Bow Hunting is Legal in Rye and Deer Hunting Season Starts October 1st

UPDATE (10/1/2025): Deer Management Committee (DMC) Chair Ryan Fitzpatrick asked  MyRye.com to clarify that “The memo was not ratified by the DMC and was to be presented to Corporation Council and The DEC for review. It was then to be discussed at the next meeting and may or may not have been approved for publication. No laws have changed. This memo was drafted to educate the citizens of Rye. There is also a material error in the memo. NO ONE should rely on the memo regarding LIABILITY.”

We have removed our story reference to liability, and will share the memo again if and when it is formally released by the DMC.

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Bow hunting is legal in Rye. And deer hunting season starts on Wednesday, October 1, 2025.

Members of Rye’s new deer management committee, who met for their second meeting last week, want you to know that Rye residents have safely bow hunted deer in Rye for decades. Local landscape architect and committee member Chris Cohan is offering to be a liaison between any Rye property owners interested in having deer taken by local bowhunters.

In a draft memo expected to be published by the City after corporation counsel and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) review, the committee offers “Free of charge, with no obligation, a Rye resident expert licensed bow hunter will visit your property along with any interested neighbors’ property to determine if properties comply with all safety protocols. These Rye resident deer bow hunters have safely bow hunted in Rye for decades. Free, a hunter will offer to hunt on your property if it meets the appropriate criteria. Dates and times to be approved by homeowner. The venison may be offered to homeowners or donated to Hunters for the Hungry, a program that provides food to the needy.”

The local affiliate for the Hunters for the Hungry program is Feeding Westchester, a County-wide organization that works with many local food pantries including ones in Port Chester. In Westchester County (WMU 3S) doe bow hunting runs September 13-21 and regular deer hunting runs October 1 – December 31, 2025.

Rye Deer Management Committee and the cooperating bow hunters recognize it is only the culling of adult females that will control the population. Most hunters target bucks (adult males with racks) which has no impact on local herd size. In fact, a 2024 2024 Deer Take Summary by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) reports in Westchester County of 1,029 deer taken, only 310 were adult females.

Property owners interested in bow hunting should contact Chris Cohan, Rye Deer Management Committee Bow Hunter Liaison at (914) 967-4485 or ccohan9355@aol.com.