Recently the New York Department of Environmental Conservation sent an email to locals in Region 6 and then to the rest of the state concerning detection of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) at a captive deer farm in Region 6.   Review our CWD Policy Statement and as hunters and conservationist, we encourage you to engage in science-based wildlife management practices to limit the spread of CWD proposed by the NYSDEC. If you travel to this region to hunt please follow the protocols set forth ...

On June 14, 2024 The New York Chapter submitted a comment to NY Department of Environmental Conservation in regards to OGC-9 Public Rights to Navigation and Fishing.  Access to some streams and rivers in NY have been contested over the years as to who has the right to navigate or fish stretches of these rivers.  The original draft of the policy was published in 1991 and since then has been updated a few times.  The latest update appears to have NYDEC stepping away from a prescriptive ...

Part of the responsibility of the NY BHA Chapter Board is to keep an eye on legislative proposals in the NY Legislature that potentially impact hunters and anglers.   We will do our best to keep this page updated with some specific bills we want our membership to keep an eye on and take action on. Find your NY Assembly representative HERE and NY State Senator HERE. 2024 Bills Hunting / Fishing / Trapping Back Tags - S8644A - Amends environmental conservation law to allow for moving to ...

One of my favorite late-summer, early-fall rituals is sitting down with a cup of coffee and the latest New York state guide to hunting and trapping laws and regulations. I see this as the signal of my mental kickoff of hunting season, the start of my transition from dispassionate pre-season preparation to complete obsession. I typically start with the “Highlights of Changes” (page 4), and on this year’s list there are a couple of items that probably should come with a “trigger warning” — pun ...

Assembly Bill A2084A (active currently for the 2023-2024 legislative session) prevents the use of lead ammunition in the taking of wildlife on state-owned lands and on lands contributing surface water to the New York City water supply. This bill has recently been amended to include updating the annual syllabus (NYDEC hunting regulations book) to include language of this bill. A similar bill (S4976A) has been in introduced the NY Senate and has been recognized as the same bill.  Now is the ...