The New Rifle Law Impacts Onondaga County For One Year

This is the greatest time of the year in New York State and thousands of residents are taking advantage of the weather and the outdoors.

As we see the leaves fall and the colder air arrive, the big game hunting seasons are also here and it is an exciting time for those who are headed to the woods to harvest a deer or bear!

While there are a few statewide changes to the hunting laws here in New York State, there is one law that impacts those who hunt with guns in Onondaga County.

READ MORE: The Massive Change To Hunting Licenses In New York State

As the days get shorter, and we transition from archery and crossbow season to the firearms season, there will be a one year rifle season in place in Onondaga County.

According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's website post: "Legislation passed that allowed the use of rifles to hunt big game in Onondaga County. The law expires October 1, 2025. See Deer and Bear Hunting Regulations for a map of legal hunting implements for big game hunting by county".

The "Regular" firearms season is split in to a couple of zones. The Northern Zone gets started on October 26th and the Southern Zone will start on November 16th.

Currently, the archery season is cranking in New York State and there have been some pretty amazing bucks taken already. There is a massive whitetail buck that was taken in the Western New York area that some called the "freak buck".