What's happening
This bill amends New York’s environmental conservation law to authorize regulated hunting and management of moose, including licensing, seasons, and specific protections.
Why it matters
Regulated hunting of moose could help manage their populations. , potentially reducing risks of vehicle collisions, property damage, and ecological impacts associated with overpopulation.
The law provides the state environmental agency with flexible tools. , such as licensing lotteries and special permits for removing nuisance or destructive individual moose, allowing for responsive management as moose populations and human-wildlife conflicts change.
Explicit protections and restrictions are included to prevent unethical or unsafe hunting practices. , such as prohibiting the use of dogs to hunt moose, banning hunting with artificial lights, and specifying legal hunting methods and reporting requirements, which aim to promote humane and responsible wildlife management.
By integrating moose into the broader “big game” regulatory framework. , the bill ensures moose are subject to the same oversight, enforcement, and conservation standards as other major wildlife species, which could support sustainable hunting while helping to monitor and protect moose populations long-term.
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Regulate Moose Hunting Like Deer
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
2 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to environmental conservation
- Held for consideration in environmental conservation
- Referred to environmental conservation
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Regulate Moose Hunting Like Deer
In Senate Committee · Rules · Sponsor Patrick M. Gallivan
Full text
5 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
5317
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 8, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. DiPIETRO, HAWLEY, GIGLIO -- read once and referred to the Committee on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to hunting or trapping of moose
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraph b of subdivision 2 and paragraph b of subdivision 4 of section 11-0103 of the environmental conservation law, paragraph b of subdivision 2 as amended by chapter 427 of the laws of 1988, are amended to read as follows:
b. "Big game" means deer, bear, moose, [elk, except captive bred and raised North American elk (Cervus elaphus)], caribou and antelope.
b. "Domestic game animal" means white-tailed deer propagated under a domestic game animal breeder's license pursuant to section 11-1905 of this article or propagated on a preserve or island outside the state under a law similar in principle to title 19 of this article.
§ 2. Subdivision 3 of section 11-0505 of the environmental conservation law, as amended by chapter 135 of the laws of 1982, is amended to read as follows:
3. No deer, moose or bear traps shall be made, set or used upon land inhabited by deer, moose or bear. No salt lick shall be made, set or used upon land inhabited by deer, moose or bear, except that the department may do so on state wildlife refuges and wildlife management areas.
§ 3. Subdivision 3 of section 11-0521 of the environmental conservation law, as renumbered by chapter 911 of the laws of 1990, is renumbered subdivision 4, and a new subdivision 3 is added to read as follows:
3. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section, in the case of moose, the department may issue a license by rule or regulation to allow the taking of individual animals that are deemed to be destructive.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00089-02-7
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§ 4. Subdivision 5 of section 11-0529 of the environmental conservation law, as amended by chapter 610 of the laws of 2006, is amended to read as follows:
5. No action for damages shall lie against any authorized person for the killing of a cat, dog or coyote as provided in this section, except in the case of killing a hunting dog used pursuant to the provisions of section 11-0928 of this article.
§ 5. Section 11-0713 of the environmental conservation law is amended by adding a new subdivision 7 to read as follows:
7. The commissioner may, by rule and regulation, establish a license lottery for moose when conditions warrant control of individual animals or when such big game animals constitute a nuisance population.
§ 6. Paragraph b of subdivision 3 of section 11-0901 of the environmental conservation law, as amended by section 5 of part EE of chapter 55 of the laws of 2014, is amended to read as follows:
b. Wild deer, moose and bear shall not be taken except by gun, crossbow or by long bow. Where an open season, set forth in the table of open seasons in section 11-0907 of this title or otherwise established by law or fixed by regulation, is specified as an open season for taking such game by shotgun or long bow only, or is specified as an open season for taking such game by long bow only, they shall not be taken except as so specified.
§ 7. Paragraph a and the opening paragraph of paragraph b of subdivision 4 of section 11-0901 of the environmental conservation law, as amended by chapter 600 of the laws of 1993, are amended to read as follows:
a. Wild deer, moose and bear shall not be taken in water.
No person shall hunt deer or moose:
§ 8. The opening paragraph of paragraph d and subparagraph 1 of paragraph e of subdivision 4 of section 11-0901 of the environmental conservation law, as amended by chapter 600 of the laws of 1993, are amended to read as follows:
The use upon land inhabited by deer, moose or bear of a jacklight, spotlight or other type of artificial light by any person who is or is accompanied by a person who is in possession, at the time of such use, of a long bow, a crossbow or firearm of any kind, shall be presumptive evidence that such person is hunting deer, moose or bear with the aid of such light, in violation of this subdivision, unless:
(1) No person shall use a jacklight, spotlight or other type of artificial light upon lands inhabited by deer, moose or bear within five hundred feet from a dwelling house, farm building or farm structure actually occupied or used, for the purpose of locating, spotting, harrying, worrying or otherwise disturbing deer, moose or bear.
§ 9. Section 11-0907 of the environmental conservation law is amended by adding a new subdivision 11 to read as follows:
11. The commissioner is authorized to establish, by rule and regulation; licenses, seasons, manner of taking, tag limits and license fees for big game not specifically designated by this section.
§ 10. Paragraphs a and b of subdivision 3 of section 11-0909 of the environmental conservation law, as amended by chapter 911 of the laws of 1990, are amended to read as follows:
a. Wild deer, moose and bear, wild upland game birds, and small game other than bobcat, mink, muskrat, raccoon, coyote, fox and skunk, taken in any open season, shall be taken only between the hours of sunrise and sunset, unless otherwise provided in regulations of the department.
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b. The department shall have the authority to establish by regulation hours of hunting wild deer, moose and bear, wild upland game birds, and small game, other than bobcat, mink, muskrat, raccoon, coyote, fox and skunk, during the open season provided therefor.
§ 11. The section heading, paragraph a of subdivision 1 and subdivision 2 of section 11-0911 of the environmental conservation law, paragraph a of subdivision 1 as added by section 8 of part D of chapter 61 of the laws of 2000, are amended to read as follows:
Procedure on taking [wild deer and bear; transportation of wild deer] and transporting big game.
a. When [a wild deer] big game is taken the taker shall immediately fill in, using ink, ball point pen or indelible pencil, the [deer] tags issued to the taker as provided in regulations of the department. The taker shall immediately cut out or mark the month and date of kill on the tag and shall attach it to the [deer] animal, except that it need not be attached to the [deer] animal while it is being dragged or physically carried by the taker to a camp or point where other transportation is available. The taker shall report details of the location and date of harvest and data on the [deer] animal as required by regulation.
2. The taker shall remove his [deer] or her big game animal out of the woods or open country to a camp or other inhabited location by midnight of the day immediately following the expiration of the open season in the county or part of a county in which the [deer] animal was taken.
§ 12. Section 11-0911 of the environmental conservation law is amended by adding a new subdivision 8 to read as follows:
8. No person taking, possessing or transporting moose shall fail to comply with any requirements established by rule or regulation pursuant to this section.
§ 13. The section heading, opening paragraph and subdivision 1 of section 11-0915 of the environmental conservation law, as amended by chapter 190 of the laws of 1999, is amended to read as follows: Disposal of [deer, moose and bear] big game killed unintentionally by
collision.
The owner of a motor vehicle which has been damaged by unintentional collision with a deer, moose or bear shall be entitled to possess such [deer, moose or bear] big game under the following conditions:
1. The accident is reported to an environmental conservation officer, a member of the State Police, a member of the sheriff's department in which the accident occurred or, if the accident occurred on lands under the jurisdiction of the office of parks, recreation and historic preservation, to an officer of the regional park police having law enforcement responsibilities on such lands, or to any police officer of a city, town or village located in the county of such accident within [24] twentyfour hours thereafter.
§ 14. Section 11-0921 of the environmental conservation law, as amended by chapter 213 of the laws of 1999, is amended to read as follows: § 11-0921. Surrender of game unfit for human consumption; permit for
taking another of species surrendered.
When a wild turkey, wild deer, wild moose or wild bear is taken by a person holding a license or permit and, upon presentation to an environmental conservation officer or other authorized employee of the department, it is shown to the satisfaction of such officer or authorized employee that its flesh was unfit for human consumption at the time it was killed, the taker may surrender the carcass to the officer or authorized employee and the officer or authorized employee shall issue
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the taker a special permit to take another specimen of the same species as surrendered and for which the season is still open.
§ 15. Section 11-0923 of the environmental conservation law, paragraph a of subdivision 1 and subdivision 5 as amended by chapter 160 of the laws of 1979, subdivision 2 as amended by chapter 312 of the laws of 1980 and subdivision 6 as amended by chapter 600 of the laws of 1993, is amended to read as follows: § 11-0923. Dogs.
1. No owner or trainer of a dog shall:
a. allow it to hunt deer[,] or moose, or to run at large on enclosed lands on which wildlife or domestic game is possessed under license issued pursuant to the Fish and Wildlife Law or in any state park, state park reservation, state-owned game farm or wildlife refuge or stateowned or leased wildlife management area;
b. allow it to run at large in fields or woods inhabited by deer or moose outside the limits of any city or village, except on lands actually farmed or cultivated by the owner or trainer of the dog or a tenant of such owner or trainer.
2. No owner or trainer of a dog shall take it afield for training on wild game except from August [16] sixteen to April [15] fifteen or as otherwise permitted by department order.
3. Dogs may be trained on artificially propagated game which is shackled, or led or confined game, legally possessed, or on training dummies or other artificial devices at any time on lands owned or leased by the owner or trainer of the dog or on lands for which he has written permission of the owner or lessee, provided such training is done in a manner to preclude any disturbances injurious to wildlife.
4. During the training of a dog, the trainer and any person in his company shall not possess afield a firearm loaded with ammunition other than blank shells or blank cartridges, or inflict any injury to animals or game birds contrary to law.
5. Dogs hunting deer or moose, or hunting any wildlife or domestic game on enclosed lands described in paragraph a of subdivision [1] one of this section or on a state game farm or wildlife refuge or wildlife management area, may be killed as provided in section 11-0529 of this article.
6. Wildlife, except skunk, deer, moose and bear, may be taken with the aid of a dog, provided, however, that the department is authorized to establish a training season during which only persons licensed by the department pursuant to section 11-0928 of this article may train tracking dogs on bear. Such season shall not begin before July first and shall end at least eight days in advance of any open hunting season for bear and no person participating in such training shall possess a firearm of any kind or a longbow. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to invalidate or otherwise affect a permit to track or take bear issued pursuant to subdivision one of section 11-0521 of this article.
§ 16. Subdivision 7 of section 11-0931 of the environmental conservation law is amended to read as follows:
7. During any open season for deer, moose or bear, a person afield shall not possess shotgun shells loaded with a slug or ball unless he or she holds a valid license or permit to take deer, moose or bear.
§ 17. Subdivision 6 of section 11-0931 of the environmental conservation law, as amended by section 24 of part R of chapter 58 of the laws of 2013, is amended to read as follows:
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6. No person while engaged in hunting deer, moose or bear pursuant to a bowhunting privilege, and no person accompanying him or her or a member of his or her party, while he or she is so engaged during a special longbow season, shall have in his or her possession a firearm of any kind, and no person while engaged in hunting deer or bear pursuant to a muzzle-loading privilege, and no person accompanying him or her or a member of his or her party, while he or she is so engaged during a special muzzle-loading firearm season, shall have in his or her possession a firearm of any kind other than a muzzle-loading firearm.
§ 18. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
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