Riverhead deer hunting lottery set for Monday

Riverhead deer hunters will get their shot at a coveted town permit Monday night.

The town will hold its 2026 shotgun hunting lottery at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall to select which hunters can access town property during the state’s special firearms deer season in January, Riverhead officials announced Wednesday, Dec. 10.

The lottery is open only to Riverhead residents and property owners. Hunters must appear in person at the Town Board Room, 4 W. Second St., with a current New York State driver’s license and hunting license.

They must have a valid state hunting license, big game tag and landowner endorsement from the town while hunting on town property. The town does not require a separate town hunting license.

All paperwork will be completed on-site before the lottery begins.

Winners will hunt by lottery-assigned dates and times at designated areas within the Calverton Enterprise Park and at 1751 Sound Avenue in Calverton during the Jan. 4-31 season authorized by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, officials said.

The Town Board authorized the lottery and shotgun hunting on town property at its Dec. 2 meeting.

For more information, contact Karen Occhiogrosso in the town attorney’s office at 631-727-3200, ext. 651, or the town recreation department at ext. 737.