New York WMU 4K: deer and bear hunting, harvest and public land
New York's WMU 4K covers 254 square miles in Rensselaer and Columbia counties, in DEC's Southern Zone. DEC estimates hunters took 1,218 deer here in 2025 (651 adult bucks and 567 antlerless deer) and 15 bears. 0.1% of the WMU is public land, the largest share state park (86 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 parkOther state landMilitary (closed unless the base allows)WMU 4KNeighboring WMUsHighway
| Zone | Southern Zone |
|---|---|
| Size | 254 square miles (DEC) |
| Counties | Rensselaer and Columbia |
| Public land | 0.1% (94 acres) |
| Deer harvested, 2025 | 1,218 (651 adult bucks, 567 antlerless) |
| Bucks per square mile, 2025 | 2.5 (DEC) |
| Bears harvested, 2025 | 15 |
| Regular firearms deer, 2026 | November 21 to December 13 |
| Deer Management Permits, 2026 | By application (see DEC) |
How many deer are harvested in WMU 4K?
DEC estimates 1,218 deer were taken in WMU 4K in 2025, up from 1,053 in 2024. 651 were adult bucks, 2.5 for every square mile.
| Year | Adult bucks | Buck fawns | Adult does | Doe fawns | Total | Bucks per sq mi | Antlerless per sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 651 | 50 | 446 | 71 | 1,218 | 2.5 | 2.2 |
| 2024 | 603 | 43 | 364 | 43 | 1,053 | 2.4 | 1.8 |
| 2023 | 619 | 46 | 397 | 46 | 1,108 | 2.4 | 1.9 |
| 2022 | 735 | 61 | 500 | 58 | 1,354 | 2.9 | 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 4K?
DEC estimates 15 bears were taken in WMU 4K in 2025.
| Year | Bears |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 15 |
| 2024 | 11 |
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 4K?
| 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 4K?
0.1% of WMU 4K is public land: 94 of its 162,629 acres. The largest share is state park, 86 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of WMU 4K |
|---|---|---|
| State park | 86 | 0.1% |
| Other state land | 6 | under 0.1% |
| DEC land | 2 | under 0.1% |
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.
Which WMUs border WMU 4K?
| WMU | Zone | Public land | Deer, 2025 | Adult bucks, 2025 | Bears, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WMU 4B | Southern | 1.8% | 890 | 464 | 1 |
| WMU 4C | Southern | 0.6% | 940 | 520 | 9 |
| WMU 4J | Southern | 3.5% | 544 | 296 | 2 |
| WMU 4L | Southern | 16.4% | 581 | 390 | 12 |
| WMU 4T | Southern | 5% | 688 | 329 | 1 |
| WMU 4U | Southern | 4.3% | 424 | 284 | 11 |
| WMU 5R | Southern | 3.3% | 1,745 | 850 | 0 |
Highways crossing WMU 4K: I-90 (30 miles), US 20 (20 miles), NY 43 (20 miles), NY 66 (20 miles), NY 150 (18 miles) and US 4 (16 miles). Towns inside: Troy, East Nassau, Rensselaer and Castleton-on-Hudson.
Questions hunters ask
How many deer are harvested in WMU 4K?
DEC estimates 1,218 deer were taken in WMU 4K in 2025: 651 adult bucks, 446 adult does and 121 fawns. In 2024 the total was 1,053. The 4-year average from 2022 is 1,183 a year, worked out from DEC's figures.
When is deer season in WMU 4K in 2026?
WMU 4K 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 4K?
DEC estimates 15 bears were taken in WMU 4K in 2025, against 11 in 2024.
How much public land is in WMU 4K?
94 acres, 0.1% of the WMU, by PAD-US 4.1.
Are Deer Management Permits unlimited in WMU 4K?
No. WMU 4K 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.
Get a New York hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for New York are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, New York included.
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.
New York hunting WMU 4B WMU 4C WMU 4J WMU 4L WMU 4T WMU 4U WMU 5R