New hunting changes for 2025

Hunters should be aware of changes to carcass tagging, harvest reporting, and crossbow hunting opportunities for the 2025-26 hunting seasons.

Hunters now have the choice to obtain a paper license and tags or use the HuntFishNY mobile app as electronic proof of licensure and possession of tags for deer, bear, or turkey. It provides state hunters with a simple way to display their licenses and privileges and view important hunting and fishing related information. It also offers the ease of reporting game harvests immediately; and links to useful information like season date summaries, fishing information, a DEC contact list, and more. Find it in the Google Play or Apple App store.

Also new for this hunting season is harvest reporting. E-tag users must report immediately after harvesting a deer, bear, or turkey through the HuntFishNY mobile app. Paper tag users must report their harvest within 48 hours (no longer seven days) through the DEC’s website (https://shorturl.at/x6Bfw), the HuntFishNY mobile app, or by calling 1-866-426-3778.

Youth hunters (ages 12-15) who successfully take and report a deer taken with their regular season tag during the Youth Big Game Hunt over Columbus Day weekend and who do not possess other antlerless tags for the regular firearms season will be issued a bonus tag for the regular season. The bonus regular season tag will be valid for deer of the opposite sex as was harvested during the youth hunt. DEC will mail the bonus tag to the successful hunter, probably in early November.

For additional information, check DEC’s website at https://shorturl.at/4WgGQ.