Allows a person who is at least ten years of age to hunt small game, fowl, deer or bear during applicable seasons without obtaining a hunting license or hunter's education course certification and to possess or control a firearm if the person is within arm's reach of a qualified hunting mentor.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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8737
IN SENATE
March 5, 2024
___________
Introduced by Sen. OBERACKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to
establishing a hunting mentorship program
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The environmental conservation law is amended by adding a
2 new section 11-0936 to read as follows:
3 § 11-0936. Hunting mentorship program.
4 1. As used in this section, "qualified hunting mentor" or "mentor"
5 means a person who satisfies all of the following requirements:
6 (a) the person is twenty-one years of age or older;
7 (b) the person holds both a valid certificate of completion of a hunt-
8 ers' education course and a current valid hunting license;
9 (c) the person is the parent or guardian of the person for whom they
10 are serving as a mentor or is authorized by the parent or guardian to
11 serve as a mentor; provided that this requirement does not apply to a
12 person serving as a mentor for a person who is twenty-one years of age
13 or older; and
14 (d) at all times when serving as a qualified hunting mentor, the
15 person is within arm's reach of the person for whom they are serving as
16 a mentor.
17 2. A person who is at least ten years of age may hunt small game,
18 fowl, deer or bear in this state during applicable seasons without
19 obtaining a hunting license or hunter's education course certification
20 and may, while hunting, possess or control a firearm if at all times
21 when hunting, the person is within arm's reach of a qualified hunting
22 mentor.
23 3. A person who is authorized to hunt with a mentor under this section
24 and a mentor under this section with whom that person hunts may jointly
25 have only one firearm, only one bow, or, if hunting with a crossbow,
26 only one crossbow in their possession or control while hunting.
27 4. A qualified hunting mentor may serve as a mentor under this section
28 for only one person at a time on any hunting trip.
29 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14550-01-4
