Hunting & Fishing License Information

DMP Application Deadline: October 1 each year 

What You Need to Know Before Applying

• All licensed hunters, aged 12 or older can apply for a DMP. Junior hunters aged 12-13 can only hunt deer with a firearm or crossbow in counties that have passed a local law authorizing such action. Check the map on the Junior Big Game Hunting webpage to confirm the counties in which 12- and 13-year-olds can hunt deer with a firearm or crossbow.
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• You can apply for up to two DMPs within the same Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) or two different WMUs. Both must be applied for at the same time. Find a WMU near you by viewing the written WMU boundary descriptions.
• If applying at a license sales agent, hunters who are selected will receive their tags immediately. If applying online or by phone, hunters who are selected must wait approximately three weeks to receive tags.
• Follow best practice and check your DMP before leaving the license issuing outlet to make sure it is for the correct WMU. If the clerk made an error, they can contact our DMP Hotline (1-866-472-4332) to get the error corrected.
• There is a $10 non-refundable application fee for all applicants, except for holders of Lifetime Sportsman licenses purchased prior to 9/30/2009, and Junior Hunters & Junior Bowhunters.
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• Disabled Veterans who are residents of New York and who have a service-connected disability rated at 40% or greater will receive preference on DMPs. Annually, you must bring a letter from the Veteran’s Administration, dated in the current year, with your case number and your disability percentage. If you are claiming permanent disabled status, the letter must clearly state that the service-related disability is ‘permanent’.
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• Landowners who own 50 or more contiguous acres of land within a WMU will receive preference on DMP selection. Annually, you must bring your tax map identification number and SWIS code (found on your tax bill) with you when you apply. Be sure to tell the license issuing agent PRIOR to applying that you are a landowner. Lessees do not qualify as landowners. A spouse of a landowner may receive landowner preference, but both spouses may not apply as a landowner for the same parcel of land. Corporate ownership: only one person may be designated by a corporation as the landowner each year no matter how many 50-acre parcels are owned. The corporation must submit an original letter or certified copy of a resolution, dated in the current year, designating the individual and must include the tax map ID and SWIS code information.
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The chances remain the same throughout the entire application period, which runs from early August through October 1.

See DMP Probabilities for a table of the chances of selection for 1st and 2nd choice DMPs for residents and non-residents.

The DMP probabilities are based on the following criteria:

• Number of antlerless deer to be harvested in each WMU.
• Number of applicants expected.
• Ranking of the applicant based on the Order of Selection below.
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Order of Selection 

1. Landowners and Disabled Veterans
2. NYS residents and non-residents with 3 or more preference points.
3. Residents with 2 preference points.
4. Residents with 1 preference points.
5. Residents with 0 preference points.
6. Non-residents with 2 preference points.
7. Non-residents with 1 preference points.
8. Non-residents with 0 preference points.

Preference Points

• Preference points increase your chances of selection but do not guarantee DMP selection.
• Preference points are won and lost on first permit selection only.
• If you receive a DMP in your first choice WMU, all available preference points will be used, regardless whether the unit chosen was advertised as needing preference points or having high, medium, or low odds of being selected.
• If you do not receive a DMP in your first choice WMU, you will receive a preference point for the following year.
• Any preference points contained in your file are automatically applied to your first-choice WMU selection. If you do NOT receive your first choice, the points are applied to your second choice, but will remain in your file for the following year, regardless of your second choice selection results.
• Qualifying landowners and disabled veterans will receive their first choice DMP in all open WMUs.
• Preference Points are not WMU specific. That is, if you earned a preference point by being denied in one WMU, you can use that preference point in a subsequent year when applying for a DMP in a different WMU.
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Additional Opportunities for Acquiring DMPs

• Leftover DMPs
  If there are permits remaining after the initial application period ends on October 1, an extended application period for leftover DMPs will begin on or around November 1 each year. Applications for leftover DMPs can only be made at a license issuing agent location.
• Bonus DMPs in WMUs (1C, 3S, 4J and 8C)
  Hunters who fill a DMP tag by harvesting an antlerless deer can apply for an additional (bonus) DMP to harvest another antlerless deer.
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DMP Information Hotline

For more information regarding Deer Management Permits, you may call our DMP Information Hotline at 1-866-472-4332.