WMU 4Z, New York
Unit info
- Game species
- Deer, Turkey, Bear
- Group
- Zone 4
- Area
- 252 mi²
- Public land
- N/A
Black Bear — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 29
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
- 1,006
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 4Z covers the towns of Ancram, Taghkanic, and Gallatin in southern Columbia County, occupying the rolling forested hills of the mid-Hudson Valley east of the Catskills. The unit is lightly hunted and centered on the Doodletown Wildlife Management Area — 1,078 acres of semi-mature oak, maple, birch, and aspen forest with scattered wetlands — offering accessible public land in an otherwise private-land-dominated county. Deer are the primary game with DMAP antlerless tags available through the DEC program focused on improving forest regeneration at the Doodletown WMA.
Rolling forested uplands of southern Columbia County in the mid-Hudson Valley, characterized by semi-mature to mature hardwood forest (oak, maple, birch, aspen) with scattered wetlands, vernal pools, and post-agricultural woodlots. Elevation transitions from Hudson River Valley flatlands eastward into gentle foothills approaching the Taconic Range. Agricultural fields and farm woodlots intersperse the forested landscape, creating productive edge habitat for deer.
low
Deer Management Permits (DMPs) for antlerless deer available; WMU 4Z is enrolled in the Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) specifically on Doodletown WMA to improve forest regeneration — hunters apply starting August 1 by calling (518) 357-2355. DMAP tags are antlerless only (no antlers or antlers under 3 inches). Regular DMPs also available through standard application at license outlets by October 1 deadline. No mandatory antler point restrictions apply in 4Z (restrictions apply in select southeastern NY WMUs but not 4Z).
DEER: Southern Zone regulations apply. Archery October 1 through November 14 (plus late bow December 8-16 and December 26-January 1). Regular firearms November 15-December 7. Muzzleloader early season October 8-16 and late season December 26-January 1. Antlerless deer require a DMP or bow/muzzleloader antlerless tag; apply by October 1. DMAP tags also available at Doodletown WMA starting August 1. Youth firearms weekend October 10-12. TURKEY: Spring season May 1-31 statewide, shooting hours one-half hour before sunrise to noon, bag limit 2 bearded birds (1 per day). Youth turkey weekend April 25-26. Fall turkey October (Southern Zone fall season typically mid-October through late October); check current DEC regulations for exact dates. BEAR: Southern Zone bear season is open — archery October 1 through November 14, regular firearms November 15 through December 7, muzzleloader December 8-22. Bear carcass tag required; no separate permit needed. One bear per license year across all seasons. Bear are present in the region with population expanding from Catskill core eastward into Columbia County. Southern Zone set new harvest records in 2025.
Doodletown WMA provides the best walk-in public access in the unit on 1,078 acres of hardwood forest — a relatively new WMA with low hunting pressure. DMAP program creates an additional antlerless opportunity on state land. Columbia County sits in a productive agricultural transition zone with strong deer numbers. The Taconic corridor offers private land opportunity for permission hunters. Turkey are present in huntable numbers across the forested ridges and farm edges.
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about WMU 4Z— 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 4Z.
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Boundaries: NYSDEC official Wildlife Management Units. Community info last updated 23d ago.