As fall officially begins, it brings beautiful colors, cooler temperatures and changing environments as many animals respond to the shift in seasons.
With astronomical fall beginning, a new hunting season starts in various states in the Northeast, where many animals are easier to spot as leaves fall and colors change.
The Northeast is known for its unique, beautiful environments, which is why so many people flock outdoors to hunt for a chance to score big and small game.
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Here are the best locations to hunt this fall and what animals and regulations apply to various states in the Northeast U.S.
The Big Apple offers a variety of public hunting opportunities in state parks and recreation areas.
The state is divided into regions by animal type, when you can hunt them and what methods you can use.
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Hunting zones are divided into the northern and southern sections of the state, each with different start times for certain animals.
Ideal locations in search of a good hunt throughout the state include Minnewaska State Park Preserve in Ulster County, Roosa Gap State Forest in Sullivan County and Pawling Nature Reserve in Dutchess County.
If you plan to pursue deer, bowhunting in the northern zones runs from Sept. 27 to Oct. 23, after which you may use regular legal hunting methods until Dec. 6.
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You can only hunt antlered deer for a brief period, from Oct. 17 to Oct. 23.
Regular black bear hunting stretches from Sept. 19 to Dec. 6.
Hunting for cottontail rabbits and various hare stretches from Oct. 1 to Mar. 21.
In the southern zones, bowhunting begins a bit later for deer, Oct. 1 to Nov. 20, before normal hunting methods such as firearms are allowed, Nov. 21 to Dec. 13.
The black bear pursuit began on Sept. 19 and will end Dec. 6. Turkey hunting begins Oct. 1 to Oct. 14, and hunters may take only one bird of either gender for the fall.
The Garden State is home to more than 300,000 acres of land managed by the New Jersey State Park Service and offers public hunting opportunities across the state, including Long Pond Ironworks State Park in Passaic County and Hainesville Wildlife Management Area in Sussex County.
Deer hunting season begins on different dates in different zones, but generally starts on Sept. 12 (with early fall bow season) and ends on Feb. 20.
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The state permits hunting a wide variety of animals during fall, including black bears, coyotes, foxes, upland game birds and furbearers (beavers, otters, muskrats, raccoons, skunks and weasels).
The following weapon types will be allowed during the daytime season (Sept. 8 to March 15):
Connecticut offers a variety of public hunting areas managed by wildlife officials, including Algonquin State Forest, American Legion State Forest and Centennial Watershed State Forest (archery deer hunting allowed by permit when the shotgun deer lottery season is closed).
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Hunting deer on state land with weapons such as 12, 16 or 20-gauge shotguns loaded with single soft alloy projectile ammunition, with rifled or smoothbore barrels, is allowed and runs from Nov. 18 to Dec. 8.
Turkey hunting by way of firearms on state and private land begins on Oct. 3 and ends Oct. 31.
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The legal firearms allowed to hunt turkeys are shotguns; 20 gauge or larger is permitted. Hunting bears is illegal in Connecticut.
Other animals that are legal to hunt include small game such as ducks, geese, cottontale, pheasant, ruffed grouse, quail, chukar, hungarian partridge and crows.
The Bay State offers numerous opportunities to hunt a wide variety of animals in the fall.
If you're looking for a hunting location with easy-to-understand regulations, officials suggest considering one of the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) properties, with more than 200,000 acres of land open to hunting, fishing and trapping.
Government officials offer the MassWildlife Lands Viewer to help you find the best place to hunt under the correct seasonal regulations.
Early deer hunting season in the fall begins on Sept. 21 and ends Oct. 1, followed by archery hunting from Oct. 5 to Nov. 28.
Finally, the deer hunting season wraps up with legal use of firearms, including shotguns, from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12. Other primitive firearms are allowed from Dec. 14 until the start of the new year.
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You may hunt black bears in Massachusetts, with the fall hunting season running from Sept. 7 to Dec. 12.
Hunting wild turkeys is legal from Oct. 5 to Nov. 28.
You may hunt cotton rabbits, coyotes, snowshoe hares, quail and ruffed grouse from Oct. 17 to Feb. 27.
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Maine offers some of the best hunting opportunities in the U.S., with over 17 million acres of land and waterways to explore and enjoy the skill of hunting in the great outdoors.
About 94% of Maine's forest land is privately owned, but more than half is open to the public.
Unless otherwise noted, wildlife management areas are open to hunting and trapping of all game under certain regulations.
Locations such as Bradbury Mountain State Park, Camden Hills State Park and Mount Blue State Park are open to the public for hunting.
The state offers hunting opportunities for deer, moose, black bear, wild turkeys and many other small game.
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Fall bear hunting season begins Aug. 31 and ends Nov. 28.
If you plan on hunting moose, the fall season is extremely brief and requires a permit.
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If you pursue moose without antlers, the season starts Oct. 26 and ends Oct. 31.
You may hunt wild turkey with archery and shotguns, with the season starting Sept. 14 and ending Nov. 7.
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Other species, such as snowshoe hare and gray squirrel, begin on Sept. 26 with a limit of four kills per day and run through the new year, along with various other animals that are legal to pursue.
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