WMU 4U, New York

Rolling hills and mixed hardwood-conifer forest typical of the Hudson Highlands and Putnam Plateau, transitioning to fragmented suburban woodlots closer to Westchester. Elevation ranges from 200 to 1,400 feet with rocky ridges, wetland drainages, and reservoir shorelines. Habitat is high-quality whitetail cover — dense laurel and mixed oak understory — but parcels are heavily fragmented by residential development, roads, and utility corridors.

low

WMU 4U operates under a standard limited DMP (Deer Management Permit) quota — not among the no-quota unlimited WMUs. Hunters must apply for DMPs by the fall deadline (typically September/October). Antlerless opportunities are also available through the NYC DEP DMAP program on watershed parcels, which provides additional antlerless tags beyond the standard DMP allocation. Under the 2026 Earn-a-2nd-Buck system, harvesting an antlerless deer unlocks a second antlered tag statewide.

Deer: Southern Zone seasons apply — archery Oct. 1 through Nov. 20 (with additional periods Dec. 8-16 and Dec. 26-Jan. 1), regular firearms Nov. 21-Dec. 13, muzzleloader Dec. 14-22 (WMU 4U has no muzzleloader restriction, unlike nearby 3S and 4J). No rifle restriction specific to 4U (Westchester County rifle ban applies in WMU 3S, not 4U). Bear: WMU 4U is included in the Southern bear range and is open for bear hunting during archery, early, regular, and muzzleloader bear seasons, though actual bear encounters in this suburban fringe unit are uncommon. Turkey: Spring turkey season open (Southern Zone, May 1-31, hours sunrise to noon); fall turkey season open in the Southern Zone (Oct. through late Nov.). Both species are present but turkey hunting is severely limited by access constraints.

Extraordinary deer densities in a unit where almost nobody hunts — archery hunters with DEP watershed access or landowner permission encounter some of the most deer per square mile in the state. The trade-off is brutal: safety zones, tiny parcels, and near-total private ownership make finding legal ground the central challenge. Hunters who crack the access puzzle encounter minimal competition and very high deer activity. NYC DEP watershed lands are a legitimate and underutilized public option requiring only a free permit.