual deer shotgun and muzzleloader season in January in Suffolk County will begin on Sunday, January 4, and continue through January 31, 2026. New for the 2026 Long Island January deer hunting season, DEC just stated it has overhauled the reservation method to hunt on State-managed lands to an online system. “Instead of requiring hunters to make an in-person reservation at the Ridge Hunter Check Station, hunters can now fully complete their reservation through Reserve America.” 

Now to hunt deer on DEC-managed lands during the firearms season, hunters will be required to create a free Reserve America account at https://newyorkstateparks.reserveamerica.com. DEC emphasizes this is different from the general Reserve America login used for reservations at New York State Parks and DEC campgrounds. If you already have a Reserve America login, you will need to create a new account at the link listed above. Through Reserve America, hunters will be able to make a reservation for the same locations that have always been available during the January season. 

Problem is, Reserve America opened reservations on December 15, 2025 and they remained open through December 19, 2025, until 5 p.m. During this initial reservation window, hunters were able to make one reservation for any available day and hunting location.  

But a second opportunity remains for hunters that miss the December 19th deadline who want to hunt deer on LI during the shotgun and muzzleloader season in January. Starting December 28, at 9 a.m., hunters can make additional reservations for remaining available hunting dates and areas up to one week in advance of the hunt date. Hunters will still be required to check in the day of the hunt at the appropriate hunter check station for all properties except Noyac and Barcelona Neck, for which permits will be emailed. 

Step-by-step instructions on reserving a time and location on a DEC-managed property are available on DEC’s Hunting on Long Island webpage. For further information on regulations and public lands available for firearms hunting in January, visit January Firearms Deer Hunting Season in Suffolk County. 

The regular bow hunting season for deer in Suffolk County will also continue through January 31, 2026. Archery hunters can access select areas with the use of a managed land access permit. For more information on locations where archery is allowed, visit Hunting on Long Island - NYSDEC.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and happy hunting, fishing and trapping until next time!

Remember to report poaching and polluting violations by calling the 24-hour ECO Dispatch at 1-844-DEC-ECOS.