New York WMU 8J: deer and bear hunting, harvest and public land
New York's WMU 8J covers 735 square miles in Ontario, Seneca, Yates and Wayne counties, in DEC's Southern Zone. DEC estimates hunters took 4,910 deer here in 2025 (2,269 adult bucks and 2,641 antlerless deer) and 1 bears. 3.4% of the WMU is public land, the largest share national wildlife refuge (8,361 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 8JNeighboring WMUsHighway
| Zone | Southern Zone |
|---|---|
| Size | 735 square miles (DEC) |
| Counties | Ontario, Seneca, Yates and Wayne |
| Public land | 3.4% (15,803 acres) |
| DEC land | 959 acres: wildlife management area 959 |
| Wildlife management areas | Galen WMA, Northern Montezuma WMA, Canoga Marsh WMA |
| Deer harvested, 2025 | 4,910 (2,269 adult bucks, 2,641 antlerless) |
| Bucks per square mile, 2025 | 3.2 (DEC) |
| Bears harvested, 2025 | 1 |
| 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 8J?
DEC estimates 4,910 deer were taken in WMU 8J in 2025, up from 4,511 in 2024. 2,269 were adult bucks, 3.2 for every square mile.
| Year | Adult bucks | Buck fawns | Adult does | Doe fawns | Total | Bucks per sq mi | Antlerless per sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,269 | 230 | 2,146 | 265 | 4,910 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
| 2024 | 2,158 | 284 | 1,778 | 291 | 4,511 | 3 | 3.3 |
| 2023 | 2,015 | 333 | 1,699 | 288 | 4,335 | 2.8 | 3.3 |
| 2022 | 2,155 | 348 | 1,896 | 325 | 4,724 | 3 | 3.6 |
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 8J?
DEC estimates 1 bears were taken in WMU 8J in 2025.
| Year | Bears |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 |
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 8J?
| 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 8J?
3.4% of WMU 8J is public land: 15,803 of its 470,254 acres. The largest share is national wildlife refuge, 8,361 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of WMU 8J |
|---|---|---|
| National wildlife refuge | 8,361 | 1.8% |
| Other state land | 3,911 | 0.8% |
| State park | 2,358 | 0.5% |
| DEC land | 1,166 | 0.2% |
| National Park Service | 7 | 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 8J, by kind
| Kind of DEC land | Acres in WMU 8J |
|---|---|
| Wildlife management area | 959 |
Measured by FilledTag from DEC Lands.
Wildlife management areas in WMU 8J
| WMA | Acres in WMU 8J |
|---|---|
| Galen WMA | 771 |
| Northern Montezuma WMA | 184 |
| Canoga Marsh WMA | 103 |
Which WMUs border WMU 8J?
| WMU | Zone | Public land | Deer, 2025 | Adult bucks, 2025 | Bears, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WMU 7F | Southern | 4.1% | 3,337 | 1,626 | 0 |
| WMU 7H | Southern | 0.2% | 1,951 | 960 | 0 |
| WMU 8F | Southern | 3.9% | 5,893 | 2,610 | 0 |
| WMU 8H | Southern | 0.6% | 5,850 | 2,594 | 0 |
| WMU 8N | Southern | 9.3% | 4,121 | 1,942 | 4 |
| WMU 8R | Southern | 1.4% | 4,629 | 2,000 | 3 |
| WMU 8S | Southern | 11% | 2,693 | 1,236 | 1 |
Highways crossing WMU 8J: I-90 (58 miles), NY 96 (41 miles), NY 5 (36 miles), US 20 (36 miles), NY 14 (34 miles) and NY 414 (31 miles). Towns inside: Newark, Canandaigua, Geneva and Penn Yan.
Questions hunters ask
How many deer are harvested in WMU 8J?
DEC estimates 4,910 deer were taken in WMU 8J in 2025: 2,269 adult bucks, 2,146 adult does and 495 fawns. In 2024 the total was 4,511. The 4-year average from 2022 is 4,620 a year, worked out from DEC's figures.
When is deer season in WMU 8J in 2026?
WMU 8J 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 8J?
DEC estimates 1 bears were taken in WMU 8J in 2025, against 1 in 2024.
How much public land is in WMU 8J?
15,803 acres, 3.4% of the WMU, by PAD-US 4.1. DEC's own land map shows 959 acres of DEC land here, the most of it wildlife management area (959 acres). Wildlife management areas: Galen (771 acres here), Northern Montezuma (184 acres here) and Canoga Marsh (103 acres here).
Are Deer Management Permits unlimited in WMU 8J?
Yes. WMU 8J 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.
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