WMU 6H, New York
Unit info
- Game species
- Deer, Turkey, Bear
- Group
- Zone 6
- Area
- 169 mi²
- Public land
- N/A
Black Bear — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 18
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
- 299
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 6H covers the suburban fringe of Syracuse in Onondaga and Cayuga counties, offering a mix of agricultural fields, second-growth hardwoods, wetlands, and urban edge habitat with a well-established whitetail population. Public hunting access is available through DEC Wildlife Management Areas including Cicero Swamp WMA and scattered state forest parcels, though much of the unit is privately held farmland and suburban sprawl. Hunters who can secure private land permission or navigate public WMAs will find solid deer numbers, decent turkey populations, and limited bear opportunity on the rural edges of this central New York unit.
Low-gradient agricultural and suburban landscape in the Lake Ontario/Erie plain transition zone. Dominated by second-growth hardwood woodlots, crop fields (corn, soybeans), wetland edges, and suburban residential parcels. Cicero Swamp and cross-lake drainages provide wetland corridors. Elevation is relatively flat to gently rolling, typical of the Onondaga-Cayuga county fringe south and east of Syracuse.
moderate-to-high
WMU 6H issues Deer Management Permits (DMPs) for antlerless harvest with an annual quota set each summer. Hunters apply by October 1; check dec.ny.gov for current DMP targets and selection odds. The 2026 regulatory changes introduced an Earn-a-2nd-Buck system statewide — hunters must harvest and report an antlerless deer first to earn a second antlered tag. DMP availability has historically been moderate in this suburban-agricultural unit due to deer management goals and landowner access constraints.
DEER: Archery season runs mid-September through late October plus an extended late archery period; regular firearms (Southern Zone-style) approximately Oct 1 - Dec 7 for Zone 6 units, with muzzleloader Dec 8-14. Exact dates vary annually — verify at dec.ny.gov. No rifle restrictions unique to this unit (not Long Island). BEAR: WMU 6H falls within the bear hunting zone for Zone 6; a regular hunting license is sufficient, no special permit required, one bear per license year. Bear occurrence is low but legal in this unit. TURKEY: Spring season opens May 1 statewide (upstate) through May 31, up to 2 bearded birds (1/day). Fall turkey season typically opens in October per zone map; both firearms and archery legal; turkey hunting with dogs permitted in fall. No shotgun-only restrictions (those apply to Long Island Zone 9 WMUs only).
Cicero Swamp WMA is the most accessible and productive public hunting ground, holding strong deer and turkey numbers. Edge habitat between crop fields and woodlots concentrates deer movement. Fall turkey hunting with dogs is legal in New York and can be productive in this unit. The unit sits at the fringe of New York bear range — occasional bear activity on the rural northern and eastern edges is possible but sightings are infrequent.
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about WMU 6H— 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.