WMU 5S, New York
Unit info
- Game species
- Deer, Turkey, Bear
- Group
- Zone 5
- Area
- 426 mi²
- Public land
- N/A
Black Bear — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 24
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
- 1,927
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 5S covers rolling farmland and mixed hardwood-conifer forest in Washington County in eastern New York, tucked between the Adirondack foothills and the Vermont border near Granville, Hebron, White Creek, and Greenwich. The unit sits in New York's Southern Zone, offering deer hunters archery through January, a bear season with modest but real harvest, and strong fall turkey opportunity across several state forests and WMAs — making it a quiet, underrated destination compared to busier units to the south.
Rolling hills and valley bottomlands in Washington County, eastern New York, transitioning from Adirondack foothills in the northwest to Taconic Range foothills along the Vermont border. Elevations range roughly 300–1,400 ft. Land cover is a mix of second-growth hardwood (maple, beech, birch, oak) and conifer forest interspersed with active dairy and row-crop farmland, wetlands, and stream corridors including the Batten Kill. The southern agricultural portion of the county has less public land than the Adirondack north, but productive edge habitat where farm meets forest.
low to moderate
Southern Zone. Archery Oct 1–Nov 14 plus late bow Dec 8–16 and Dec 26–Jan 1. Regular firearms Nov 15–Dec 7. Muzzleloader Dec 8–16 and Dec 26–Jan 1. Youth firearms Columbus Day weekend. WMU 5S has a DMP (Deer Management Permit) quota — antlerless tags are available but limited; apply by October 1 each year (up to 2 quota-WMU DMPs). Under 2026 regulations, harvesting an antlerless deer with a DMP earns eligibility for a second antlered tag. Total deer harvest 2025: approx. 1,146 (NE Hudson WMU aggregate with 4C, 4K, 4L, 4U, 5S, 5T).
Deer: Southern Zone seasons (archery Oct 1, guns Nov 15, late season through Jan 1). Antler restrictions apply. DMP quota system for antlerless. Bear: Southern Zone Southeastern section — archery bear season concurrent with deer archery (Oct 1–Nov 14 approx.), regular bear season concurrent with regular deer firearms (Nov 15–Dec 7); no early bear season in WMU 5S. 2025 harvest: 16 bears total (7 archery, 8 regular firearm, 1 youth), density 3.8 bears/100 sq mi — stable population. Turkey spring 2026: May 1–31, 2 bearded birds (1/day), shooting hours half-hour before sunrise to noon. Fall turkey 2025: Oct 18–Oct 31 zone, 1 bird either sex, sunrise to sunset. No shotgun-only or safety-zone firearms restrictions (not Long Island).
Quiet, lightly pressured unit in eastern New York offering multi-species opportunity — deer, bear, and turkey all present. Batten Kill and Goose Egg/Batten Kill State Forests provide stream-bottom and ridge hunting near the Vermont border. Edge habitat between dairy farms and hardwood forest holds good deer numbers. Bear hunting available with 16 bears harvested in 2025 (density 3.8/100 sq mi), most taken during archery and regular firearms. Spring turkey along the Batten Kill corridor and hardwood ridges is underrated.
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about WMU 5S— 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.
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Boundaries: NYSDEC official Wildlife Management Units. Community info last updated 23d ago.