New York State Conservation Council, Inc.

# 17-10 Suffolk County
This resolution PASSED at the NYSCC Annual Meeting on September 18, 2010.

Background: In Suffolk County, unlike most of the rest of the State, the "regular" deer season is bow hunting only. However, in January there is a special "gun" season which is a concurrent season for both shotgun and muzzle loader. This season is fixed by Environmental Conservation Law to be limited to the 4 full weeks in January, weekdays only. There is specific language in the current EC law which prohibits big game gun hunting on Saturdays and Sundays in Suffolk County.
 
Whereas the DEC currently does not have the regulatory authority in Region #1 to create a separate youth Big Game hunting opportunity in Suffolk County;

Whereas current language in the Environmental Conservation Law dictates weekdays only for Big Game;

Whereas last year, the legislature lowered the Big Game Junior license age to 14. The assumption is that there is intent for youth 14 and older to have the opportunity to hunt Big Game;
 
Whereas teenagers 14 and older are in school from Monday-Friday during the month of January, and since Big Game hunting is closed on Saturdays and Sundays in January, there is no opportunity for high school-aged junior license holders to hunt Big Game in Suffolk County;
Whereas one of our goals as sportsmen is to facilitate youth hunting opportunities in our state;

Whereas the sportsmen of Region #1 support the idea of creating a local Big Game Youth Hunting opportunity on a weekend in January;
 
BE IT RESOLVED that the New York State Conservation Council shall support any and all legislation that attempts to amend the current environmental law to allow the DEC to have the authority to provide for a youth Big Game hunting weekend opportunity in Suffolk County.

Contact:  Ron Sineo, 10 Rutherford St, St James, NY 11780
                  631/862-8518     ducktruck@optonline.net

Big Game Committee comments:  While this deals with a specific issue and area, the Council as well as DEC has long supported additional opportunities for youth hunting. While the youth do have an opportunity to bow hunt on the weekends, it would be a great addition if they could have one weekend set aside to hunt with firearms.  This again delves into the issue of regulation vs. law and if DEC was granted the regulatory authority it would be much easier.  Votes: 11 support / 2 opposed / 1 abstained.

Conservation Education Committee comments (Glen Adams):  As this resolution is written it is a county issue and therefore should not be addressed or supported by the NYSCC. On the state-wide level it is questionable if this resolution is needed.  I as a father of five boys, I had always put the boys hunting first during their early years of hunting.  The fact that the season starts on Saturday gives parents and guardians an excellent time to work with youth.  The fact that the bow season starts even earlier in October means many youth, parents and guardians have already had time to be out afield with many of these same youth.  I am opposed to this only because I do not believe there is a need for this special hunt.

Legislative Committee comments:  Support; county needs to get the support of their county and state legislators before the NYSCC can move forward with this.

# 18-10 Suffolk County
This resolution PASSED at the NYSCC Annual Meeting on September 18, 2010.

Whereas the DEC currently does not have the regulatory authority in Region #1 to create a separate youth pheasant hunting opportunity in Suffolk County;

Whereas current language in the Environmental Conservation Law dictates both the season length and the bag limits on pheasants in Region #1, thus precluding any change to include a youth pheasant hunting opportunity;    

Whereas the new 10-year NYS pheasant plan includes an additional 3,000 adult birds to be released annually in youth hunt areas only, on or before youth hunting weekend each year;

Whereas the majority of sportsmen in Region #1 support the notion that the DEC should have the same regulatory authority over season lengths and bag limits on game species throughout the state, and not everywhere else in the state except Region #1;

Whereas one of our goals as sportsmen should be to encourage youth hunting opportunities in our state;

Whereas the sportsmen of Region #1 support the idea of increasing local youth hunting opportunities;
 
BE IT RESOLVED that the NYSCC shall support any and all legislation that attempts to amend the current environmental law to allow the DEC to provide for a youth hunting opportunity on pheasants in Suffolk County.   

Contact:  Ron Sineo, 10 Rutherford St, St James, NY 11780
                  631/862-8518     ducktruck@optonline.net

Conservation Education Committee comments (Glen Adams):  As this resolution is written it is a county issue and therefore should not be addressed or supported by the NYSCC. Youth pheasant hunts take place on the last full weekend prior to the start of the regular fall pheasant hunting season in each area of upstate New York. The season dates and bag limits for the youth hunt can be found on the DEC website’s Pheasant Hunting Season page or in the New York Hunting and Trapping Guide. There is currently no youth pheasant hunt on Long Island because DEC lacks regulatory authority to set pheasant seasons in that area of the state.

The above statement is out of the DEC website.  The issue as I see it is not the fact that it is a county issue as written, but this should be an NYSCC issue as to why the DEC lacks regulatory authority to set seasons in any area of the state.  Could other areas make ordinances that remove regulatory authority of the DEC to set seasons? I back the idea of youth pheasant hunts; and this increases the possibility of youth taking one of the limited pheasant resources.

Small Game Committee comments: The Small Game Committee votes in favor of the Suffolk County resolution that would provide for a youth hunting opportunity for pheasants in Suffolk County.

Legislative Committee comments:  Support; county needs to get the support of their county and state legislators before the NYSCC can move forward with this.