County sportsmen's organizations coordinate venison donation to food pantries all throughout our region. Here, volunteer sportsmen and women in Columbia County deliver lean, nutritious venison to a local food pantry. NYS DEC partners with "Feeding New York State" and other organizations to facilitate getting hunter-harvested deer to those in need.
Hunters in NY donate nearly 70,000 pounds of venison to area food pantries annually. Across the nation, that number tallies just under 2 million pounds per year of harvested game donated to those in need. Hunters have been "Helping the Hungry" for a long time now. Sharing the harvest is just one of many ways sportsmen and women give back to their communities.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton today announced that the State's most popular big game hunting season begins on Saturday, Nov. 15 and continues through Dec. 7. DEC encourages all hunters to continue taking steps to remain safe while afield and taking precautions to prevent the introduction and spread of deer diseases like Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).
“This November, hundreds of thousands of big game hunters will head afield to enjoy the outdoors and a chance to harvest deer or bear in New York's Southern Zone," said Commissioner Lefton. “As stewards of hunting traditions and New York’s deer population, all hunters should keep their conservation responsibilities as a top priority while enjoying time afield. Foremost among these responsibilities are following safe hunting practices and protecting the health of New York State’s deer population by harvesting antlerless deer and preventing the spread of deer diseases such as CWD.”
DEC continues to monitor the region where an isolated detection of CWD (PDF) in a captive deer facility in southern Herkimer County occurred in October 2024. Following the CWD detection last year, and with the cooperation of local landowners, hunters, taxidermists, and processors, DEC tested samples from 196 wild deer. CWD was not detected in any of the wild deer samples. These results are encouraging, but additional sampling is needed in 2025 and future years to ensure CWD is not present in wild deer or to find it quickly if any wild deer are infected. After disease prevention, prompt and intense response to a CWD outbreak is critical to minimize disease impacts.
Hunters Can Help Prevent the Introduction of CWD into Wild Deer
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is always fatal to deer. When introduced into wild deer, CWD can spread rapidly, is nearly impossible to eliminate, and threatens future deer populations and hunting opportunities. Hunters can help prevent the introduction of CWD into New York’s wild deer populations by taking the following precautions:
If you harvest any type of deer, elk, moose, or caribou while hunting outside of New York, debone the venison before bringing it back into New York. DEC will confiscate and destroy illegally imported deer carcasses and parts.
If you harvest a deer from an area outside of New York known to have CWD, submit samples to that state’s Department of Natural Resources for CWD testing before consuming the venison. If the test is positive for CWD, contact DEC for proper disposal of the venison.
Avoid using deer urine-based lures or attractant scents, as these could contain CWD. Use synthetic products instead.
Dispose of deer carcass waste in a landfill, not on the landscape.
Hunt only wild deer and support fair chase hunting principles.
Do not consume venison from deer that appeared sick or diseased.
DEC is also requesting that successful deer hunters in the towns of Columbia, German Flatts, Litchfield, Warren, or Winfield in Herkimer County, and the town of Richfield in Otsego County submit the deer’s head for CWD testing at one of eight drop-off locations. Visit DEC’s website for drop-off instructions and locations. Taxidermists can sample deer you intend to have mounted.
Continuing New York's Record of Safe Hunting
DEC is encouraging all hunters to continue to take steps to remain safe while afield. Most hunting-related injuries occur when hunters are climbing in and out of a tree stand. Hunters should Strap Up Before You Go Up to stay connected from the time they leave the ground to the time they get back down, read the manufacturer's instructions and warnings before using a tree stand, check all stands (including straps and chains) before every season, and replace any worn or missing parts. Never climb in or out of a tree stand with a loaded firearm.
Daily hunting hours for deer and bear include the full daylight period, beginning 30 minutes before sunrise and continuing until 30 minutes after sunset. These hunting hours ensure there is enough light for hunters to identify their target and what’s beyond, while maximizing opportunities to harvest deer and bear in the early morning and late afternoon when these species are most active. Hunters should check the sunrise and sunset times before hunting each day.
Hunters must wear fluorescent orange or fluorescent pink clothing (either a hat, vest, or jacket which are visible in all directions) when pursuing deer or bear with a firearm, and should always follow the basic rules of firearm 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.
Let Young Bucks Go and Watch Them Grow - Harvest a Doe
As a result of its Let Young Bucks Go and Watch Them Grow campaign and hunters’ willingness to voluntarily pass up opportunities to harvest young bucks, DEC continues to document a steady decrease in the percentage of yearling bucks (1.5 years old) in the harvest, with the percentage of older bucks (at least 2.5 years old) continuing to increase. As a result, more older bucks are being harvested in New York than ever before. By harvesting does instead of young bucks, hunters help keep deer populations in balance with available habitat which allows deer to meet their nutritional requirements for body and antler growth and fawn production. Hunters can help manage New York's deer herd by continuing to let young bucks go and harvesting at least one doe this hunting season.
Opportunities for Youth Hunters
Again this year, 12- and 13-year-old hunters may hunt deer with a firearm during the regular firearms season when accompanied by a licensed, experienced adult mentor. This pilot program was established by the New York State Legislature in 2021 and extended through 2028 for upstate counties that choose to participate. Youth hunters are the safest group, with no hunting-related shooting incidents reported during the pilot program for 12- and 13-year-old big game hunters. This success is attributed to supervised hunting experiences and required hunter education courses. The program does not apply to Westchester or Suffolk counties; Erie and Rockland counties have not opted in to the program.
Take It - Tag It - Report It
All New York hunters who take a deer, bear, or turkey are required to report their harvest. New for 2025, paper tag users must now report within 48 hours of the harvest, reduced from the previous 7-day reporting window. Electronic tag users (see below) will fulfill their harvest reporting as part of the E-tagging process that is required immediately upon harvest.
Hunters can choose to use either a paper license and tags or the HuntFishNY mobile app as electronic proof of licensure and possession of tags for deer, bear, or turkey. Users of electronic tags (e-tags) will be required to immediately report their harvest in the field with the mobile app. The app will allow reporting even in areas without cell service. Upon reporting, the app will provide hunters with a confirmation number proving that e-tagging is completed. E-tag users won’t need to attach a physical tag to their harvested deer, bear, or turkey while they remain in possession of the carcass, including in their vehicle and at their home. If e-tag users leave the carcass somewhere other than their home or vehicle, such as at a taxidermist or processor, they would need to affix a tag of their making to the carcass that includes the hunter’s name, 12-digit DEC identification number, and reporting confirmation number.
It’s never been easier for hunters to report their deer, bear, or turkey harvest using DEC’s HuntFishNY mobile app. Through the mobile app, hunters can access an electronic version of their hunting license and tags and report their harvests immediately using their mobile device. Hunters using paper tags can also report their harvest by calling (1-866-GAME-RPT) or through DEC's website within 48 hours. Reporting your harvest is required by law and provides critical data to inform DEC’s management of deer, bear, and turkey populations.
Other Reminders for the 2025-26 Southern Zone Regular Hunting Season
Choose non-lead ammunition for reduced risk of lead exposure to you and non-target wildlife
Back tags no longer need to be worn by hunters anywhere in the state.
For hunters using paper carcass tags, (PDF) it is the hunter’s responsibility to protect their license and tags. The tags must still be filled out, dated, signed, and attached to the animal as required by regulation. DEC suggests storing licenses and tags in a waterproof bag or container while hunting and placing the completed carcass tag in a zip-top bag or other reusable waterproof protector and securely fastening it to the deer, bear, or turkey to ensure the tag remains protected and legible.
For specific descriptions of regulations and open hunting areas, hunters should refer to the 2025-2026 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide (PDF). Hunters are urged to review all regulations and safety tips contained in the guide before going afield.
Help Fight Hunger – Donate Your Deer!
Hunters can donate venison to help those less fortunate while contributing to deer management. With the ongoing uncertainty over the potential loss of federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) assistance, DEC is encouraging hunters to help fight hunger in our communities at this critical time.
Each year, DEC partners with Feeding New York State to facilitate the donation of 50-70,000 pounds of venison from deer harvested by hunters to those in need.
To help join the fight against hunger by donating your deer harvest:
Drop off any legally harvested, tagged, and reported deer at one of Feeding New York State’s participating deer processors (https://feedingnys.org/hunters/)
Call the processor ahead of time to ensure they can accept your deer.
Complete the processor’s log sheet indicating your desire to donate the deer.
DEC and Feeding New York State will cover the processing costs for donated deer so that the venison can be distributed to food pantries and food banks throughout the state; however, funding is limited. If you don’t have a deer to donate but still want to help, consider making a financial donation to the venison donation program through Feeding New York State, by clicking the “Donations” link at the top of the DEC Automated Licensing System page, or when you purchase your next hunting license.
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