New York WMU 7H: deer and bear hunting, harvest and public land
New York's WMU 7H covers 418 square miles in Cayuga, Tompkins and Seneca counties, in DEC's Southern Zone. DEC estimates hunters took 1,951 deer here in 2025 (960 adult bucks and 991 antlerless deer) and no bears. 0.2% of the WMU is public land, the largest share state park (345 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 landNational forestState parkNational wildlife refugeOther state landWMU 7HNeighboring WMUsHighway
| Zone | Southern Zone |
|---|---|
| Size | 418 square miles (DEC) |
| Counties | Cayuga, Tompkins and Seneca |
| Public land | 0.2% (544 acres) |
| DEC land | 301 acres: wildlife management area 301 |
| Wildlife management areas | Cayuga-Tompkins Coop WMA, Cayuga Shores WMA, Owasco Flats WMA, Northern Montezuma WMA |
| Deer harvested, 2025 | 1,951 (960 adult bucks, 991 antlerless) |
| Bucks per square mile, 2025 | 2.7 (DEC) |
| Bears harvested, 2025 | None |
| Regular firearms deer, 2026 | November 21 to December 13 |
| Deer Management Permits, 2026 | Unlimited, with a bonus permit for each reported antlerless deer |
How many deer are harvested in WMU 7H?
DEC estimates 1,951 deer were taken in WMU 7H in 2025, up from 1,899 in 2024. 960 were adult bucks, 2.7 for every square mile.
| Year | Adult bucks | Buck fawns | Adult does | Doe fawns | Total | Bucks per sq mi | Antlerless per sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 960 | 89 | 804 | 98 | 1,951 | 2.7 | 2.8 |
| 2024 | 981 | 115 | 688 | 115 | 1,899 | 2.7 | 2.6 |
| 2023 | 889 | 128 | 650 | 108 | 1,775 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| 2022 | 970 | 144 | 778 | 137 | 2,029 | 2.7 | 3 |
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 7H?
DEC's 2025 summary shows no bears taken in WMU 7H.
| 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 7H?
| 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 |
| Deer, early antlerless season (DMP or DMAP tags only) | September 12 to 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 7H?
0.2% of WMU 7H is public land: 544 of its 267,997 acres. The largest share is state park, 345 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of WMU 7H |
|---|---|---|
| State park | 345 | 0.1% |
| Other state land | 123 | under 0.1% |
| DEC land | 64 | under 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuge | 12 | 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 7H, by kind
| Kind of DEC land | Acres in WMU 7H |
|---|---|
| Wildlife management area | 301 |
Measured by FilledTag from DEC Lands.
Wildlife management areas in WMU 7H
| WMA | Acres in WMU 7H |
|---|---|
| Cayuga-Tompkins Coop WMA | 22,681 |
| Cayuga Shores WMA | 282 |
| Owasco Flats WMA | 15 |
| Northern Montezuma WMA | 9 |
Which WMUs border WMU 7H?
| WMU | Zone | Public land | Deer, 2025 | Adult bucks, 2025 | Bears, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WMU 7F | Southern | 4.1% | 3,337 | 1,626 | 0 |
| WMU 7J | Southern | 2.1% | 5,438 | 2,481 | 0 |
| WMU 7R | Southern | 12.1% | 5,114 | 2,438 | 4 |
| WMU 8J | Southern | 3.4% | 4,910 | 2,269 | 1 |
| WMU 8S | Southern | 11% | 2,693 | 1,236 | 1 |
Highways crossing WMU 7H: NY 34 (38 miles), NY 90 (35 miles), NY 34B (34 miles), NY 13 (12 miles), NY 38 (11 miles) and NY 326 (9 miles). Towns inside: Auburn, Ithaca, Lansing and Cayuga Heights.
Questions hunters ask
How many deer are harvested in WMU 7H?
DEC estimates 1,951 deer were taken in WMU 7H in 2025: 960 adult bucks, 804 adult does and 187 fawns. In 2024 the total was 1,899. The 4-year average from 2022 is 1,914 a year, worked out from DEC's figures.
When is deer season in WMU 7H in 2026?
WMU 7H 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. It also has the early antlerless season, September 12 to 20.
How many bears are taken in WMU 7H?
DEC's 2025 summary shows no bears taken in WMU 7H.
How much public land is in WMU 7H?
544 acres, 0.2% of the WMU, by PAD-US 4.1. DEC's own land map shows 301 acres of DEC land here, the most of it wildlife management area (301 acres). Wildlife management areas: Cayuga-Tompkins Coop (22,681 acres here), Cayuga Shores (282 acres here), Owasco Flats (15 acres here) and Northern Montezuma (9 acres here).
Are Deer Management Permits unlimited in WMU 7H?
Yes. WMU 7H is one of 23 WMUs with unlimited DMPs in 2026: anyone who applies gets one, and each reported antlerless deer brings a bonus DMP (DEC, 2026 big game hunting seasons in October).
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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.