WMU 9S, New York
Unit info
- Game species
- Deer, Turkey, Bear
- Group
- Zone 9
- Area
- 104 mi²
- Public land
- N/A
Black Bear — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 5
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
- 437
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 9S is anchored by Allegany State Park — New York's largest state park at over 65,000 acres — in the southwestern corner of the state, straddling Cattaraugus and Allegany counties. The unit produces exceptional deer numbers with 4.6 adult bucks per square mile and a total harvest of nearly 4,900 deer in 2025, making it one of the most productive big-game units in western New York. Wild turkey are abundant across the hardwood ridges and creek bottoms, and the unit falls in a zone where black bear are present, though bear harvest is prohibited inside Allegany State Park.
Deeply dissected Allegheny Plateau with steep hardwood ridges, hemlock ravines, and creek drainages. Elevation ranges roughly 1,400–2,300 ft. Mixed northern hardwood forest dominates — beech, maple, oak, cherry — with agricultural clearings on ridge tops and valley floors providing deer forage. The unit is largely forested with low road density inside the park.
moderate
WMU 9S carries a limited DMP quota (not in the 2026 unlimited/bonus DMP list). Hunters may apply for up to 2 DMPs in limited-quota units. The 2025 harvest yielded 4,912 deer total (942 adult bucks, 1,790 adult does, 433 fawns) at 4.6 adult bucks/mi² and 3.8 antlerless/mi², both strong metrics. Antlerless-to-antlered harvest ratio is approximately 0.9:1.
DEER — Southern Zone seasons apply: archery Oct 1–Nov 20 and Dec 14–22 and Dec 26–Jan 1; youth firearms Oct 11–13; regular firearms Nov 21–Dec 13; muzzleloader Dec 14–22. Centerfire rifles and handguns are prohibited inside Allegany State Park; shotgun, muzzleloader, archery, and crossbow are the legal methods within park boundaries. Sunday hunting restrictions apply in certain park zones. TURKEY — Spring season opens May 1, runs through May 31; fall season runs mid-October through late November per Southern Zone schedule. Both seasons are strong given the hardwood-ridge habitat. BEAR — Bears are present in the unit (Allegany/Cattaraugus counties support a healthy population) but the taking of bears is explicitly prohibited inside Allegany State Park. Bear hunting may be available on other state lands in the unit per DEC regulations; hunters should verify specific land boundaries before pursuing bear.
One of New York's premier accessible big-game destinations. Allegany State Park offers 65,000 acres of walk-in hunting with minimal crowding relative to its size. Cattaraugus County ranks among the state's top-five producers for total deer harvest and consistently appears in record-book buck listings. Wild turkey hunting on hardwood ridges is excellent. The park borders Pennsylvania, and multi-state trip combos are popular.
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about WMU 9S— 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 9S.
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Boundaries: NYSDEC official Wildlife Management Units. Community info last updated 23d ago.