New York WMU 4L: deer and bear hunting, harvest and public land
New York's WMU 4L covers 219 square miles in Rensselaer County, in DEC's Southern Zone. DEC estimates hunters took 581 deer here in 2025 (390 adult bucks and 191 antlerless deer) and 12 bears. 16.4% of the WMU is public land, the largest share DEC land (20,122 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 4LNeighboring WMUsHighway
| Zone | Southern Zone |
|---|---|
| Size | 219 square miles (DEC) |
| Counties | Rensselaer |
| Public land | 16.4% (22,911 acres) |
| DEC land | 27,713 acres: state forest 20,845 and wildlife management area 6,868 |
| Wildlife management areas | Capital District WMA |
| Deer harvested, 2025 | 581 (390 adult bucks, 191 antlerless) |
| Bucks per square mile, 2025 | 1.8 (DEC) |
| Bears harvested, 2025 | 12 |
| Regular firearms deer, 2026 | November 21 to December 13 |
| Deer Management Permits, 2026 | By application (see DEC) |
How many deer are harvested in WMU 4L?
DEC estimates 581 deer were taken in WMU 4L in 2025, up from 523 in 2024. 390 were adult bucks, 1.8 for every square mile.
| Year | Adult bucks | Buck fawns | Adult does | Doe fawns | Total | Bucks per sq mi | Antlerless per sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 390 | 18 | 151 | 22 | 581 | 1.8 | 0.9 |
| 2024 | 347 | 14 | 146 | 16 | 523 | 1.6 | 0.8 |
| 2023 | 397 | 13 | 146 | 13 | 569 | 1.8 | 0.8 |
| 2022 | 383 | 22 | 194 | 21 | 620 | 1.7 | 1.1 |
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 4L?
DEC estimates 12 bears were taken in WMU 4L in 2025.
| Year | Bears |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 12 |
| 2024 | 6 |
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 4L?
| 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 4L?
16.4% of WMU 4L is public land: 22,911 of its 140,092 acres. The largest share is DEC land, 20,122 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of WMU 4L |
|---|---|---|
| DEC land | 20,122 | 14.4% |
| State park | 2,789 | 2% |
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 4L, by kind
| Kind of DEC land | Acres in WMU 4L |
|---|---|
| State forest | 20,845 |
| Wildlife management area | 6,868 |
Measured by FilledTag from DEC Lands.
Wildlife management areas in WMU 4L
| WMA | Acres in WMU 4L |
|---|---|
| Capital District WMA | 6,754 |
Which WMUs border WMU 4L?
| WMU | Zone | Public land | Deer, 2025 | Adult bucks, 2025 | Bears, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WMU 4C | Southern | 0.6% | 940 | 520 | 9 |
| WMU 4K | Southern | 0.1% | 1,218 | 651 | 15 |
Highways crossing WMU 4L: NY 22 (22 miles), NY 2 (18 miles), NY 43 (5 miles) and NY 7 (3 miles).
Questions hunters ask
How many deer are harvested in WMU 4L?
DEC estimates 581 deer were taken in WMU 4L in 2025: 390 adult bucks, 151 adult does and 40 fawns. In 2024 the total was 523. The 4-year average from 2022 is 573 a year, worked out from DEC's figures.
When is deer season in WMU 4L in 2026?
WMU 4L 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 4L?
DEC estimates 12 bears were taken in WMU 4L in 2025, against 6 in 2024.
How much public land is in WMU 4L?
22,911 acres, 16.4% of the WMU, by PAD-US 4.1. DEC's own land map shows 27,713 acres of DEC land here, the most of it state forest (20,845 acres). Wildlife management areas: Capital District (6,754 acres here).
Are Deer Management Permits unlimited in WMU 4L?
No. WMU 4L 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.