At the end of May 2025, the NYSCC Big Game and Archery committees met to discuss some initiatives for changes to the Big Game and Archery Hunting seasons, in the form of resolutions, submitted by the member federated clubs across NYS.  This year, the BGC and Archery bodies considered four actions submitted, and delivered our recommendations and comments on each.  A quick recap is as follows:

05-2025 – Allow Crossbows To Be Used For Deer Hunting In Suffolk County

Suffolk Alliance Of Sportsmen 

Currently, Suffolk County is prohibited from allowing hunters to legally use crossbows during their seasons.  The big game committee and archery committee both unanimously supports this needed change. 

07-2025 – Establish Early Bear Season In The Southern Zone To Include WMU 4O

Delaware County Federation of Sportsmen 

The expanding need for increased Bear Management in the Catskills area does warrant this inclusion, and the BGC unanimously supported this action.  Since this is a regulatory change and not legislative, other WMUs needing to be added can be done without the slow legislative grind.  It was recommended that DEC should ADD WMU 3F and 3G to this expansion. 

08-2025 – Allow youth 12-13 to hunt deer and bear from elevated stands with firearm, crossbow or muzzleloader

Genesee County Federation Of Sportsmen’s Clubs 

This action above is similar to the efforts of Erie County Federation member Depew Rod & Gun, with this action extending the efforts to include 12- and 13-year-old hunters and including bear hunting, as current language omits bear hunting from an elevated position.  However, committee members across the board expressed concern over the way this action has been written, and therefore opposed this resolution as written, seeking some amended language from the submitter before final vote.  Current law allows youth archery hunters to hunt deer from an elevated position, but they cannot do so when bear hunting, and all youth hunters that go afield with an implement other than a vertical bow must be on the ground.  The resolution lists specific implements (crossbow, rifle, shotgun, or muzzle-loading firearm).  However, if a new hunting implement, such as big bore air rifles, are added to the allowed lawful hunting implement list, it would require another amended law to permit youth to hunt with a new legal hunting tool when a new opportunity or choice is added.  The committee recommends striking the specific implements, and replace with simply “to hunt big game with a lawful hunting implement from an elevated position.”

 The fourth resolution considered was submitted by Wyoming County, as follows:

 03-2025 – Oppose Use of Air Bows in Early Archery-Only Season

Wyoming County Federation

 Therefore, Be It Resolved, that the air bow be prohibited from archery only seasons

 Conversations in Albany indicate a willingness to examine and evaluate the “air bow” for inclusion as a lawful hunting implement.  As a pre-emptive measure to protect the early archery season and its traditions and original intent of the season, Wyoming County would like the sporting community to oppose its inclusion, even before it’s evaluated for legalization efforts.  Trouble is, we have no definition of what an “air bow” is, beyond what the manufacturer calls it.  We also aren’t too familiar with the inter-workings and effectiveness, either.  Until a definition is actually applied by law, taking any position is extremely premature. 

 In order to form any kind of an opinion, some homework must be done.  According to the information concerning “air bows,” the device is a modified air rifle that is designed to shoot an “arrow” instead of a pellet or bullet.  It propels the projectile with air pressure, similarly to the propellent of an air rifle.  Yet, as I dig deeper, it would appear these devices are effectively terrestrial versions of a spear gun, it is not a bow, which is defined as “a weapon that propels an arrow or bolt using flexible limbs with a taut cord or string joining each end of the limbs.” Other than “used underwater”, these air bows appear to be spar guns, which are illegal in NY to hunt with.

 Check back to find out progress on these actions, or visit the New York State Conservation Council website at https://nyscc.com