ALBANY, N.Y. – The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has 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.
“Fall is when many new hunters go afield for the first time, and when experienced hunters rediscover New York’s outdoors,” DEC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife Director 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.”
Full season dates, bag limits, and regulations are published in the 2025–26 Hunting & Trapping Regulations Guide: https://ift.tt/QWshj1T.
“Before heading afield, please review the annual regulations on DEC’s website as there are several exciting and important changes this coming hunting season,” Lendrum said.
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 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 for 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 and later start in some Southern Zone WMUs.
Please see the Small Game Seasons page: https://ift.tt/VHWD9Jx 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 counties: Nov. 15–28, 2025
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:
– point your gun in a safe direction.
– treat every gun as if it were loaded.
– be sure of your target and beyond.
– 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.
“We want every hunter to return home safely,” Lendrum said. “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.”
