Welcome to 2025-26 New York Hunting

Highlights for 2025–2026

Proposed Regulations in Process

At press time, DEC had several proposed regulations in process. Check DEC’s website for updates prior to the hunting season.

• E-Licenses, E-Tags, & Harvest Reporting: DEC has proposed to allow hunters and trappers to possess only an e-license while hunting or trapping and use e-tags for deer, bear, or turkey. An e-license is the electronic record of your hunting, fishing, and trapping license privileges in DEC’s HuntFishNY mobile app. E-tags are electronic records of your unreported and reported carcass tags for deer, bear, and turkey in the HuntFishNY app. The app works even without immediate cell service, as it stores the harvest report and transmits it to DEC upon reconnection to cell service. Paper licenses and paper tags will still be available. See page 13 for more information.

With this potential change, DEC also proposed changing the time frame for required reporting of your harvest of deer, bear, or turkey. If adopted, users of e-tags will be required to report immediately upon harvesting the animal. Users of paper tags will be required to report within 48 hours of the harvest. Hunters will no longer have 7 days to report their harvest.

• Bonus Youth Tag: Some young hunters who are successful during the Youth Big Game Hunt weekend may not have another tag available to use during the subsequent regular firearms season. DEC has proposed to provide these youth hunters a bonus or replacement tag for the regular firearms season. Bonus regular season tags would be for the opposite sex deer as was harvested during the youth hunt.

Printing and Mailing Fee

DEC has transitioned from special license stock (valeron) to printing all sporting licenses, carcass tags, and other items on plain paper. License Issuing Agents (LIAs) are now supplying their own paper, printers, and ink, and license buyers purchasing their paper licenses and tags at LIAs may be charged a $1 printing fee to cover costs. Additionally, DEC's license fulfillment vendor may levy a $2 fee when the customer requests the license be printed and mailed to them. All customers who purchase online, by phone, or at an LIA can avoid the printing fee by choosing to receive their licenses and tags by email for printing at home.

Pending Legislation on Crossbows

At press time, legislation was pending that, if adopted, will allow crossbows to be used during the entire bowhunting season by hunters with the bowhunting privilege in all areas where other bowhunting equipment can be used. All crossbow users would be required to have a certificate of bowhunter education. Additionally, the law would remove the minimum limb width and maximum draw weight restrictions for crossbows. The discharge setback for crossbows would remain at a minimum of 250’ from certain structures, except it will be 500’ in Suffolk and Westchester counties. Check DEC’s website for the status of the pending legislation.

Backtags No Longer Required

As a result of law change, backtags are no longer required while hunting anywhere in New York State.

Legislation – Rifles in Niagara County

Legislation adopted in 2024 allows use of rifles for big game hunting in Niagara County except within the cities of Niagara Falls, Lockport, and North Tonawanda.

HuntFishNY Events – Mentored Hunt Opportunities and More!

HuntFishNY is your one-stop resource for events offered by DEC and a network of partners and instructors. Events are hands-on and designed to teach you the basics about hunting, fishing, trapping, outdoor safety, wildlife, and other outdoor skills. You can find sponsored pheasant hunts, mentored hunts, target shoots, hunting seminars, social events, and more. Events are designed for all ability levels. See DEC’s Learn to Hunt Opportunities in New York page for information about HuntFishNY Events, the Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) program, sponsored pheasant hunts, and mentored hunts. These programs help new hunters develop the skills they will need to be safe and successful.

Non-lead Ammunition Rebate Program – Continuing Statewide

DEC has partnered with researchers to implement a multiyear study to determine the reduction in eagle deaths resulting from use of non-lead ammunition for deer hunting. Researchers are offering a rebate of up to $60 to hunters for purchase of certified non-lead ammunition. For more information about this program, please refer to page 34.