Specifically, S.409/A.2917 prohibits any individual from organizing, sponsoring, conducting, promoting or participating in hunting contests or tournaments with “the objective of taking or hunting wildlife for prizes for other inducement, or for entertainment.”
The bill passed both state houses and went to the governor’s desk ahead of the Christmas holiday.
The new law specifically targets coyotes, crows, squirrels and rabbits for protection against these traditional contests. The law will take effect Nov. 1, 2024.
When it is enforced, the new statute will carry fines for violations ranging from $500 to 2,000 per incident. Any game killed as the result of a future competition will become the property of the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.
The anti-gun governor declared in a press release that the Empire State’s goal was to protect the environment and wildlife species. “This legislation establishes strong safeguards for our state’s precious wildlife species and protects our important fishing and hunting traditions.”
What is obvious is that, especially in the case of hunting, these traditions mean little to nothing to New York elites.
What does carry significant weight to these lawmakers is the desire to suppress all activities involving firearms — including hunting.
Not surprisingly, California was the first state to ban hunting contests back in 2014. In just the past five years, Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont and Washington followed suit.
Those who oppose almost all hunting, including the Humane Society of the United States, touted New York’s new ban as progress. It praised Hochul and state legislators for their fight against the hunting community and becoming the tenth state in the Union to enact such laws.
However, not everyone was pleased with the state’s latest encroachment into hunting and sport shooting activities. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) is an organization that supports hunting rights and opposes state interference in a great American tradition.
It called the push “emotionally driven” and declared it was based on “blatant misinformation.” Wildlife management is an essential tool in protecting natural resources, and state leaders demonstrated precious little understanding of its importance.
In a policy guide published on its website, the CSF explained its opposition to New York’s new law.
“Hunting tournaments can be effective management tools for localized issues of overabundance of predator species or invasive species and can help mitigate a variety of human-wildlife conflicts in specific areas. It has been proven that short-term removal mechanisms, such as tournaments, can provide immediate relief to farmers and ranchers by helping reduce livestock losses due to depredation.”
The law carves out an exception for hunting white-tailed deer, bears and turkeys along with fishing contests. Hochul’s office noted that these are well-regulated by state officials.
The organization took exception to the strong inference by the governor’s office that hunting competitions are not regulated. These events are required to follow state wildlife guidelines and those who choose to participate are bound by the same laws and regulations as all of the sporting public.
They are required to obtain a state license, and dollars they spend on ammunition and other event-related purchases go to support conservation.
This matters not to state leaders, however, in their quest to nullify the Second Amendment one step at a time. Dismantling hunting traditions is just another rung in the ladder they are climbing toward complete eradication of the right to keep and bear arms.
