WMU 8J, New York
Unit info
- Game species
- Deer, Turkey, Bear
- Group
- Zone 8
- Area
- 735 mi²
- Public land
- N/A
Black Bear — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 1
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
- 4,511
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
Sign in to contributeWMU 8J covers the rolling drumlin and agricultural country of Genesee, Wyoming, and Livingston counties in western New York, producing excellent whitetail deer numbers in a landscape of crop fields, woodlots, and creek drainages. The unit sits in the Southern Zone with a liberal antlerless tag program — DMPs are readily available with no quota cap, making it a top choice for hunters looking to fill the freezer. Spring and fall turkey hunting are strong, and black bear are occasionally encountered though not a primary target species here.
Rolling drumlin topography shaped by glaciation, interspersed with agricultural fields (corn, soybeans, hay), woodlot edges, and creek/stream drainages feeding the Genesee River system. Elevations are modest — typically 1,000–1,600 ft — with productive transition habitat between open farmland and hardwood forest.
Public land is limited relative to the productive private agricultural land base. Key public access includes Carlton Hill Multiple Use Area (Wyoming County, near Warsaw), Livingston State Forest (~5,100 acres straddling Livingston/Allegany counties near Dansville), Cold Creek State Forest (Wyoming/Allegany county line), Genesee Valley Wildlife Management Area (717 acres, Livingston/Allegany), and scattered DEC Wildlife Management Areas. Walk-in access to private farmland through the DEC Cooperative Hunting Areas program supplements public land. Many top parcels are permission-only private ground.
moderate
WMU 8J falls in the Southern Zone with no DMP quota — Deer Management Permits are available to all applicants and auto-replaced upon reporting a harvest, making antlerless opportunity effectively unlimited. Under the 2026 Earn-a-2nd-Buck system, harvesting an antlerless deer with a DMP or Bow/ML Antlerless Tag unlocks a second antlered tag. Early September antlerless-only season also applies to 8J.
DEER: Southern Zone seasons — Archery Oct 1–Nov 20; Regular Firearms Nov 21–Dec 13; Muzzleloader Dec 14–22; Holiday Bow/ML Dec 26–Jan 1. Early antlerless-only season (firearms/bow/crossbow) runs approx. Sept 13–21 in 8J. Crossbows legal during all archery seasons. BEAR: Black bear are present in the region (Southern Zone bear season aligns with deer firearms season, approx. Nov 21–Dec 13) but encounter rates are low in this agricultural WMU — not a primary target. TURKEY: Spring season opens May 1, runs through late May (one bearded bird/day, two per season, shooting hours sunrise to noon). Fall season runs approx. Oct 1 through late November in the Southern Zone (one bird of either sex/day). FIREARM RESTRICTIONS: None — 8J is upstate/Southern Zone, full rifle and shotgun legal.
Exceptional whitetail habitat driven by crop agriculture and edge cover; liberal antlerless tag availability with no DMP quota cap; accessible public land options at Carlton Hill MUA and Livingston State Forest; strong spring gobbler hunting in mixed ag/forest landscape; manageable hunting pressure compared to metro-area WMUs.
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about WMU 8J— 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 8J.
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 114d ago.