New York WMU 8M: deer and bear hunting, harvest and public land
New York's WMU 8M covers 307 square miles in Livingston, Wyoming and Steuben counties, in DEC's Southern Zone. DEC estimates hunters took 3,209 deer here in 2025 (1,353 adult bucks and 1,856 antlerless deer) and 2 bears. 8.4% of the WMU is public land, the largest share state park (14,489 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 8MNeighboring WMUsHighway
| Zone | Southern Zone |
|---|---|
| Size | 307 square miles (DEC) |
| Counties | Livingston, Wyoming and Steuben |
| Public land | 8.4% (16,561 acres) |
| DEC land | 2,066 acres: wildlife management area 1,141 and state forest 925 |
| Wildlife management areas | Conesus Inlet WMA |
| Deer harvested, 2025 | 3,209 (1,353 adult bucks, 1,856 antlerless) |
| Bucks per square mile, 2025 | 4.4 (DEC) |
| Bears harvested, 2025 | 2 |
| Regular firearms deer, 2026 | November 21 to December 13 |
| Deer Management Permits, 2026 | By application (see DEC) |
How many deer are harvested in WMU 8M?
DEC estimates 3,209 deer were taken in WMU 8M in 2025, up from 3,114 in 2024. 1,353 were adult bucks, 4.4 for every square mile.
| Year | Adult bucks | Buck fawns | Adult does | Doe fawns | Total | Bucks per sq mi | Antlerless per sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,353 | 161 | 1,508 | 187 | 3,209 | 4.4 | 6 |
| 2024 | 1,377 | 213 | 1,307 | 217 | 3,114 | 4.5 | 5.7 |
| 2023 | 1,303 | 313 | 1,285 | 284 | 3,185 | 4.2 | 6.1 |
| 2022 | 1,373 | 291 | 1,584 | 275 | 3,523 | 4.5 | 7 |
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 8M?
DEC estimates 2 bears were taken in WMU 8M in 2025.
| Year | Bears |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2024 | 4 |
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 8M?
| 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 8M?
8.4% of WMU 8M is public land: 16,561 of its 196,373 acres. The largest share is state park, 14,489 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of WMU 8M |
|---|---|---|
| State park | 14,489 | 7.4% |
| DEC land | 2,072 | 1.1% |
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 8M, by kind
| Kind of DEC land | Acres in WMU 8M |
|---|---|
| Wildlife management area | 1,141 |
| State forest | 925 |
Measured by FilledTag from DEC Lands.
Wildlife management areas in WMU 8M
| WMA | Acres in WMU 8M |
|---|---|
| Conesus Inlet WMA | 1,175 |
Which WMUs border WMU 8M?
| WMU | Zone | Public land | Deer, 2025 | Adult bucks, 2025 | Bears, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WMU 8H | Southern | 0.6% | 5,850 | 2,594 | 0 |
| WMU 8N | Southern | 9.3% | 4,121 | 1,942 | 4 |
| WMU 8P | Southern | 1.9% | 3,163 | 1,733 | 11 |
| WMU 9H | Southern | 0.9% | 8,177 | 4,136 | 4 |
| WMU 9N | Southern | 2.8% | 1,614 | 761 | 7 |
| WMU 9P | Southern | 12.6% | 4,912 | 2,689 | 24 |
Highways crossing WMU 8M: I-390 (49 miles), NY 63 (23 miles), NY 256 (20 miles), NY 36 (19 miles), NY 408 (13 miles) and NY 436 (11 miles). Towns inside: Dansville, Mount Morris, Nunda and Leicester.
Questions hunters ask
How many deer are harvested in WMU 8M?
DEC estimates 3,209 deer were taken in WMU 8M in 2025: 1,353 adult bucks, 1,508 adult does and 348 fawns. In 2024 the total was 3,114. The 4-year average from 2022 is 3,258 a year, worked out from DEC's figures.
When is deer season in WMU 8M in 2026?
WMU 8M 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 8M?
DEC estimates 2 bears were taken in WMU 8M in 2025, against 4 in 2024.
How much public land is in WMU 8M?
16,561 acres, 8.4% of the WMU, by PAD-US 4.1. DEC's own land map shows 2,066 acres of DEC land here, the most of it wildlife management area (1,141 acres). Wildlife management areas: Conesus Inlet (1,175 acres here).
Are Deer Management Permits unlimited in WMU 8M?
No. WMU 8M 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.
Get a New York hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for New York are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, New York included.
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.