The leaves are beginning to turn colors in Upstate New York, and that means small game hunting is heating up.
From waterfowl and upland gamebirds, to squirrels and rabbits, most small game and furbearer seasons open between Sept. 1 and Nov. 1 depending on species and zone.
“Fall is when many new hunters go afield for the first time, and when experienced hunters rediscover New York’s outdoors,” said Jacqueline Lendrum, Director of the state Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Fish and Wildlife.
“These seasons support long-standing conservation programs, which sustain abundant upland game, waterfowl, and furbearer populations and provide safe, accessible ways to introduce the next generation to hunting,” Lendrum added.
You can find full season dates, bag limits, and regulations in DEC’s 2025–26 Hunting & Trapping Regulations Guide.
Here’s a breakdown of seasons now underway or will be opening soon:
Waterfowl
NY waterfowlers can harvest more than 30 species of waterfowl in five zones (and nine Canada goose zones).
Notable regulations this year:
The Canada goose season length in the Northeast, West Central, East Central, Hudson Valley, and Lake Champlain zones is 30 days with a 1-bird bag limit.
The bag limit for northern pintails has increased from 1 per day to 3 per day.
Opening day of regular duck season for all zones is Oct. 11, except Long Island, which opens Nov. 22. Season lengths vary, so check DEC’s website for more information.
Most waterfowl zones also have special hunting days for youth and members of the military that often begin prior to the regular hunting season and provide lower-pressure hunting opportunities and mentoring experiences.
For 2025, the designated Youth Waterfowl Days for junior hunters ages 12-15 for all upstate zones are Sept. 27–28.
Military and Veteran Hunting Days in the Northeast and Southeast Zones are Sept. 27-28; in the Western and Long Island Zones, Nov. 8-9. There are no special Military/Veteran days for the Lake Champlain Zone.
Ruffed Grouse
The 2025-2026 ruffed grouse hunting season runs from Oct. 1 – Feb. 28 in most parts of the state. In Northern NY the season started Sept. 20 and runs through the end of February.
Ruffed grouse hunters in the Northern Zone should positively identify their bird before shooting because the spruce grouse also makes its home in Wildlife Management Units 5C, 5F, 6F, and 6J.
The spruce grouse is a protected species in NY and illegal to hunt. Losing just one, particularly a female, could devastate a small local population.
For tips on how to identify the two species, go to DEC’s Ruffed Grouse Hunting Information page.
DEC also encourages hunters to participate in its grouse hunting log programand to submit feathers from harvested birds to assess populations in different parts of the state.
Pheasant
DEC supplies more than 50,000 adult pheasants to supplement upland game bird hunting across the state. All release sites for pheasants provided through the DEC pheasant propagation program are open to public hunting.
An interactive map and complete list of release sites are available on DEC’s website.
Regular pheasant season runs from Oct. 1, 2025 to Feb. 28, 2026 in Eastern and Northern NY. In Western and Central NY, pheasant season starts Oct. 18.
Youth-only pheasant hunt weekends:
Sept. 27–28 (Northern and Eastern NY)
Oct. 11–12 (Western NY)
Oct. 25–26 (Long Island)
DEC helps promotes mentored hunts around the event page on its HuntFishNY app. There you’ll find hands-on, mentored hunting and fishing events designed to teach the basics about hunting, wildlife, and other outdoor skills.
You can find sponsored pheasant hunts, mentored hunts, target shoots, hunting seminars, and more. Check back if you don’t see events in your area, as new events are added weekly.
Squirrel, Rabbit, and Hare
You can hunt squirrels and rabbits statewide on many public lands. Season dates for 2025–26 are as follows:
Gray, black, and fox squirrel: Sept. 1 – Feb. 28 (Long Island and NYC, Nov. 1 – Feb. 28)
Cottontail rabbit: begins Oct. 1 in Upstate NY and Nov. 1 in NYC/Long Island.
Snowshoe hare: Oct. 1 – March 15 in the Northern Zone; Dec. 8 – Feb. 28 in Southern Zone (later start in some WMUs in western NY)
Check DEC’s Small Game Seasons page for more information on bag limits and hunting hours. Hare hunters in the Southern Zone are encouraged to report their observations to DEC.
Wild Turkey
Fall turkey hunting opportunities are improved this year due to average to above-average productivity in the last few summers.
The statewide fall bag limit is one bird of either sex and hunting hours are sunrise to sunset. Fall 2025 season dates are:
Northern Zone: Oct. 1–14, 2025
Southern Zone: Oct. 18–31, 2025
Long Island (Suffolk/Nassau): Nov. 15–28, 2025
Wild turkeys are mostly found in landscapes with a mix of forests, old fields, and farmlands with abundant food (hard and soft mast), because they don’t forage very far. Pre-season scouting is a must.
Furbearers
Sixteen species of furbearers make the Empire State their home. Coyote hunting season runs Oct. 1 – March 29 in all WMUs north of NYC. Seasons for bobcat, raccoon, and fox begin Oct. 25 in many Upstate WMUs.
Season dates, zone boundaries, and tips for identifying coyotes can be found on DEC’s website.
Four Golden Rules of Gun Safety
Statistics show hunting in NY is safer than ever. But people make mistakes. Use common sense this season and remember what you learned in that hunter education course, including the Four Golden Rules of gun safety:
Point your gun in a safe direction.
Treat every gun as if it were loaded.
Be sure of your target and beyond.
Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
Big game hunters using firearms: don’t forget you must wear blaze orange or pink. It’s the law. It’s also a good idea for small game hunters to wear blaze orange or pink. Hunters wearing blaze orange are seven times less likely to be shot.
Snapshot NY
Turn your trail camera into a tool for studying NY’s wildlife with Snapshot NY, a new DEC program that allows the public to participate in monitoring wildlife.
Volunteers place trail cameras on private property and upload photos to DEC. That data helps DEC track wildlife populations over time so it can improve wildlife conservation and management strategies.