New York WMU 4H: deer and bear hunting, harvest and public land
New York's WMU 4H covers 283 square miles in Albany, Schoharie and Greene counties, in DEC's Southern Zone. DEC estimates hunters took 1,781 deer here in 2025 (1,139 adult bucks and 642 antlerless deer) and 20 bears. 7.3% of the WMU is public land, the largest share DEC land (10,816 acres), by the USGS Protected Areas Database.
Data updated October 2026. Deer: DEC 2025 Deer Harvest Summary. Bears: DEC 2025 Bear Harvest Summary. Seasons: DEC's September and October 2026 releases. Land: PAD-US 4.1 and DEC Lands.
DEC landState parkWMU 4HNeighboring WMUsHighway
| Zone | Southern Zone |
|---|---|
| Size | 283 square miles (DEC) |
| Counties | Albany, Schoharie and Greene |
| Public land | 7.3% (13,294 acres) |
| DEC land | 11,101 acres: state forest 6,259 and wildlife management area 4,842 |
| Wildlife management areas | Partridge Run WMA, Margaret Burke WMA |
| Deer harvested, 2025 | 1,781 (1,139 adult bucks, 642 antlerless) |
| Bucks per square mile, 2025 | 3.9 (DEC) |
| Bears harvested, 2025 | 20 |
| Regular firearms deer, 2026 | November 21 to December 13 |
| Deer Management Permits, 2026 | By application (see DEC) |
How many deer are harvested in WMU 4H?
DEC estimates 1,781 deer were taken in WMU 4H in 2025, up from 1,529 in 2024. 1,139 were adult bucks, 3.9 for every square mile.
| Year | Adult bucks | Buck fawns | Adult does | Doe fawns | Total | Bucks per sq mi | Antlerless per sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,139 | 59 | 498 | 85 | 1,781 | 3.9 | 2.2 |
| 2024 | 950 | 54 | 468 | 57 | 1,529 | 3.3 | 2 |
| 2023 | 957 | 54 | 417 | 46 | 1,474 | 3.3 | 1.8 |
| 2022 | 1,011 | 65 | 583 | 59 | 1,718 | 3.5 | 2.4 |
Sources: DEC 2025 Deer Harvest Summary; DEC 2024 Deer Harvest Summary; DEC 2023 Deer Harvest Summary; DEC 2022 Deer Harvest Summary. DEC adds the harvest reports hunters file to its checks of deer at processors; these are its estimates.
How many bears are taken in WMU 4H?
DEC estimates 20 bears were taken in WMU 4H in 2025.
| Year | Bears |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 20 |
| 2024 | 9 |
Sources: DEC 2025 Bear Harvest Summary; DEC 2024 Bear Harvest Summary. DEC's 2023 summary is not online, and its earlier tables are laid out too differently to read reliably, so they are left out.
When are the 2026 seasons in WMU 4H?
| Season | Dates, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Deer, early bowhunting (most of the zone) | October 1 to November 20 |
| Deer, regular firearms | November 21 to December 13 |
| Youth firearms big game hunt (ages 12 to 15) | October 10 to 12 |
| Bear, early bowhunting (most of the zone) | October 1 to November 20 |
Sources: DEC, 2026-27 early big game hunting seasons in September; DEC, 2026 big game hunting seasons in October. The Southern Zone regular season dates follow DEC's rule: it opens the third Saturday of November and runs 23 days. DEC's 2026-27 Hunting and Trapping Guide has every late bow and muzzleloader season; check DEC's seasons page before you go.
How much public land is in WMU 4H?
7.3% of WMU 4H is public land: 13,294 of its 181,075 acres. The largest share is DEC land, 10,816 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of WMU 4H |
|---|---|---|
| DEC land | 10,816 | 6% |
| State park | 2,478 | 1.4% |
Measured by FilledTag inside DEC's WMU boundary from USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US 4.1). DEC land takes in the Forest Preserve, state forests and WMAs. Hunting is allowed on most of it; state parks, refuges and Park Service land allow it only in places.
DEC land in WMU 4H, by kind
| Kind of DEC land | Acres in WMU 4H |
|---|---|
| State forest | 6,259 |
| Wildlife management area | 4,842 |
Measured by FilledTag from DEC Lands.
Wildlife management areas in WMU 4H
| WMA | Acres in WMU 4H |
|---|---|
| Partridge Run WMA | 4,595 |
| Margaret Burke WMA | 246 |
Which WMUs border WMU 4H?
| WMU | Zone | Public land | Deer, 2025 | Adult bucks, 2025 | Bears, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WMU 4A | Southern | 3.1% | 1,865 | 1,144 | 3 |
| WMU 4B | Southern | 1.8% | 890 | 464 | 1 |
| WMU 4G | Southern | 12% | 1,768 | 1,018 | 22 |
| WMU 4R | Southern | 9.4% | 1,083 | 668 | 57 |
| WMU 4S | Southern | 1.7% | 1,074 | 590 | 10 |
Highways crossing WMU 4H: NY 145 (21 miles), NY 85 (13 miles), NY 443 (12 miles), NY 156 (11 miles), NY 81 (10 miles) and NY 32 (9 miles).
Questions hunters ask
How many deer are harvested in WMU 4H?
DEC estimates 1,781 deer were taken in WMU 4H in 2025: 1,139 adult bucks, 498 adult does and 144 fawns. In 2024 the total was 1,529. The 4-year average from 2022 is 1,626 a year, worked out from DEC's figures.
When is deer season in WMU 4H in 2026?
WMU 4H is in the Southern Zone: early bowhunting October 1 to November 20 in most of the zone, then the regular firearms season from November 21 to December 13, 2026.
How many bears are taken in WMU 4H?
DEC estimates 20 bears were taken in WMU 4H in 2025, against 9 in 2024.
How much public land is in WMU 4H?
13,294 acres, 7.3% of the WMU, by PAD-US 4.1. DEC's own land map shows 11,101 acres of DEC land here, the most of it state forest (6,259 acres). Wildlife management areas: Partridge Run (4,595 acres here) and Margaret Burke (246 acres here).
Are Deer Management Permits unlimited in WMU 4H?
No. WMU 4H is not among the 23 WMUs with unlimited DMPs in 2026; DMPs there are issued through DEC's application. A reported antlerless deer on any antlerless tag still earns a second antlered deer tag.
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Where these numbers come from
- Deer harvest: DEC 2025 Deer Harvest Summary; DEC 2024 Deer Harvest Summary; DEC 2023 Deer Harvest Summary; DEC 2022 Deer Harvest Summary. Bears: DEC 2025 Bear Harvest Summary; DEC 2024 Bear Harvest Summary.
- Seasons, DMPs and Earn-a-2nd-Buck: DEC, 2026-27 early big game hunting seasons in September; DEC, 2026 big game hunting seasons in October.
- WMU boundary: DEC Wildlife Management Units. DEC land: DEC Lands. WMAs: DEC Wildlife Management Areas. Public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US 4.1).
- Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, places.
FilledTag is not part of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Numbers are copied from DEC and federal sources, or measured from their maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.