WMU 8M, New York
Unit info
- Game species
- Deer, Turkey, Bear
- Group
- Zone 8
- Area
- 307 mi²
- Public land
- N/A
Black Bear — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 4
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
- 3,114
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 8M covers the Lake Erie hills of Erie and Chautauqua counties in far western New York, a transitional landscape of hardwood forests, agricultural fields, and creek drainages that supports solid whitetail deer and eastern wild turkey populations. Public hunting land includes Boutwell Hill State Forest (2,964 acres in Chautauqua County), Chautauqua Gorge State Forest, and the Chautauqua Lake Fish and Wildlife Management Area, with additional access on scattered DEC parcels. Chautauqua County consistently ranks among the top three counties in New York for spring turkey harvest, and black bear are present and huntable in this zone.
Lake Erie escarpment hills with mixed hardwood-hemlock forest transitioning to agricultural valleys; creek drainages and wetland edges throughout Erie and Chautauqua counties; elevation changes provide thermal cover and edge habitat favored by deer and turkey
moderate
WMU 8M is open to Deer Management Permits (DMPs) for antlerless harvest; hunters may apply for up to 2 DMPs in WMUs with a quota; DMP availability subject to annual DEC quota-setting — check DEC DECALS for current allocations; 2026 Earn-a-2nd-Buck system requires reporting first antlered deer before harvesting a second
Deer: Southern Zone seasons — Early Antlerless (Sept 13-21, firearms/bow/crossbow), Archery (Oct 1 - Nov 14 and Dec 8-16), Youth Firearms (Oct 11-13), Crossbow (Nov 1 - Nov 14), Regular Firearms (Nov 15 - Dec 7), Muzzleloader (Dec 8-16); antlered deer require Earn-a-2nd-Buck reporting for second buck. Bear: WMU 8M is open to black bear hunting; regular bear season runs concurrent with regular deer firearms season (Southern Zone approx. Nov 21 - Dec 13); archery and muzzleloader bear seasons also apply; one bear per license year. Turkey: Spring season opens May 1 through May 31 statewide (Southern Zone); Fall season approx. Oct 17-30 in Southern Zone; either-sex in fall; bearded birds only in spring; 48-hour harvest reporting required. No firearm restrictions — WMU 8M is not a Long Island shotgun-only zone.
Chautauqua County is a top-3 New York county for spring turkey harvest; Lake Erie hills terrain creates excellent thermal cover and edge habitat for deer; black bear present and huntable; Boutwell Hill State Forest offers nearly 3,000 acres of accessible public land with trail network; transitional forest-farm landscape holds good deer numbers
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about WMU 8M— 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 8M.
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 23d ago.