NEW YORK

Regular and Archery

Southern Zone (includes Hudson Valley and Catskills)
Regular: Nov. 21 - Dec. 13
Bow: Oct. 17 - Nov. 20
Dec. 14 - Dec. 22

Westchester Co. (See related article in NY Times)
Bow only: Oct. 17 - Dec. 31

Suffolk Co.
Bow only: Oct. 1 - Dec. 31

Bear Mountain-Harriman State Parks (updated Nov. 24, 2009): Hikers should be aware that hunting is allowed this year in the area of Harriman west of Route 17 and into Sterling Forest State Park.

Sterling Forest State Park: Note that the Wildcat Mountain Trail is now entirely with the hunting area. North of Route 17A the hunting area continues to include the Sapphire (except for the Appalachian Trail Corridor), Indian Hill, Furnace, Townsend and Long Meadow Extension Trails. The former archery-only area located north of Greenwood Lake, west of Penaluna Road, is now an antler-restricted firearms hunting area. For complete details call the park at 845-351-5907.

Hunting is allowed in parts or all of other state parks. Call parks for details.(Find contact info by using our parks database. Click here.

Black Rock Forest (845-534-4517) closes to all hikers from Nov. 21 through Dec. 13.

For more info about deer season in New York, go to www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/28605.html. For info about all big game hunting seasons and regulations in New York, visit the DEC website.

NEW JERSEY

In New Jersey, the safest course in the fall is to hike only on Sundays, when hunting with firearms is generally prohibited throughout the state. (Seasonal bow-hunting is permitted in Wildlife Management Areas on Sundays.) Otherwise, hunting seasons vary by weapon and geography.

A six-day firearm season is set for December 7-12 in all zones.
A one-day shotgun season is set for December 16 in many zones with additional days permitted in some zones..

For the complete set of deer season regulations, click here.

For all hunting seasons and information, go to www.njfishandwildlife.com/njregs.htm#hunting.

Morris County Parks has announced that parks in its system will be open for limited deer hunting again this season. The purpose is to manage the size of the deer herd to protect woodland ecology. A list of the locations and timetable of hunts is posted at www.morrisparks.net/deer/pcstable.asp