Photo courtesy of Forrest Fisher For this young Western New York hunter, Collin Voss, the echoes of the late hunting season were quite rewarding. The New York State Southern Zone late archery and muzzleloader season will run today through Dec. 16.

The whisper of a second chance for hunting big game in Western New York starts today with the Southern Zone late archery and muzzleloader season that will run through Dec. 16.

This special late season allows hunters to fill a tag before the year’s end. Hunting hours remain unchanged from the recently concluded regular firearm season that ended Sunday: 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset.

Though brief, this special late season offers a uniquely calm, highly focused hunting experience — though there are several special requirements and equipment rules hunters must remember. Hunters may take to the woods with vertical bows, crossbows or muzzleloading firearms, provided they hold the proper license privileges. Crossbow use is allowed for those with a regular archery license/hunter’s education. Muzzleloader hunters need a muzzleloader license. New York’s fluorescent orange/pink garment requirements still apply if hunting with a muzzleloader (firearm), but not if you are archery hunting only. Do check the syllabus, as rules depend on the hunting location and who you are hunting with. The hunter visibility rules were introduced to enhance firearm safety.

Hunters must carry a valid big-game hunting license, the required additional bowhunting or muzzleloading privilege, and any available Deer Management Permits or season-specific tags. Upon harvesting a deer, hunters can physically tag the animal with the correct carcass tag — this is now an option if you go directly home and process it yourself — or report it electronically within a 48-hour timeframe. For detailed reporting procedures, visit the NYSDEC website to ensure compliance with the new 2025 tagging and reporting standards.

The cool thing about the late season is it’s a quieter, more intimate hunt that can inspire a sense of calm and appreciation for nature. One of the most striking differences from the regular firearm season is the atmosphere. By mid-December, the woods are transformed. After the bustle of orange-clad hunters during the November firearms opener, the landscape quiets dramatically. Now, parking areas that were recently full will often sit empty. Deer move more naturally. The forest settles into a sort of winter stillness. For many hunters, this is the true draw of the late archery and muzzleloader window: far fewer people in the woods, far more room to breathe and a rare sense of solitude.

The reduced pressure often creates excellent conditions for patient hunters willing to brave colder temperatures. Each fresh track in the snow becomes a small story. Each sit feels more personal. And with the season closing soon after, every moment in the woods carries renewed anticipation.

Whether you’re trying to fill your first tag or a final tag, or savor the last quiet days of the 2025 big game season, the nine days of late archery and muzzleloader season offer something special — a chance to return to the woods after the crowds fade and experience whitetail hunting at its most peaceful. There will be one more special season, the holiday deer season, running Dec. 26 through Jan. 1, 2026.

Gotta love the outdoors.

CALENDAR

Dec. 8-16: NYS Southern Zone late archery/muzzleloader big-game hunting season.

Dec. 25: Merry Christmas

Dec. 26 to Jan. 1: NYS Southern Zone late archery/crossbow/muzzleloader special deer-only season. Regular firearms are not allowed.