DEC Adopts Electronic Hunting Tags and Other Deer Hunting Enhancements

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton today announced the adoption of several changes to streamline use and reporting of hunting tags and provide new deer hunting opportunities. Hunters can now use DEC's online app for their licenses and tags as an alternative to paper license and tag options. Youth hunters will also have increased opportunities to earn a new season tag.

"Hunting is an affordable, accessible, and valued tradition for many New Yorkers and a critically important conservation measure," said Commissioner Lefton. "DEC is committed to improving user experience for all hunters and these changes will provide new options to improve harvest reporting and success for years to come."

Updated Reporting Tag Options

Hunters can choose to use a paper license and tags or the HuntFishNY mobile app as electronic proof of licensure and possession of tags for deer, bear, or turkey. Users of electronic tags (e-tags) will be able to immediately report their harvest with the mobile app whether they have cell service or not. Users also won't need to attach a physical tag to their harvested deer, bear, or turkey while they remain in possession of the carcass, including in their vehicle and at their home.

If e-tag users leave the carcass somewhere other than their home or vehicle, such as at a taxidermist or processor, they would need to affix a tag of their making to the carcass that includes the hunter's name, identification number, and reporting confirmation number.

Hunters will still have the option to use paper licenses and tags for deer, bear, and turkey, but to encourage prompt reporting and facilitate greater law enforcement oversight, hunters using paper tags are now required to report their harvest within 48 hours rather than seven days.

New Opportunity for Youth Hunters

DEC also created a new opportunity for youth hunters. DEC will issue a bonus regular season tag to youth hunters (ages 12-15) who successfully take and report a deer taken during a Youth Big Game Hunt weekend with their regular season tag and who do not possess a Deer Management Permit (DMP) for the regular firearms season. The bonus regular season tag will be valid for a deer of the sex opposite from what was harvested during the youth hunt (e.g., harvest of an antlered deer during the Youth Deer Hunt would yield an antlerless-only bonus tag for the regular season). DEC will mail this tag to the eligible hunters.

Deer Management Assistance Program Enhancements

DEC also enhanced the Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) by extending the permit renewal cycle from three years to five years and rescinding the limit on number of DMAP tags that may be used per hunter. DEC will still determine the number of tags available with each DMAP permit based on property size and management need, but hunters will no longer be limited by the number of DMAP tags they can fill on that property. These changes increase flexibility for landowners, improving their ability to use DMAP to meet land management objectives.

The full text of the adopted regulations and a summary of the public comment DEC received on the proposals are available on DEC's website.

Also new for fall 2025, hunters in New York State may use a crossbow in the same seasons, places, and manner as a vertical bow for hunting deer and bear. More information on expanded use of crossbows for hunting is available on DEC's website.

Visit DEC's website to learn more about hunting licenses, seasons, and regulations and to sign up for DEC's Hunting and Trapping newsletter.