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DEC Announces Proposed Changes to Hunting Regulations
to Increase Harvest of Antlerless Deer
Published: March 18, 2026 at
05:45 p.m.
By: Press Release
from NYS DEC
DEC Announces Proposed Changes to Hunting Regulations
to Increase Harvest of Antlerless Deer
Proposed Changes Include Modifications to DEC’s Deer
Management Permit Process
The New York
State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced
several proposed regulation changes to increase harvest of antlerless deer
by hunters. These proposed actions will improve DEC’s ability to manage
deer populations to help ensure a healthy herd while also preventing
potential increases in deer-vehicle collisions, reduced forest
regeneration, and other negative impacts of deer overabundance.
“Deer populations
are growing throughout much of New York State,” DEC Commissioner
Lefton said. “Increased harvest of antlerless deer by hunters is
necessary to keep deer populations healthy, in balance with available
habitat, and at levels that are acceptable to all members of the public.”
During recent
hunting seasons, less than 15% of licensed hunters harvested one antlerless
(primarily female) deer and only about 3% of hunters harvested two or more
antlerless deer. The proposed regulations are intended to encourage and
incentivize hunters to harvest more antlerless deer to help better manage
deer populations.
Over the past few
years, DEC evaluated a variety of regulatory and non-regulatory options to
increase harvest of antlerless deer. The process incorporated results from
a series of focus groups, a statewide survey of deer
hunters, and input from professional deer biologists and managers
across the Northeast. Based on that evaluation, DEC proposes several
actions.
Modifying
the Deer Management Permit (DMP)
issuance process to increase DMP availability
Some Wildlife
Management Units (WMUs) have no DMP quota, resulting in unlimited DMP
availability. DEC’s proposed regulations would create a second pathway for
DMP issuance in units without a quota, allowing hunters to simultaneously
apply for two DMPs in WMUs without a quota and two DMPs in WMUs with a
quota through the typical lottery process. This would enable hunters to
potentially obtain up to four DMPs when buying a license and all hunters
who apply for DMPs in units without a quota would receive them.
Additionally,
hunters who harvest and report antlerless deer using DMPs in any of the
WMUs without a quota would automatically receive bonus DMPs, allowing them
to continue harvesting antlerless deer.
Currently,
Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) 1C, 3S, 4J, and 8C have no DMP quota. The
proposed regulation would enable DEC to add and remove WMUs to the list of
units without a DMP quota as population management needs change. For 2026,
DEC would add 19 WMUs (3M, 3P, 3R, 6P, 7F, 7H, 7J,
7R, 8A, 8F, 8G, 8H, 8J, 8N, 8R, 8S, 9A, 9F, and 9G) to the list of those
with no DMP quota.
Allow an
unlimited number of DMPs to be transferred between hunters
Under current
State regulations, hunters can only have two DMPs transferred to them from
other hunters. The proposed regulations would allow hunters to have an
unlimited number of DMPs transferred to them from other hunters.
Expand the
nine-day season for antlerless deer in mid-September
Currently, WMUs
1C, 3S, 3M, 3R, 4J, 8A, 8C, 8F, 8G, 8J, 8N, 9A, and 9F have a nine-day
season for antlerless deer in mid-September. The proposed regulations would
add 10 WMUs (3P, 6P, 7F, 7H, 7J, 7R, 8H, 8R, 8S,
and 9G) to the list of those enrolled in this September season.
Establish an
“Earn-a-2nd-Buck" System
Currently, deer
hunters can harvest two antlered deer per year – one using their
Bow/Muzzleloader Either-Sex Tag and a second using
their Regular Season Deer Tag. The proposed regulations would require
hunters to harvest and report an antlerless deer before receiving a tag to
harvest a second antlered deer. To accommodate this, DEC is proposing to
reclassify the current Regular Season Deer Tag as an “Antlered Deer Tag”
that could be used during all deer seasons with appropriate license
privileges. All hunters would receive this first Antlered Deer Tag upon
hunting license purchase.
In addition, as
part of a “earn-a-2nd-buck” system, DEC would reclassify the
Bow/Muzzleloader Either-Sex Deer Tag as a
Bow/Muzzleloader Antlerless Deer Tag. Hunters who purchase the bowhunting
and muzzleloader privileges would receive a Bow/Muzzleloader Antlerless
Deer Tag for each privilege.
Hunters who
harvest and report an antlerless deer on any eligible antlerless deer tag
(i.e., Bow/Muzzleloader Antlerless Deer Tag, DMP, or Deer Management
Assistance Program Tag) receive a second Antlered Deer Tag which could be
used during all deer seasons with appropriate license privileges.
Additional
Proposal
A minor change to
clarify how mechanical broadheads with moving blades may be deemed
non-barbed to comply with the statutory prohibition on use of barbed
broadheads for big game hunting. Broadheads with blades that appear barbed, but freely swing forward to a non-barbed
position upon withdrawal of the arrow, are not considered barbed. This
regulation would clarify that “freely swing” infers no external force
beyond gravity.
DEC strives to
manage deer populations at levels that are in balance with available
habitat and in alignment with public desires by encouraging and empowering
hunters to harvest antlerless deer, the primary component of the deer
population that drives population growth. DEC assesses public desires for
deer population size and deer impacts to forests to determine deer
population objectives for each area of the state. Refer to
DEC’s Management Plan for White-Tailed Deer in New York State (PDF)
for more information.
Details of the
proposed regulations are available at Proposed,
Emergency, and Recently Adopted Regulations webpage. Additional answers
to commonly asked questions are available on DEC’s website.
DEC is accepting
comments on the proposed regulations through May 17. Comments can be emailed
to wildliferegs@dec.ny.gov (subject: “Antlerless Deer
Hunting”) or to: NYSDEC, Attn: Jeremy Hurst, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY
12233-4754.
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