Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm The Board of Trustees and Shareholders Dreyfus High Yield Strategies Fund We have examined managements assertion, included in the accompanying Management Statement Regarding Compliance with Certain Provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940, that Dreyfus High Yield Strategies Fund, (the Fund) complied with the requirements of subsections (b) and (c) of Rule 17f-2 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 as of March 31, 2015, and from February 28, 2015 through March 31, 2015, with respect to securities reflected in the investment accounts of the Fund. Management is responsible for the Funds compliance with those requirements. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on managements assertion about the Funds compliance based on our examination. Our examination was conducted in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) and, accordingly, included examining, on a test basis, evidence about the Funds compliance with those requirements and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. Included among our procedures were the following tests performed as of March 31, 2015, and with respect to agreement of security purchases and sales, for the period from February 28, 2015 (the date of the Funds last examination), through March 31, 2015: 1. Obtained The Bank of New York Mellons (the Custodian) security position reconciliations for all securities held by sub custodians and in book entry form and verified that reconciling items were cleared in a timely manner; 2. Confirmation with the Custodian of all securities held, hypothecated, pledged or placed in escrow or out for transfer with brokers or pledgees; 3. Count and inspection of all securities located in the vault of the Custodian in New York City; 4. Reconciliation of the Funds accounting records to the Custodians records as March 31, 2015; 5. Agreement of pending purchase activity for the Fund as of March 31, 2015 to documentation of corresponding subsequent bank statements; 6. Agreement of pending sale activity for the Fund as of March 31, 2015 to documentation of corresponding subsequent bank statements; 7. Agreement of a minimum of twenty-five security purchases and twenty-five security sales from the period February 28, 2015 (the date of the Funds last examination) through March 31, 2015, from the books and records of the Fund to the bank statements noting that they had been accurately recorded and subsequently settled; 8. Review of the BNY Mellon Asset Servicing Custody and Securities Lending Services Service Organization Control Report (SOC 1 Report) for the period April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015 and noted no relevant findings were reported in the areas of Asset Custody and Control. We believe that our examination provides a reasonable basis for our opinion. Our examination does not provide a legal determination on the Funds compliance with specified requirements. In our opinion, management's assertion that the Fund complied with the requirements of subsections (b) and (c) of Rule 17f-2 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 as of March 31, 2015, and from February 28, 2015 through March 31, 2015, with respect to securities reflected in the investment accounts of the Fund is fairly stated, in all material respects. This report is intended solely for the information and use of management and the Board of Trustees and Shareholders of the Dreyfus High Yield Strategies Fund and the Securities and Exchange Commission and is not intended to be and should not be used by anyone other than these specified parties. /s/ KPMG LLP New York, New York August 31, 2015 August 31, 2015 Management Statement Regarding Compliance With Certain Provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940 Management of Dreyfus High Yield Strategies Fund, (the Fund) is responsible for complying with the requirements of subsections (b) and (c) of Rule 17f-2, Custody of Investments by Registered Management Investment Companies, of the Investment Company Act of 1940. Management is also responsible for establishing and maintaining effective internal controls over compliance with those requirements. Management has performed an evaluation of the Funds compliance with the requirements of subsections (b) and (c) of Rule 17f- 2 as of March 31, 2015 and from February 28, 2015 through March 31, 2015. Based on the evaluation, Management asserts that the Fund was in compliance with the requirements of subsections (b) and (c) of Rule 17f-2 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 as of March 31, 2015 and from February 28, 2015 through March 31, 2015 with respect to securities reflected in the investment accounts of the Fund. Dreyfus High Yield Strategies Fund Jim Windels Treasurer 2