STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 10175 IN ASSEMBLY May 4, 2022 ___________ Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. J. A. Giglio) -- read once and referred to the Committee on Environ- mental Conservation AN ACT directing the department of environmental conservation to estab- lish a deer management pilot program in the town of Southold The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, rule, or regu- 2 lation to the contrary, the department of environmental conservation is 3 hereby authorized and directed to establish a deer management pilot 4 program in the town of Southold. Such program shall: 5 a. set and modify deer hunting seasons and regulate methods of take 6 and bag limits in the town of Southold; 7 b. allow use of firearms to take deer during the regular season and 8 eliminate acreage minimums and special season constraints within the 9 town of Southold; 10 c. regulate crossbow use within the town of Southold, including when, 11 where, and who is eligible to use crossbows for the taking of deer; 12 d. set conditions under which hunters can receive some form of compen- 13 sation for killing deer within the town of Southold; 14 e. allow 12- and 13-year-old hunters to hunt deer with the supervision 15 of a licensed, experienced adult within the town of Southold; 16 f. allow 12- and 13-year-old hunters to hunt using firearms from a 17 tree stand within the town of Southold, provided it is a tree stand 18 designed to accommodate two or more persons and provided further that 19 the supervising, experienced hunter is in the tree stand with the 12- or 20 13-year-old; 21 g. allow the department of environmental conservation to establish or 22 extend, as needed, a special January firearm season within the town of 23 Southold; 24 h. allow the department of environmental conservation to regulate the 25 standards for the harvesting of bucks or antlered deer within the town 26 of Southold; EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD15598-02-2A. 10175 2 1 i. establish other incentives for hunters and landowners to permit 2 public deer hunting on private land within the town of Southold; 3 j. issue any other rules or regulations as deemed necessary within the 4 town of Southold; 5 k. regulate deer culling by qualified professionals under circum- 6 stances holding special permits, including: 7 (i) authorizing the department of environmental conservation to issue 8 special permits for qualified professionals under controlled circum- 9 stances to conduct professional culling within the town of Southold; 10 (ii) granting the department of environmental conservation full regu- 11 latory authority over the issuance of such special permits and granting 12 the department authority to establish any rules and regulations neces- 13 sary within the town of Southold, including but not limited to: 14 (1) authorizing the use of bait within 300 feet of a road; 15 (2) authorizing special permit holders to shoot from a vehicle; 16 (3) authorizing special permit holders to discharge firearms within 17 500 feet of a dwelling or structure; 18 (4) authorizing the use of firearms equipped with sound suppression; 19 (5) authorizing the use of rifles; and 20 (6) any other rules or regulations for such special permits as the 21 department of environmental conservation deems fit within the town of 22 Southold. 23 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.