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DEC Finalizes Regulations to Increase Harvest of
Antlerless Deer
Published: June 17, 2026 at
02:00 p.m.
By: Press Release
from NYS DEC
DEC Finalizes Regulations to Increase Harvest of
Antlerless Deer
New Incentive for Hunters Established with Statewide
Earn-a-2nd-Buck System
New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton
today announced several changes to deer hunting regulations to increase
harvest of antlerless (primarily female) deer and improve DEC’s ability to
manage abundant deer populations.
“Deer populations
are growing across much of New York and, in many areas, are increasing to
levels that are detrimental to deer, their habitat, and the public,” Commissioner
Lefton said. “These regulatory changes are a result of robust
public engagement and reflect DEC’s continued commitment to conservation.”
DEC is adopting
several changes to increase opportunity for hunters to access and utilize
Deer Management Permits (DMPs, antlerless deer tags) where most needed,
including:
- Adding 10 Wildlife Management Units (WMUs;
3P, 6P, 7F, 7H, 7J, 7R, 8H, 8R, 8S, and 9G) to the nine-day season for
antlerless deer in mid-September.
- Designating 23 WMUs as having no DMP quota.
Hunters who harvest and report an antlerless deer using a DMP in a WMU
with no DMP quota would be eligible to have the DMP automatically
replaced. For 2026, WMUs 1C, 3M, 3P, 3R, 3S, 4J, 6P, 7F, 7H, 7J, 7R,
8A, 8C, 8F, 8G, 8H, 8J, 8N, 8R, 8S, 9A, 9F,
and 9G will have no DMP quota.
- Modifying the DMP application process by
allowing hunters to apply for up to 4 DMPs: 2 in WMUs with a quota and
2 DMPs in WMUs with no quota.
- Allowing unlimited transfer of DMPs between
hunters.
DEC is creating
an incentive for hunters to harvest antlerless deer by establishing a
statewide Earn-a-2nd-Buck System. Under the new system, all hunters will
receive a first Antlered Deer Tag which can be used during any season (with
appropriate privileges) except the September antlerless season. Hunters who
harvest and report an antlerless deer using a DMP, Bow/Muzzleloader
Antlerless Deer Tag, or Deer Management Assistance Program Tag will be
eligible to receive a second Antlered Deer Tag, which can also be used
during those same seasons.
To facilitate the
new Earn-a-2nd-Buck System, DEC
is reclassifying the former Regular Season Deer Tag as an Antlered
Deer Tag and the former Bow/Muzzleloader Either-Sex
Deer Tag as a Bow/Muzzleloader Antlerless Deer Tag. Hunters who purchase
bowhunting and muzzleloading privileges would receive a Bow/Muzzleloader
Antlerless Deer Tag for each privilege.
The changes were
first proposed by DEC based on input from New York deer hunters and
professional deer managers across the Northeast through focus groups and
surveys administered by DEC. Additionally, DEC reviewed more than 1,000
public comments on the regulatory proposal announced in March 2026, many of
which recognized the need to increase antlerless harvest to mitigate
negative deer impacts to ecosystems and the public. The
public also expressed concern over the potential for
overharvest of deer in some areas and encouraged DEC to implement
methods to validate the antlerless deer harvested under the Earn-a-2nd-Buck
System.
DEC closely
monitors harvest success and has processes in place to reduce antlerless
harvest should the new regulations be more successful than anticipated. DEC
will also establish safeguards to minimize risk by monitoring fraudulent
harvest reports. DEC will require report attestations, conduct law
enforcement field checks, and require hunters to provide proof of their
antlerless deer harvest within seven days if requested by DEC. Proof may
include a photograph, the deer’s head, or contact information for where the
deer was processed.
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 for
more information.
The full text of
the adopted regulation and a summary of DEC’s response to the common
suggestions and concerns raised during the public comment period will be
available on DEC’s website at time of publishing in State Register,
Wednesday, July 1. Answers to commonly asked questions are available in
the “Antlerless Deer Hunting Q & A” on DEC’s website.
The regulations
finalized today are separate from the statutory changes proposed in the
State Legislature granting DEC new authority to issue DMPs in Northern Zone
WMUs. If that bill is adopted, DEC would monitor outcomes associated with
the new Earn-a-2nd Buck regulation before considering whether future
DMP issuance is appropriate to achieve population management objectives. No
DMPs would be issued in these units during the 2026 season.
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