Visitors looking for places to walk during hunting season can use 10 publicly accessible Finger Lakes Land Trust nature preserves where hunting will not be allowed from Oct. 1 through Dec. 22, 2026, the organization said.
The list includes sites in Niles, Fayette, Dryden, Spafford, Lansing, Big Flats and Ithaca. The land trust cautions that hunting may still occur on nearby property it does not own, even when a preserve on its list prohibits it.
In Niles, the listed sites are Bahar Nature Preserve and Owasco Bluffs Nature Preserve. Bishop Nature Preserve in Fayette and Otisco Nature Preserve in Spafford are also on the no-hunting list for that period.
Three Dryden sites are included: Ellis Hollow Nature Preserve, Etna Nature Preserve and Roy H. Park Preserve. Sims-Jennings Preserve at Cayuga Cliffs in Lansing and Steege Hill Nature Preserve in Big Flats are listed as well.
The 10th site is Thayer Nature Preserve in Ithaca. At its Townline Road parking area, visitors should use the entrance to the left for Thayer, the land trust said. The entrance to the right leads to Sweedler Preserve, where hunting is allowed. The distinction matters for anyone choosing a hunting-free route.
The land trust issues a limited number of deer-hunting permits each year for select other preserves. It said those sites are marked with signs warning visitors about trail closures and safety guidelines; the 10 listed preserves are the ones it identifies as hunting-free during the specified fall and winter dates.
Because hunting can take place beyond the organization's property boundaries, the land trust urges outdoor visitors to wear blaze orange, pink or another bright color in fall and winter so they can be seen more easily and from farther away.
The no-hunting designation applies to the listed preserves from Oct. 1 through Dec. 22. Visitors should pay particular attention to the separate Thayer and Sweedler entrances and to posted signs at any other preserve they use.
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