Wildlife Management Areas
Like to Hunt, Trap, Fish, or Watch Wildlife?
Visit any of the state's numerous Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) and explore their forests, open fields, streams, ponds, wetlands, and scenic vistas. These are your lands - owned by New York State and operated by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation's Bureau of Wildlife.
- More than 115 WMAs are scattered across the state for your use and enjoyment. Together, these areas contain nearly 197,000 acres - including 124,000 acres of forests and grasslands and 53,000 acres of wetland - providing enough room for a lot of us to get outdoors, have fun, and not get in anyone's way. The Bureau of Wildlife manages an additional 38,000 acres of land, including Unique Areas and Multiple Use Areas, for a total of about 150 areas to visit.
- Each WMA has its own page that lists allowable activities and available facilities. These are organized by DEC region. Scroll down to see which counties are in each region.
- Some activities may require permits and fees. We strongly advise you to call the appropriate DEC Regional wildlife telephone number prior to visiting any WMA. By doing so, you can quickly learn more about a specific area, its uses, and facilities.
- For guidance on the use and purpose of WMAs and a list of allowable activities, read Public Use of Wildlife Management Areas (PDF, 349 KB).
- You may wish to purchase a good quality highway/recreation map at your local bookstore. These maps typically indicate the location of wildlife management areas, state parks, and other outdoor recreation sites.
- While there are no WMAs on Long Island or in New York City, there are public lands available for use in those regions.
Click on a region in the left column to find a list of WMAs in each area - there's probably one near you!
Habitat Management Plans
Site-specific habitat Management Plans are being developed for Wildlife Management Areas and other properties overseen by DEC's Bureau of Wildlife, including select Multiple Use and Unique Areas. The goals of the plans are to guide habitat management decisions, which benefit wildlife and support wildlife-related recreation. The plans guide management for a ten year time period, after which time the plans will be assessed and modified if needed.
These plans incorporate management recommendations from:
- Unit Management Plans,
- existing WMA habitat management guidelines,
- NY Natural Heritage Program's WMA Biodiversity Inventory Reports,
- Bird Conservation Area guidelines, and
- other documents available for individual WMAs.
List of Completed Habitat Management Plans
| Region | Wildlife Management Area | County |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Bog Brook Unique Area | Putnam |
| 3 | Mongaup Valley WMA | Sullivan/Orange |
| 3 | Tivoli Bays WMA | Dutchess |
| 4 | Bear Spring Mountain | Delaware |
| 4 | Doodletown WMA | Columbia |
| 6 | Black Pond WMA | Jefferson |
| 6 | Collins Landing WMA | Jefferson |
| 6 | Fish Creek WMA | St. Lawrence |
| 6 | French Creek WMA | Jefferson |
| 6 | Point Peninsula WMA | Jefferson |
| 7 | Deer Creek WMA | Oswego |
| 7 | Happy Valley WMA | Oswego |
| 8 | Erwin WMA | Steuben |
| 8 | Honeoye Inlet | Ontario/Livingston |
| 8 | John White WMA | Niagara/Genesee/Orleans |
| 8 | Northern Montezuma WMA | Wayne/Cayuga |
| 8 | Oak Orchard WMA | Orleans/Genesee |
| 8 | Tonawanda WMA | Orleans/Erie/Niagara/Genesee |
| 8 | Willard WMA | Seneca |
| 9 | Keeney Swamp WMA | Allegany |
More about Wildlife Management Areas:
- Young Forest Initiative on Wildlife Management Areas - Learn more about the initiative DEC has launched to considerably increase young forest habitat on Wildlife Management Areas across the state.
- Habitat Management and Access on Wildlife Management Areas - Learn about what types of habitat management and access projects are being done on Wildlife Management Areas.
- Lower Hudson Valley WMAs - Region 3 - Wildlife Management Areas in DEC Region 3 includes Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester Counties.
- Capital Region/ Northern Catskills WMAs - Region 4 - Wildlife Management Areas in DEC Region 4 includes Albany, Columbia, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Delaware, Otsego, Schenectady and Schoharie Counties.
- Eastern Adirondacks/ Lake Champlain WMAs - Region 5 - Wildlife Management Areas in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties
- Western Adirondacks/ Upper Mohawk Valley/ Eastern Lake Ontario WMAs - Region 6 - Wildlife Management Areas in DEC Region 6 includes Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida and St. Lawrence Counties.
- Central New York WMAs - Region 7 - Wildlife Management Areas in DEC Region 7 includes Broome, Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga, Oswego, Tioga and Tompkins Counties.
- Rochester/ Western Finger Lakes WMAs - Region 8 - Wildlife Management Areas in DEC Region 8 includes Chemung, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne and Yates Counties.
- Western New York WMAs - Region 9 - Wildlife Management Areas in DEC Region 9 includes Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Niagara and Wyoming Counties.
