#1. 2015-16 Licenses to go on sale August 10 – The 2015-16 hunting and trapping licenses go on sale on August 10 and are valid beginning September 1, 2015. Licenses and permits can be purchased at one of DEC’s license-issuing agents around the state, as well as by telephone and online.
#2. Turkey Hunting Season Modifications – Newly adopted regulations shorten the fall turkey hunting seasons in New York State due to a declining turkey population across the state. The new fall seasons are two weeks long with a statewide season bag limit of one bird of either sex. Season dates vary regionally with the season in the Northern Zone running October 1-14, the Southern Zone running October 17-30, and Suffolk County (Long Island) running November 21-December 4. Further details on turkey hunting can be found on DEC’s website.
(CLICK HERE FOR THE DEC’s PRESS RELEASE.)
#3. Major changes to season and DMPs being issued. WMU 3M will be Antlerless only for the first two weeks of deer season and all of Black Powder season. WMUs 3K and 3J will still have antler point restrictions. 3M will have 42,900 DMPs to be issued with a High chance for both resident and non-resident license holders. That works out to be 57.3 DMPs per mi2. 3 J will have a high chance for one DMP but preference points will be needed for 3P. In 3K, only qualifying landowners (greater than 50 acres) and veterans with disabilities will receive a DMP. (CLICK HERE FOR DMP Availability and Probability of Selection for all of NY.) You can apply for leftover DMPs will begin on or around November 1 each year.
Southern Zone Dates:
Early Bow hunting Oct. 1 to Nov. 20 (With Oct. 1 to Oct. 15 in 3M being doe only.)
Crossbow Nov. 7 to Nov. 20 and rest of Regular and Muzzleloading season.
Regular (Sat.) Nov. 21 to Dec. 13
Muzzleloading & Bow Dec. 14 to Dec. 22 (3M being doe only)
CLICK HERE FOR THE DEC DEER AND BEAR MAP AND PAGE
Orange county WMUs, 3J, 3K, 3M, 3P with 3M being the largest.