New Law Proposed In New York Targets Hunting

Here is a law that has been proposed in New York State that takes aim at hunting competitions.

I'm sure if you hunt, you have seen/heard about contests such as squirrel derbies, woodchuck derbies, coyote or fox contests, etc. If New York State has its way, soon those will be illegal to conduct and participate in.

The bill, numbered S4074-2013, proposes:

Each attempt to partake or sponsor any competition to take wildlife shall be punishable by imprisonment or the person shall be subject to a fine or both.

Fishing contests and the New York Big Buck contest would be exempt.

In New York State, there are DEC laws that regulate the amount (bag limit) of animals you can take per day. Squirrels, for example:

As far as woodchucks, according to the DEC website:

Woodchucks will be discouraged from inhabiting an embankment if the vegetation cover is kept mowed and is properly maintained. Control methods should be implemented during early spring when active burrows are easy to find, young woodchucks have not scattered, and there is less likelihood of damage to other wildlife. In later summer, fall, and winter, game animals will scurry into woodchuck burrows for brief protection and may even take up permanent abode during the period of woodchuck hibernation. Woodchucks may be destroyed by trapping or shooting any time of the year.

Click the button below to read the entire bill.