New York · Public Land · 2026 Edition
New York Public Hunting Land 2026: WMAs & Access Rules
2 wildlife management areas tracked here, from 7,932 to 11,855 acres. A hunting license covers you on New York WMA land the same as anywhere else in the state — but read the access rules below before you assume that's all you need.
01 — Wildlife management areas
| Area | County | Acres | Species |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perch River Wildlife Management Area | Jefferson | 7,932 | Waterfowl, Deer, Upland small game, Furbearers |
| Mongaup Valley Wildlife Management Area | Sullivan, Orange | 11,855 | Deer, Turkey, Bear, Waterfowl |
Perch River, in Jefferson County near Watertown, is one of New York's best-known waterfowl marshes — DEC actively manages water levels and mows the grasslands specifically to hold ducks and geese through migration. Mongaup Valley, about 75 miles northwest of New York City along the Delaware River, is a designated Bird Conservation Area for its nesting and overwintering bald eagles, and also carries real deer, turkey, and bear hunting across nearly 12,000 acres of state land and conservation easements combined. This list is a starting point, not DEC's full inventory of roughly 125 WMAs statewide.
02 — Access rules beyond your hunting license
DEC's Bureau of Wildlife manages nearly 150 areas — about 125 WMAs plus Unique and Multiple Use Areas — totaling around 250,000 acres statewide. A standard New York hunting license covers hunting on all of them; there's no separate statewide WMA permit or lottery layered on top, though some individual WMAs carry their own site-specific rules (reduced hunting hours, capped visitor numbers, mandatory harvest reporting). Statewide WMA regulations (effective since January 2022) prohibit permanent blinds/stands/platforms, camping without written permission, off-road motor vehicle use, and leaving personal property including trail cameras — tree stands labeled with the hunter's name (or DEC ID number) may stay up overnight but must come down by the end of hunting season, unlike Maine's stricter one-day rule.
03 — Where to go next
Verified · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation · Last verified 2026-08-13
Publisher's note. WMA list and access rules read from NYSDEC, retrieved 2026-08-13. Review due 2027-08-01. This is a starting list, not the agency's full WMA inventory — confirm current rules for a specific area before you hunt it.