State guide

Public land that may allow hunting in New York

766 named public land units in New York from PAD-US 4.1: 128 state wildlife & game areas, 446 forests & grasslands, 12 wildlife refuges & WPAs, 180 other public land units. The largest are High Peaks Wilderness, West Canada Lake Wilderness, Ferris Lake Wild Forest.

  • 766listed areas
  • 4.1Macres (approx.)
  • 128state wildlife & game areas
Deer season 2026–27: archery opens Sept. 27, 2026 (Northern Zone); Oct. 1, 2026 (Southern Zone); firearms Oct. 24, 2026 (Northern) / Nov. 21, 2026 (Southern) (Regular season). All New York dates by zone (checked Sep 26, 2026)

New York deer season dates for 2026 (from the state agency) · Deer score calculator · How to score a buck

Regulations & licenses: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

This site does not list seasons, bag limits, license or permit rules. Those change every year and differ by area. Check them with the state agency before you go, and confirm the specific area is open to the hunting you plan.

Check regulations with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Where the listed areas are

State wildlife & game areas (128)Forests & grasslands (446)Wildlife refuges & WPAs (12)Other public land (180)

One dot per area at its reference point; larger dots are larger areas. Outline: U.S. Census Bureau.

Acres by land type

Forests & grasslands2.3M acOther1.5M acState wildlife areas244K acRefuges & WPAs32K ac

Approximate acres for the portion of each unit inside New York.

All 766 areas, largest first

Acreage is calculated from simplified PAD-US boundaries for the portion inside New York. “Access” is the PAD-US public access field, not a statement about hunting. National wildlife refuges are generally coded “restricted” in PAD-US because of seasonal or area closures.

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