Brown K, Tague, Palmesano, Jensen, Manktelow, Maher, McDonough, Lemondes, Brabenec, DiPietro,
Giglio, Hawley, DeStefano, Angelino, Brown E
MLTSPNSR
Add §11-0936, En Con L
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.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A2312
SPONSOR: Smullen TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to
establishing a hunting mentorship program
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
Creates a hunting mentorship program to allow qualified hunters to
introduce prospective hunters to the tradition of safe and responsible
hunting.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1. Amends the Environmental Conservation Law to define a "quali-
fied hunting mentor" as a person who is twenty-one years of age or older
and holds both a valid certificate of completion of a hunters' education
course and a current valid hunting license. States that a mentor must be
a parent or guardian of the apprentice unless the apprentice is a person
who is at least twenty-one years of age or older. Defines a person who
would be able to be an apprentice as being at least ten years of age
without a hunting license or hunters' education course certification.
Allows an apprentice to possess or control,a firearm, bow, or crossbow
if the qualified hunting mentor is within arms' reach of the apprentice.
States that an apprentice may only possess one firearm, bow, or crossbow
jointly with their mentor while hunting. Specifies that a qualified
hunting mentor may only hunt with one apprentice on any hunting trip.
Section 2. Provides the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
As the number of hunters in New York has significantly declined, we must
find new ways of connecting interested people with experienced hunters.
Apprenticeship programs can be an effective way to teach new hunters
safe, ethical, and responsible hunting practices. Many other states have
successful apprenticeship programs for hunting that help maintain a
culture of safety and respect for the environment. New York should
follow these states to help create the next generation of hunters.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2024: A.9424 Referred to Environmental Conservation
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2312
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 16, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SMULLEN, K. BROWN, TAGUE, PALMESANO, JENSEN,
MANKTELOW, MAHER, McDONOUGH, LEMONDES, BRABENEC, DiPIETRO, GIGLIO,
HAWLEY, DeSTEFANO, ANGELINO, E. BROWN -- read once and referred 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.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03556-01-5
A. 2312 2
1 3. A person who is authorized to hunt with a mentor under this section
2 and a mentor under this section with whom that person hunts may jointly
3 have only one firearm, only one bow, or, if hunting with a crossbow,
4 only one crossbow in their possession or control while hunting.
5 4. A qualified hunting mentor may serve as a mentor under this section
6 for only one person at a time on any hunting trip.
7 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
