HUNTING IN THE CANTONMENT AREA

Recreation permits for hunting in the Cantonment Area for the 2024 hunting season are now available. DMAPs are available starting Tuesday, September 3 at the Natural Resources Outreach Facility (S2507) on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm. 

 

This page pertains to areas primarily within or adjacent to the Fort Drum Cantonment Area or Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield. With a few exceptions, these areas are behind a perimeter fence and access control point. Hunting in these areas are restricted to those persons possessing one of the following:

  1. Military I.D.
  2. Military Dependent or Family Member I.D.
  3. Retired Military I.D.
  4. Civilian Department of Defense (DoD) I.D. (i.e. CAC card)
  5. Retired Civilian Department of Defense (DoD) I.D.
  6. Contract personnel with DoD I.D. (i.e. CAC card with green stripe and magnetic strip.)​

 

Hunting and other recreational use of Fort Drum is in accordance with New York State Hunting Laws and Fort Drum Regulation 420-3 Hunting, Fishing, & Other Outdoor Recreation (Unofficial Version effective & updated 4 Sep 2024 -- 18 pages).  Fort Drum is Wildlife Management Unit 6H--the Cantonment Area is in the Town of LeRay. Big game hunting seasons on Fort Drum coincide with the Northern Zone seasons in New York State.

 

Cantonment Area Hunting Seasons

Hunting in the Cantonment Area begins September 27 during the early archery season and runs through the entire big game season until December 15, 2024. The use of crossbows is allowed per NYSDEC regulations from October 16 through December 15, 2024. See the NYSDEC web site for more information on the use of crossbows in New York State. Shotguns are allowed in designated areas during the regular season October 26 through December 08, 2024. Shotguns are allowed in designated areas during the spring turkey season (May 1-31, 2024), but NOT during the fall turkey season. Hunting during the early bear season is not allowed. Shotguns and crossbows must be registered with the Directorate of Emergency Services.

Additional hunting days include Training & Federal Holidays--during the 2024 Cantonment Area Hunting Season, these days include:

To be Updated: Other areas open during the 2023 Cantonment Area Hunting Season:

 

Cantonment Area Hunting Info/Safety Briefing

For the 2024 season (like 2020-2023), all hunters must view and acknowledge an on-line Info/Safety briefing that is on the iSportsman web site. See the instructions below.  

  1. Access your iSportsman account and click on the "My Safety Briefs" tab at the top.
  2. Click on "Take Quiz: 2024-2025 Fort Drum Cantonment Safety Brief". (There is only one option.)
  3. Be advised, this is a PowerPoint on a YouTube video which means you may or may not view it on a military computer (it worked for now, but no guarantees). Click on "Start Safety Briefing."
  4. It's a 15+ minute video with no sound. (It's going to be 15 minutes long even if you scroll ahead, so you might as well watch the entire thing.) 
  5. At the end of the video, click on "Take Quiz" at the bottom left. 
  6. It's not really a quiz--you are being asked whether to agree or disagree that “I acknowledge I have reviewed the Cantonment Area Hunting safety/informational briefing and will abide by federal laws, New York State laws, NYS Environmental Conservation laws pursuant to provisions of Section 11-0321, and Fort Drum regulations."
  7. If you agree, click on the "I agree" button and click on "Submit Answers"
  8. Click on "Continue to Permits"
  9. You will be brought back to the "Available Permits" on your account and "2024 Hunting Cantonment Area" will now be an option that is available. 

After successful completion of the Info/Safety briefing, the hunter will be validated to obtain a Recreational Access Pass for Cantonment Area Hunting. The access pass for Cantonment Area Hunting must be displayed in your vehicle while hunting in the Cantonment Area.

Scouting & Trail Cameras

Scouting in the Cantonment Area is allowed at any time as other uses are allowed (e.g., hiking, jogging, etc.). Check-in/check-out procedures are not required. All areas on iSportsman will be “closed” outside of the hunting season although non-hunting activities are allowed at any time--the iSportsman system is used only to denote areas open or closed for hunting during the hunting season. It is always good practice to place your recreation pass in the windshield of the vehicle when parked in the Cantonment Area when you are scouting.

During the hunting season, normal check-in/check-out procedures through iSportsman apply. 

Use of remote/trail cameras are allowed only in areas that are designated as hunting areas. Trail cameras can not be used in Remington Park or along the Remington Park Trail or other trails where hunting is not allowed.  Leaving a camera overnight is at your own risk.  All cameras and their security cases must be permanently marked with the full name and permit number or phone number of the owner in such a way to be visible and legible.  Permanently marked means with a permanent marker, etching, riveting a metal tag, or other means that cannot be readily removed. 

Hunting Areas

There are 30 designated hunting areas. See Fort Drum Cantonment Area Hunting Map (for south of Rte. 26 -- updated 5 Sep 2023) and Fort Drum Cantonment Area Hunting Map (for north of Rte. 26 -- updated 30 Aug 2024) for hunting area locations. There is no hunting in Remington Park or the skeet range.  Hunters must not hunt closer than 150 feet from designated recreational trails or Pannels Road and North Star Spring Road behind Guthrie Ambulatory Health Care. All hunting must occur within the unmaintained portions (i.e. unmowed areas) of the hunting areas and hunters should minimize their visibility from roads. Hunters must not hunt closer than 250 feet from occupied dwellings whether using archery or a crossbow.  

Area # Description
31 – 34 Open daily for archery and crossbow only.  These areas are outside of the perimeter fence and have designated parking areas (Paragraph 6g). DMAPs can NOT be used. Hunting must be conducted at least 10 feet from the ground.  
41 Open daily for archery and crossbow only. These areas are inside the perimeter fence adjacent to Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield.  DMAPs can NOT be used. Hunting can be conducted from a ground blind or elevated structure.  
42-43 Open on weekends, federal holidays, and training holidays only for archery and crossbow only. This area is inside the perimeter fence adjacent to Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield and part of Training Area 6C.  DMAPs can NOT be used. Hunting can be conducted from a ground blind or elevated structure.  
44 Open to hunters eligible for accessible accommodations in paragraph 11(a) on  weekends, federal holidays, and training holidays only for archery and crossbow only. This area is inside the perimeter fence and part of Training Area 6C. There are four designated sites on a first come-first served basis when checking into iSportsman. These areas are available daily to one hunter (and an assistant).  DMAPs can NOT be used. Hunting can be conducted from an elevated structure or from the ground in a blind, vehicle, ATV, or other mechanical device in designated areas (Appendix D.)
   52, 54, 55, 57-59, 63, 64, 66, 68-73 Open daily for archery and crossbow only. DMAPs are available to use.  Hunting must be conducted at least 10 feet from the ground.    
53 Open daily for archery and crossbow only. DMAPs are available to use.  Hunting can be conducted from a ground blind or elevated structure.
76 Open on weekends, federal holidays, and training holidays only for archery and crossbow only.  DMAPs are available to use. Hunting can be conducted from a ground blind or elevated structure.
78 Open on weekends, federal holidays, and training holidays only for archery and crossbow only.  DMAPs are available to use. Hunting must be conducted at least 10 feet from the ground.    
    74, 75, 79,    & 80 Open on weekends, federal holidays, and training holidays only. During archery and crossbow seasons, hunting can be conducted from the ground or elevated structure—wearing blaze orange is not required. During the regular season, shotguns, archery and crossbow can be used ONLY from at least 10 feet from the ground and all hunters must follow the blaze orange requirements.  DMAPs are available to use. Turkey hunting with shotguns is allowed during the spring season from the ground; turkey hunting with shotguns during the fall season is NOT allowed.

 

Tree Stands / Ground Blinds

Hunting from blinds or stands is allowed depending on the area (see the table above for more information). Still-hunting, stalking, or deer drives are NOT allowed. When hunting from a stand, all hunters are required to hunt from commercially-available portable elevated tree stands, harnasses, or tripod stands. Stands are defined to include the platform and climbing device if it is affixed to the tree.

      (1)  Arrows may not be nocked until bowhunters are safely in their treestands.  Crossbows should be cocked before entering a stand, but not loaded until the hunter is in the stand.  Crossbows must be cocked, unloaded, and decocked within 10 feet of the stand.  The only exception to have an arrow nocked or bolt loaded on the ground is to dispatch a wounded animal. 

      (2)  The use of a safety belt is required while in a stand. 

      (3)  When required to hunt at least 10 feet from the ground (Areas 31-34, 54, 55, 57-59, 63, 64, 66, 68-73, and 78 all season; and Areas 74-75 and 79-80 during the regular season), a stand must be a minimum of ten feet off the ground and must be portable. 

      (4)  Damage to trees to be hunted from must be minimized which includes no removal of more than ten branches and none greater than 2 inches in diameter.  No cutting of vegetation for shooting lanes is allowed.  Nothing can be screwed or nailed into a tree (including screw-in pegs, bow hangers, or any other equipment or hardware).

      (5)  All unattended stands and blinds must be permanently marked with the name and permit number or phone number of the owner in such a way to be visible and legible from the ground. Permanently marked means with a permanent marker, etching, riveting a metal tag, or other means that cannot be readily removed.

      (6)  An individual hunter may not have more than two stands and two blinds in the Cantonment Area at any given time.  Placing a stand in an area does not guarantee or reserve that site for the hunter.  Stands are left overnight at your own risk—Fort Drum is not responsible for any lost, stolen, or damaged stands.  If a stand or blind is missing, it should be reported to the Military Police (315-772-5156 or 315-772-5157).

      (7)  Stands and blinds may be placed in hunting areas from 1 September – 30 December and 16 April – 31 May.  Stands or blinds outside this period will be considered abandoned property and removed unless prior arrangements have been made with Fort Drum’s Natural Resources Branch (315-315-955-5173) which will consider requests on a case-by-case basis. 

Parking

All vehicles must be parked on the shoulder of roads or designated areas in such a manner to allow other vehicles to pass and not cause an obstruction to traffic. Vehicles may not be parked on trails or blocking access to trails. 

Vehicles may be parked on the shoulder of roads after November 1, but not during heavy snow or when snow plow operations are occurring. 

Recreational Access Passes must be clearly displayed with the pass numbers facing up, on the driver side dashboard, windshield, or driver side window of the vehicle. 

Parking for areas 31-34 outside the perimeter fence must be immediately next to Fort Drum (i.e. no parking on private property, school property, etc.).  Parking for Hunting Area 31 and 32 must be along Co. Rte 129, Co. Rte. 283, or Military Road; parking for Hunting Area 33 and 34 must be at the intersection of Rte. 971V and First St.

Baiting

No feeding or baiting of wildlife for the purpose of hunting is allowed.

Collared Deer

In 2024, hunters are allowed to harvest deer with colored ear tags or neck collars, but the ear tag number must be reported through FortDrum.iSportsman.net and neck collars must be dropped off at the self-check station in the kiosk outside of Bldg. 1255 off of Restore Hope. 

Wounded Big Game

Hunters with wounded game that leave the designated Cantonment Hunting Areas (Appendix C) and/or beyond authorized access or shooting times must notify Fort Drum Law Enforcement Officials before tracking the animal by calling the Military Police (315-772-5156 or 315-772-5157) or stopping at the Directorate of Emergency Services (Bldg. P-10715). 

Licensed leashed tracking dog handlers are allowed on the installation to track wounded animals. United Blood Trackers is one organization that provides contact information for licensed dog handlers.

Tagging & Reporting Harvested Big Game

Hunters must tag a harvested animal per New York State regulations.  For deer harvested in the Cantonment Area during the regular season, the regular season tag must be used even if archery/crossbow are the only legal weapons.  During the designated archery seasons, the archery/muzzleloader tag must be used.  DMPs or DMAPs can also be used any time when authorized. Follow NYSDEC regulations for tagging and reporting harvested game--call the DECALS game reporting system within 48 hours by calling 1-866-GAME-RPT (1-866-426-3778).

Hunters harvesting game (deer, turkey, or bear) in the Cantonment Area are required to report it through FortDrum.iSportsman.net during the daily check-out.

In 2024, although no physical check-in of deer is required, a tissue sample or blood swab must be submitted at the self-check station in the kiosk adjacent to Bldg. 1255 off of Restore Hope.  

Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) Permits

To harvest additional antlerless deer in the Cantonment Area, 50 Deer Management Area Program (DMAP) permits will be made available to interested hunters "first come, first served." 

     (1) DMAP permits are valid only within the fenced-in Cantonment Area south of Rte. 26. DMAP permits can not be used in Cantonment Hunting Areas 31-34 outside the perimeter fence or Areas 41-44 north of Rte. 26.

     (2) Any harvested deer can be donated through the Natural Resources Branch to a foodbank if desired.

     (3) Unused DMAP tags must be returned to the Natural Resources Branch at the end of the season.

      (4) After a hunter has reviewed the mandatory briefing and has the appropriate permits, DMAPs are available to be signed out for the duration of the season by coming to the Natural Resources Outreach Facility (Bldg. S-2507) on Tuesdays or Thursdays from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm.  DMAPs will be available starting Tuesday, 03 September 2024.

Call 315-955-5173 or email Fred.J.Ossman.civ@army.mil if you have questions.

Deer Management in the Cantonment Area

Archery hunting in the Cantonment Area began in 1993 (but the earliest records are from 1996). The use of crossbows was allowed in 2014 and shotguns in specific areas in 2018.  

Deer management in the Cantonment Area is more intensive than in the Training Area. Beginning in 2018, the goal has been to intensively harvest deer to allow for forest regeneration and potentially minimize the incidence of ticks and tick-borne diseases, as well as reduce deer-vehicle collisions and reduce deer browsing on landscape vegetation. In addition to hunting, culling has been occuring since 2018 primarily in the winter to reduce deer numbers. 

To assist in deer management, Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) permits are issued by NYSDEC to allow for the additional harvest of anterless deer for landowners who need improved harvests of deer to meet management goals on their property. Fort Drum first issued DMAP permits in 1999 to allow hunters to take additional deer in addition to their regular tags in the Cantonment Area only.