WMU 4O, New York
Unit info
- Game species
- Deer, Turkey, Bear
- Group
- Zone 4
- Area
- 752 mi²
- Public land
- N/A
Black Bear — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 38
Draw odds for Black Beararen't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
White-tailed Deer — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 3,138
Draw odds for White-tailed Deeraren't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
Season & harvest data is published for Black Bear, White-tailed Deer so far. Deer, Turkey, Bear also occur here — that data can be added as the community contributes.
About this unit
AI-compiled · sourcedWMU 4O is a 760-square-mile mixed farm-forest unit straddling the Capital Region hills across parts of Albany, Rensselaer, Columbia, and Delaware/Otsego counties, offering solid whitetail numbers with a mandatory 3-point antler restriction that filters the buck harvest toward older age classes. Antlerless tags (DMPs) are competitive — residents face Low odds and non-residents are currently shut out — reflecting a deer population the DEC is managing conservatively. Public land access exists via Taconic State Park, Taconic Ridge State Forest, and several DEC Wildlife Management Areas in the Region 4 footprint, alongside productive agricultural edges that hold deer year-round.
Rolling hills and mixed farm-forest landscape across the Capital Region transition zone. Terrain ranges from the southern Rensselaer Plateau and Taconic foothills in the east to gentler agricultural valleys to the west. Hardwood forest (oak, maple, beech) interspersed with active farmland, hedgerows, and second-growth timber provides classic edge habitat. Elevations range from roughly 400 to 2,000 feet, with creek drainages (Kinderhook Creek, Catskill Creek tributaries) providing travel corridors.
moderate
WMU 4O is subject to mandatory antler point restrictions (at least 1 antler with 3+ points each 1 inch long; hunters ages 12-16 are exempt). Antlerless Deer Management Permits (DMPs) are limited and competitive — 2025 quota targeted 2,100 antlerless permits across 760 mi2 (2.8 DMPs/mi2). Resident 1st DMP odds are Low; non-residents are None (no DMPs available). This is one of the more restricted antlerless units in the Southern Zone. The 2025 season yielded approximately 1,778 total deer harvested in WMU 4O.
DEER: Southern Zone seasons — Archery: Oct 1–Nov 14, plus Dec 8-16 and Dec 26–Jan 1 (Holiday Hunt). Regular Firearms: Nov 15–Dec 7. Muzzleloader: Dec 8-16 and Dec 26–Jan 1. Youth Firearms: Oct 11-13. Mandatory 3-point antler restriction applies (1 antler, 3+ points, each 1 inch long). BEAR: Open in Southern Zone; regular season is approximately 23 days beginning the 3rd Saturday in November (concurrent with late deer firearms season). Archery bear season runs Oct 1–Nov 14. Limit 1 bear per license year. TURKEY: Spring season open statewide upstate (May, shooting hours 30 min before sunrise to noon, 2 bearded birds/season max 1/day). Fall season open with 1 bird of either sex; WMU 4O falls in a fall turkey zone with season typically opening in October. Legal implements: rifles are lawful for deer in Columbia County portions of WMU 4O; check county-specific implement maps on DEC website.
Mandatory antler restrictions push buck age structure older than neighboring unrestricted units — legitimate opportunity at 2.5+ year bucks. Mixed agricultural and forested terrain with year-round food sources. Bear season runs concurrent with late deer season in November-December. Spring turkey is reliable in the hardwood/ag edge habitat. Capital Region location means accessible from Albany metro without extreme hunting pressure.
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about WMU 4O— or drop a tip or trick: access points, where game holds, glassing spots, conditions, crowding, gear that worked. This is where the unit's species-specific intel gets built, hunter by hunter.
Nothing posted yet about WMU 4O.
Be the first — ask a question (“Best public access on the north end?”) or share a tip (“Glass the burn scars off the main ridge at first light”).
Boundaries: NYSDEC official Wildlife Management Units. Community info last updated 23d ago.