DEC Announces Start of Small Game Hunting Across New York State

 

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced that small game hunting and furbearer trapping seasons for the 2025–26 license year are now open or will open soon across New York. Most small game and furbearer seasons open between Sept. 1 and Nov. 1, depending on species and zone. Full season dates, bag limits, and regulations are published in the 2025–26 Hunting & Trapping Regulations Guide.

“Fall is when many new hunters go afield for the first time, and when experienced hunters rediscover New York’s outdoors,” Director of DEC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife Jacqueline Lendrum said. “These seasons support long-standing conservation programs, which sustain abundant upland game, waterfowl, and furbearer populations, and provide safe, accessible ways to introduce the next generation to hunting. Before heading afield, please review the annual regulations on DEC’s website as there are several exciting and important changes this coming hunting season.”

Waterfowl Hunting and Special Youth & Military Days

New York offers a wide variety of waterfowl hunting opportunities across five waterfowl zones and nine Canada goose subzones to reflect the state’s diverse habitats. DEC also designates Youth Waterfowl Days (for junior hunters ages 12–15) and special days for active military and veterans in many zones to provide lower-pressure hunting opportunities and mentoring experiences.

For 2025, the designated Youth Waterfowl Days for most upstate zones are Sept. 27–28, 2025, and Long Island’s youth hunt is scheduled for Nov. 8–9, 2025. Veteran and active military waterfowl days generally mirror those youth days in several zones. Opening dates for regular duck seasons vary by zone; hunters should consult the 2025–26 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide and DEC’s migratory game bird seasons page for full details.

Ruffed Grouse Hunting

Ruffed grouse season for 2025–26 runs Sept. 20, 2025 – Feb. 28, 2026, in the Northern Zone and Oct. 1, 2025 – Feb. 28, 2026, in the Southern Zone north of New York City/Long Island. Hunters in northern Wildlife Management Units (specifically WMUs 5C, 5F, 6F, 6J) must take care to avoid mistakenly harvesting spruce grouse, a State-endangered species found in Adirondack lowland conifer forests.

DEC also encourages hunters to participate in the Grouse Hunting Log and submit feathers from harvested birds to help biologists monitor grouse populations and annual productivity. To see the results of this survey, please visit the Ruffed Grouse Dashboard.

Pheasant Hunting

The DEC pheasant propagation program supplies more than 50,000 adult pheasants to supplement upland game bird hunting across the state and is an important hunter recruitment, reactivation, and retention tool.  Regular pheasant season begins Oct. 1, 2025, in Eastern New York. The youth-only pheasant hunt weekends are scheduled for the following dates: Sept. 27–28 (Northern and Eastern New York), Oct. 11–12 (Western New York), and Oct. 25–26 (Long Island).

All release sites for pheasants provided through the DEC pheasant propagation program are open to public hunting. An interactive map and complete list of release sites are available on DEC’s website.

Additionally, DEC helps promote and facilitate mentored hunts around New York State through the HuntFishNY Event page.  The HuntFishNY Event page helps prospective hunters find and register for upcoming mentored hunting and fishing events. HuntFishNY Events is a one-stop resource for events offered by DEC and a network of partners and instructors. Events are hands-on and designed to teach the basics about hunting, wildlife, and other outdoor skills. You can find sponsored pheasant hunts, mentored hunts, target shoots, hunting seminars, and more. Events are designed for all ability levels. Check back if you don’t see events in your area, as new events are added weekly.

Squirrel, Rabbit, and Hare

Opportunities to pursue squirrels and rabbits are available statewide on many public lands. For 2025–26:

• Gray, black, and fox squirrel: Sept. 1, 2025 – Feb. 28, 2026 (Long Island and New York City: Nov. 1 – Feb. 28)
• Cottontail rabbit: Begin Oct. 1 in Upstate New York and on Nov. 1 in New York City/Long Island.
• Snowshoe hare: Oct. 1, 2025 – March 15, 2026 in the Northern Zone (later start in some Southern Zone WMUs)

Please see the Small Game Seasons page for more information on bag limits, hunting hours, and a map of zones.

Wild Turkey

Fall turkey hunting opportunities are improved this year due average to above-average productivity in the last few summers. The statewide fall bag limit is one bird of either sex and hunting hours are sunrise to sunset. Fall 2025 season dates are:

• Northern Zone: Oct. 1–14, 2025
• Southern Zone: Oct. 18–31, 2025
• Long Island (Suffolk/Nassau): Nov. 15–28, 2025

DEC Encourages Hunter Safety

“We want every hunter to return home safely,” Director Lendrum added. “Please follow the basics: treat every firearm as if it’s loaded, be sure of your target and what lies beyond it, keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot, and wear blaze orange or blaze pink when appropriate. These simple precautions save lives.”

Hunting in New York remains one of the safest outdoor activities, but incidents can happen when the basics of hunter safety are forgotten or ignored. Always follow the rules of firearm safety:

1. Point your gun in a safe direction.
2. Treat every gun as if it were loaded.
3. Be sure of your target and beyond.
4. Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.

Blaze orange is required for hunting deer or bear with a firearm, and DEC strongly encourages small game hunters to wear blaze orange or pink to reduce the risk of mistaken identity.

For more information about the 2025–26 hunting seasons, regulations, and maps, visit DEC’s website or review the 2025–26 Hunting & Trapping Regulations Guide.

Citizen Science

DEC has many opportunities for the public to get involved in wildlife management.  Specifically, DEC encourages hunters to take part in citizen science programs, including the Grouse & Woodcock Hunting Log, Ruffed Grouse Parts Collection, Furbearer Sighting Log, and Snapshot New York. These efforts help track population trends and inform wildlife management decisions.

Snapshot NY – capturing New York’s wildlife, one snapshot at a time

Snapshot NY is an exciting new citizen science program that allows the public to participate in wildlife monitoring through the deployment of trail cameras. The project will improve the way DEC monitors and manages more than a dozen wildlife species. The program was developed in collaboration with the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Cornell University.

To become a volunteer for Snapshot NY:

• Access to land: Volunteers are encouraged to place trail cameras on private property across New York State. Those without access will need permission to set up a camera on nearby public land.

• A trail camera: Use your own trail camera (preferred) or apply to borrow a trail camera through the Snapshot program.

• Access to internet and a willingness to upload photos

• Create an account: Volunteers can create an account on the Snapshot NY website and select one of the survey blocks to deploy a trail camera.

Learn more and get involved at www.snapshotny.org.