New York WMU 6F: deer and bear hunting, harvest and public land
New York's WMU 6F covers 1,214 square miles in St. Lawrence and Franklin counties, in DEC's Northern Zone. DEC estimates hunters took 1,171 deer here in 2025 (1,035 adult bucks and 136 antlerless deer) and 64 bears. 18.1% of the WMU is public land, the largest share DEC land (139,206 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 landWMU 6FNeighboring WMUsHighway
| Zone | Northern Zone |
|---|---|
| Size | 1,214 square miles (DEC) |
| Counties | St. Lawrence and Franklin |
| Public land | 18.1% (140,678 acres) |
| DEC land | 138,691 acres: Forest Preserve 116,279 and state forest 22,412 |
| Deer harvested, 2025 | 1,171 (1,035 adult bucks, 136 antlerless) |
| Bucks per square mile, 2025 | 0.9 (DEC) |
| Bears harvested, 2025 | 64 |
| Regular firearms deer, 2026 | October 24 to December 6 |
| Deer Management Permits, 2026 | By application (see DEC) |
How many deer are harvested in WMU 6F?
DEC estimates 1,171 deer were taken in WMU 6F in 2025, down from 1,209 in 2024. 1,035 were adult bucks, 0.9 for every square mile.
| Year | Adult bucks | Buck fawns | Adult does | Doe fawns | Total | Bucks per sq mi | Antlerless per sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,035 | 11 | 114 | 11 | 1,171 | 0.9 | 0.1 |
| 2024 | 1,074 | 6 | 124 | 5 | 1,209 | 0.9 | 0.1 |
| 2023 | 898 | 23 | 94 | 20 | 1,035 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| 2022 | 911 | 13 | 122 | 6 | 1,052 | 0.8 | 0.1 |
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 6F?
DEC estimates 64 bears were taken in WMU 6F in 2025.
| Year | Bears |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 64 |
| 2024 | 69 |
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 6F?
| Season | Dates, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Deer, early bowhunting | September 27 to October 23 |
| Deer, early muzzleloading | October 17 to 23 |
| Deer, regular firearms | October 24 to December 6 |
| Youth firearms big game hunt (ages 12 to 15) | October 10 to 12 |
| Bear, regular firearms | September 19 to December 6 |
Sources: DEC, 2026-27 early big game hunting seasons in September; DEC, 2026 big game hunting seasons in October. 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 6F?
18.1% of WMU 6F is public land: 140,678 of its 777,839 acres. The largest share is DEC land, 139,206 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of WMU 6F |
|---|---|---|
| DEC land | 139,206 | 17.9% |
| State park | 1,115 | 0.1% |
| Other state land | 357 | 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.
DEC land in WMU 6F, by kind
| Kind of DEC land | Acres in WMU 6F |
|---|---|
| Forest Preserve | 116,279 |
| State forest | 22,412 |
Measured by FilledTag from DEC Lands.
Which WMUs border WMU 6F?
| WMU | Zone | Public land | Deer, 2025 | Adult bucks, 2025 | Bears, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WMU 5C | Northern | 26.1% | 1,252 | 1,016 | 46 |
| WMU 5F | Northern | 58.1% | 972 | 838 | 15 |
| WMU 6C | Northern | 6.5% | 3,543 | 2,106 | 106 |
| WMU 6J | Northern | 50.6% | 1,390 | 1,160 | 91 |
Highways crossing WMU 6F: NY 458 (25 miles), NY 56 (24 miles), NY 30 (20 miles), NY 11B (18 miles), NY 3 (16 miles) and NY 72 (6 miles). Towns inside: Tupper Lake.
Questions hunters ask
How many deer are harvested in WMU 6F?
DEC estimates 1,171 deer were taken in WMU 6F in 2025: 1,035 adult bucks, 114 adult does and 22 fawns. In 2024 the total was 1,209. The 4-year average from 2022 is 1,117 a year, worked out from DEC's figures.
When is deer season in WMU 6F in 2026?
WMU 6F is in the Northern Zone: early bowhunting September 27 to October 23, early muzzleloading October 17 to 23, and the regular firearms season October 24 to December 6, 2026 (DEC, 2026 big game hunting seasons in October).
How many bears are taken in WMU 6F?
DEC estimates 64 bears were taken in WMU 6F in 2025, against 69 in 2024.
How much public land is in WMU 6F?
140,678 acres, 18.1% of the WMU, by PAD-US 4.1. DEC's own land map shows 138,691 acres of DEC land here, the most of it Forest Preserve (116,279 acres).
Are Deer Management Permits unlimited in WMU 6F?
No. WMU 6F 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.