A bill that would have allowed counties to ban the Holiday Hunt for Big Game from December 26 until January 1, was an overreach. As written, it would have banned hunting in the Southern Zone for ANY game during that one-week period, not just whitetail deer.

The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) adopted regulations in 2021 establishing the Holiday Hunt. DEC received positive feedback following the hunt; families were appreciative of their ability to hunt together during the winter school break.

In the Governor’s veto message, she noted, “I have heard concerns that the Holiday Hunt could interfere with other recreational activities, most notably snowmobiling. The safety of New Yorkers while enjoying the outdoors is paramount. For years snowmobiling and small game hunting have coexisted in the State without conflict.” Her observation is spot-on. An additional point to be made is that interference with snowmobilers would likely be an infrequent eventuality based on weather patterns we’ve seen developing over the last couple of decades.

The same legislature that has given the Department of Environmental Conservation the authority to set regulations, quotas, and seasons to help manage our fish and game resources, would now spread that authority across all 62 counties in New York. “If signed, this bill would establish an extremely confusing patchwork of prohibitions on hunting during the Holiday Hunt, said the Governor, “the consequence of which would undermine DEC's statutory authority over wildlife governance.

For years, the prevailing logic has been that the DECs wildlife and fisheries biologists have years of experience managing our fish and game resources, so it would be logical to argue that the State Legislature and individual counties would be better served by allowing DEC to exercise that regulatory authority on behalf of the people of New York. Had the Governor not vetoed bill numbers S6510 and A7785, individual counties would have been taking on the role of managing the state’s fish and wildlife resources. Wisely, the Governor acknowledged the pitfalls this legislation created.

Southern Zone Hunters will now reap the benefits of the DECs efforts to capitalize on the current growing interest in hunting. The Holiday Deer Hunt has already provided a new recreational opportunity for New Yorkers by allowing them and visiting hunters to go afield during a time when families and friends are gathered together for the holidays and college students who were home on school break. This was proven to be true in the first year of this season in 2021.

The anticipation is that the extended season will provide the opportunity for younger hunters to go afield with experienced mentors and nurture their knowledge and skills as responsible members of the hunting community at a time when families have gathered together to celebrate the Holiday Season.

S6510 read, “ANY COUNTY, BY RESOLUTION OR LOCAL LAW, MAY PROHIBIT ANY HUNTING DURING THE SEVEN-DAY SPECIAL LATE BOW, SPECIAL LONG BOW AND MUZZLE LOADER SEASON THAT HAS BEEN ADOPTED FOR IMPLEMENTATION BY THE DEPARTMENT FROM DECEMBER TWENTY-SIXTH TO JANUARY FIRST IN THE SOUTHERN ZONE.”

Any hunting means just that, the statute would not have just shut down big game hunting, it would have shut down all hunting, including small game and waterfowl hunting.

The veto message is clear; it makes more sense to allow DEC to fulfill its regulatory authority. We thank the Governor for her attention and consideration.

Remarkably, that was not the only good news from Albany this week

The Governor also used her veto pen to strike down another bill (A9895), that would have amended Environmental Conservation Law, to ban hunting adjacent to a licensed wildlife rehabilitation facility in Long Island’s Suffolk County.

The rehab facility is located the Town of Southampton in Suffolk County on the eastern end of Long Island where there is already an existing and consistent need to manage an over-abundant population of whitetailed deer.

As the Governor said, hunting opportunities are already limited on Long Island, and hunting opportunities are already heavily regulated in Suffolk County. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has the statutory authority to regulate hunting in New York. This bill would undermine DEC's statutory authority over wildlife governance and would establish a problematic precedent.

The impetus for the bill were the irresponsible and illegal actions of a hunter who shot a deer near the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center in Hampton Bays. While hunting on state land, the hunter discharged his firearm, not once, but twice, near the Wildlife Rescue Facility, well within the 500 feet limit as established by Environmental Conservation Law (ECL).

ECL states that hunting is prohibited within 500 feet of a dwelling, farm building, or structure in occupation or use unless the hunter owns it, leases it, is an immediate family member of the hunter, an employee, or has the owner's consent.

Deer hunting opportunities in Suffolk County consist of an archery season from October 1 to January 31, and a limited shotgun and muzzleloader season in January. Hunting on all state-managed lands, including those targeted in this bill, requires advanced reservations and daily permits during the January shotgun season.

There can be no excuses for any hunter who flaunts Environmental Conservation Law because is reflects on ALL hunters. In this case, as the Governor stated, “The bill would have undermined DEC's statutory authority over wildlife governance and would establish a problematic precedent.”

Calls from the sporting community to the Governor’s Office should be routine. We should be reaching out to her AND the Legislature any time we here about legislation that limits our access to public lands or impacts our right to hunt and fish here in New York. The Governor’s Office can be reached at: 518-474-8390 between the hours of 9:00am and 5:00pm