First Light Farm - Regular Season Deer

First Light Farm offers private rifle deer hunting during New York's regular firearms season on about 154 acres near Addison, New York, in Steuben County and WMU 8T.
The regular season opener lands in late November, when bucks are still chasing does and Southern Tier deer start leaning on heavy cover as pressure builds. Here, hardwood timber blocks and wooded drainages hold deer through the day, and hay and crop fields bring them out at dawn and dusk. Set up where a drainage or brushy transition meets a field and you can cover a lot of ground. Steuben County allows rifles, so bring the gun you shoot best.
Each 3-day hunt belongs to one party of up to two hunters. Drive the designated farm roads to your access point, and use an ATV on those roads to get to your stand and haul out your deer. Stay at a designated camping spot with your tent or trailer and be on stand before daylight.
Your New York hunting license comes with an Antlered Deer Tag, sold over the counter with no draw. Taking a doe in regular season requires a Deer Management Permit for WMU 8T. Camping spots have no power or water, but water is available on the farm for fill-up. Addison has food and gas, and Painted Post and Corning have lodging.

By the regular season, the leaves are down and First Light Farm's hardwood timber, brushy transitions, and wooded drainages open up, letting you see deer coming well before they reach the fields. Opening days still carry rut activity, with bucks moving between bedding areas in search of does. As pressure on surrounding ground builds, deer bed tighter in the timber and lean on the drainages as travel lanes, then slip into the hay and crop fields at first and last light.

After your hunt, you will be sent an automated Harvest Report. To assist Infinite Outdoors in maintaining the quality of properties, and to continue to put conservation at the forefront, we require that the harvest report be completely filled out and returned. Failure to fill out the harvest report within 2 weeks of the hunt taking place will result in a $25 fine. If you are unsuccessful in filling your tag, Infinite Outdoors still needs to have that information provided to them.

3-Day Hunt. By booking the first day of your hunt, you are automatically booked for the following 2 days as well.

This listing covers New York's Southern Zone regular firearms season, which opens on the third Saturday in November and runs for 23 days. During regular season you may hunt with a rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader, handgun, bow, or crossbow. Check current season dates at dec.ny.gov before your hunt.

No application needed. You will need a New York hunting license (resident or nonresident) with the bowhunting privilege, the muzzleloading privilege, or both. Your license includes an Antlered Deer Tag, and each privilege adds a Bow/Muzzleloader Antlerless Deer Tag. Crossbows are legal with the bowhunting privilege. Buy online through DECALS at dec.ny.gov, at any license issuing agent, or by phone at 1-866-933-2257.

No draw for your buck tag. New York hunting licenses, bowhunting and muzzleloading privileges, and the Antlered Deer Tag are sold over the counter to residents and nonresidents. Antlerless Deer Management Permits (DMPs) for WMU 8T are issued through a fall lottery.

Reservation fees are due at the time of booking and are non-refundable. 50% of the outdoorsman fee is due at the time of booking, and the remaining 50% will process 1 month prior to the hunt.

Cancellations made prior to placing a deposit will be taken care of immediately. Any cancellations needing made after placing a deposit will result in attempts to reschedule the hunt for a different season, or a different year. Please note that refunds are not guaranteed.

If there is a lapse in availability, please do not be discouraged to reach out to IO. All calendars are set and managed by landowners, and unavailability is set by them. However, IO is willing to reach out on your behalf, to check on available dates. Other reasons for unavailable dates include biologist recommended hunter/harvest quotas that landowners implement, as well as state season dates not being released.

You are not legally allowed to access the property, for any adventure, prior to your selected access day. If you try to access the property at all before your selected date(s), without prior approval from IO, you will be subject to trespassing and punishments therein