New York WMU 7A: deer and bear hunting, harvest and public land
New York's WMU 7A covers 544 square miles in Oswego, Cayuga and Onondaga counties, in DEC's Southern Zone. DEC estimates hunters took 2,949 deer here in 2025 (1,589 adult bucks and 1,360 antlerless deer) and no bears. 1.5% of the WMU is public land, the largest share state park (2,508 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 7ANeighboring WMUsHighway
| Zone | Southern Zone |
|---|---|
| Size | 544 square miles (DEC) |
| Counties | Oswego, Cayuga and Onondaga |
| Public land | 1.5% (5,077 acres) |
| DEC land | 721 acres: wildlife management area 721 |
| Wildlife management areas | Three Rivers WMA, Peter Scott Swamp WMA, Curtiss Gale WMA |
| Deer harvested, 2025 | 2,949 (1,589 adult bucks, 1,360 antlerless) |
| Bucks per square mile, 2025 | 2.9 (DEC) |
| Bears harvested, 2025 | None |
| Regular firearms deer, 2026 | November 21 to December 13 |
| Deer Management Permits, 2026 | By application (see DEC) |
How many deer are harvested in WMU 7A?
DEC estimates 2,949 deer were taken in WMU 7A in 2025, down from 2,980 in 2024. 1,589 were adult bucks, 2.9 for every square mile.
| Year | Adult bucks | Buck fawns | Adult does | Doe fawns | Total | Bucks per sq mi | Antlerless per sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,589 | 115 | 1,099 | 146 | 2,949 | 2.9 | 2.5 |
| 2024 | 1,680 | 152 | 994 | 154 | 2,980 | 3.1 | 2.4 |
| 2023 | 1,458 | 180 | 934 | 155 | 2,727 | 2.7 | 2.3 |
| 2022 | 1,636 | 168 | 960 | 154 | 2,918 | 3 | 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 7A?
DEC's 2025 summary shows no bears taken in WMU 7A.
| Year | Bears |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
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 7A?
| 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 7A?
1.5% of WMU 7A is public land: 5,077 of its 348,185 acres. The largest share is state park, 2,508 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of WMU 7A |
|---|---|---|
| State park | 2,508 | 0.7% |
| Other state land | 1,420 | 0.4% |
| DEC land | 1,149 | 0.3% |
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 7A, by kind
| Kind of DEC land | Acres in WMU 7A |
|---|---|
| Wildlife management area | 721 |
Measured by FilledTag from DEC Lands.
Wildlife management areas in WMU 7A
| WMA | Acres in WMU 7A |
|---|---|
| Three Rivers WMA | 675 |
| Peter Scott Swamp WMA | 403 |
| Curtiss Gale WMA | 46 |
Which WMUs border WMU 7A?
| WMU | Zone | Public land | Deer, 2025 | Adult bucks, 2025 | Bears, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WMU 6G | Northern | 4.7% | 5,715 | 2,737 | 5 |
| WMU 6K | Northern | 13.2% | 4,282 | 2,413 | 18 |
| WMU 7F | Southern | 4.1% | 3,337 | 1,626 | 0 |
| WMU 8F | Southern | 3.9% | 5,893 | 2,610 | 0 |
Highways crossing WMU 7A: NY 481 (37 miles), NY 104 (37 miles), NY 3 (37 miles), NY 48 (20 miles), NY 176 (14 miles) and NY 49 (10 miles). Towns inside: Oswego, Fulton, Mexico and Fair Haven.
Questions hunters ask
How many deer are harvested in WMU 7A?
DEC estimates 2,949 deer were taken in WMU 7A in 2025: 1,589 adult bucks, 1,099 adult does and 261 fawns. In 2024 the total was 2,980. The 4-year average from 2022 is 2,894 a year, worked out from DEC's figures.
When is deer season in WMU 7A in 2026?
WMU 7A 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 7A?
DEC's 2025 summary shows no bears taken in WMU 7A.
How much public land is in WMU 7A?
5,077 acres, 1.5% of the WMU, by PAD-US 4.1. DEC's own land map shows 721 acres of DEC land here, the most of it wildlife management area (721 acres). Wildlife management areas: Three Rivers (675 acres here), Peter Scott Swamp (403 acres here) and Curtiss Gale (46 acres here).
Are Deer Management Permits unlimited in WMU 7A?
No. WMU 7A 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.