It is New York State migratory game bird season on Long Island Sound. The hunting season dates are November 22nd through November 30th and December 6th through January 25, 2026. The City of Rye Police Department will be conducting checks of hunters throughout the season. If you have any complaints, questions or concerns, please contact the City of Rye Police Department Marine Unit at (914) 967-1234 or on Marine VHF Channel 16.
Last season, duck hunting triggered complaints from Rye residents in the area of Tide Mill and Port Chester Harbor.
Hunters are permitted to engage in hunting activities as long as they are abiding by the the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) hunting regulations which include (but are not limited to):
- Shooting hours are one half hour before sunrise to Hunters may occupy blinds or vessels prior to one half hour before sunrise but may not discharge a firearm;
- Hunters cannot discharge a firearm if there is a person, dwelling or public structure within 500 feet in the direction they are shooting;
- Hunting from a vessel is permitted as long as the vessel’s motor is off and the vessel must have stopped moving;
- Shotguns cannot hold more than three shells;
- All shot used must be non-toxic and approved by the US Fish and Wildlife Service;
- Hunters must make reasonable efforts to retrieve all killed or crippled birds;
- All occupants must wear a PFD while underway on any vessel under 21 feet in length between November 1st and May 1st.
See the full list of Department of Environmental Conservation’s rules and regulations and the New York State DEC site detailing the roles and responsibilities of both hunters and landowners.
(VIDEO, below: Illegal hunting in Marshlands Conservancy in 2021. Hunting is not permitted within the park.)
