New York — where you can actually hunt
New York sells tags over the counter — there's no draw. So the question is where: which counties have public land you can walk onto and hunt. And “public land” isn't one thing — a national park or a refuge is closed or permit-only, so we count only what's truly open, and show the rest honestly. Pick your species below.
What “huntable” means here
National forest, BLM, and state game lands / WMAs are open to hunting (state wildlife-agency lands are managed forit); state forests generally are. National & state parks and military land are closed; wildlife refuges are permit-only — those are excluded from the number.
By huntable public land
Most huntable counties first
Ranked by open public land — state game lands / WMAs and national forest are the open categories that push a county up. The mix shows what kind; deer harvest (NYSDEC reported deer kill) shows where the animals are.
| County | Huntable | Land mix | Deer harvest | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton | 69.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 69.3% | 1,012 | |
| Essex | 49.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 49.3% | 1,524 | |
| Herkimer | 39.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 39.4% | 2,590 | |
| Warren | 34.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 34.5% | 839 | |
| Franklin | 26.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 26.8% | 2,836 | |
| Fulton | 25.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 25.5% | 1,193 | |
| Ulster | 22% | State Game Lands / WMA 22% | 3,565 | |
| Greene | 20.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 20.5% | 2,078 | |
| Lewis | 18.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 18.6% | 3,705 | |
| Schuyler | 15.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 10.8% · National Forest 5.1% | 3,723 | |
| St. Lawrence | 14.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 14.3% | 6,589 | |
| Chenango | 13.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 13.9% | 5,528 | |
| Clinton | 10.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 10.9% | 1,439 | |
| Cortland | 10.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 10.1% | 2,631 | |
| Schoharie | 8.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 8.5% | 2,793 | |
| Tompkins | 8.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 8.4% | 3,543 | |
| Allegany | 8.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 8.2% | 8,737 | |
| Oswego | 7.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 7.9% | 4,497 | |
| Delaware | 7.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 7.4% | 5,715 | |
| Oneida | 6.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 6.8% | 5,148 | |
| Madison | 6.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 6.6% | 3,872 | |
| Rensselaer | 6.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 6.6% | 2,588 | |
| Washington | 5.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 5.9% | 2,771 | |
| Sullivan | 5.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 5.8% | 5,254 | |
| Jefferson | 4.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.5% | 6,871 | |
| Cattaraugus | 4.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.5% | 8,337 | |
| Saratoga | 4.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.2% | 2,362 | |
| Albany | 3.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.6% | 2,614 | |
| Yates | 3.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.3% | 4,440 | |
| Tioga | 3.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.3% | 3,519 | |
| Chautauqua | 3.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.2% | 8,895 | |
| Otsego | 3.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.2% | 5,021 | |
| Livingston | 3.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.1% | 6,426 | |
| Steuben | 3.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.1% | 15,595 | |
| Cayuga | 2.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.9% | 4,441 | |
| Putnam | 2.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.8% | 509 | |
| Onondaga | 2.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.7% | 4,002 | |
| Montgomery | 2.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.6% | 1,610 | |
| Suffolk | 2.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.5% | 2,973 | |
| Wayne | 2.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.5% | 5,204 | |
| Seneca | 2.4% | National Forest 2.1% | 2,040 | |
| Columbia | 2.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.4% | 2,600 | |
| Ontario | 2.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.3% | 5,998 | |
| Orange | 2.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.1% | 4,753 | |
| Broome | 2% | State Game Lands / WMA 2% | 4,552 | |
| Genesee | 1.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.7% | 5,179 | |
| Richmond | 1.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.4% | — | |
| Dutchess | 1.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.3% | 1,695 | |
| Niagara | 1% | State Game Lands / WMA 1% | 4,027 | |
| Monroe | 0.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.7% | 4,576 | |
| Wyoming | 0.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.7% | 5,232 | |
| Chemung | 0.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.6% | 2,991 | |
| Schenectady | 0.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.5% | 820 | |
| Erie | 0.4% | — | 6,327 | |
| Nassau | 0.1% | — | — | |
| Queens | 0.1% | — | — | |
| Westchester | 0.1% | — | 850 | |
| Rockland | 0.1% | — | 259 | |
| Orleans | 0.1% | — | 4,416 | |
| Kings | 0% | — | — | |
| New York | 0% | — | — | |
| Bronx | 0% | — | — |
huntablePct = state WMAs + national forest as a share of the county (NYSDEC GIS + PAD-US, EPSG:5070); deer = NYSDEC reported deer harvest by county. National & state parks, military land, and permit-only refuges are computed but shown as the “mix,” not counted huntable; confirm the specific tract with the state agency.