NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A3865
SPONSOR: Miller TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to
including the mourning dove within the definition of "migratory game
birds" and to allow for their taking
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
Relates to including the mourning dove within the definition of "migra-
tory game birds" and to allow for their taking.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1. Amends the environmental conservation law by including the
mourning dove within the definition of migratory game birds.
Section 2. States the effective date,
JUSTIFICATION:
Currently the mourning dove is not classified as a migratory game bird
and illegal to hunt in New York State. Mourning dove hunting ranked 8th
in hunter participation back in 2011 with 1,271,000 dove hunters in the
41 dove hunting states which include the US territory of Puerto Rico;
three Canadian providences (British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec), and
throughout Central and South America.
In the 1980s, Cornell researchers estimated New York's mourning dove
population to be around 10 million birds. With the future land use,
changes that includes reduced till agriculture, and permaculture are
likely to increase both the continental population and New York's popu-
lation of mourning doves. Establishing the mourning dove within the
definition of "migratory game birds" would make it consistent with the
federal classification and allow NYS DEC to implement a mourning dove
harvest strategy and hunting season for hunters to enjoy the full bene-
fits of wildlife in New York State.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2022: A6523; held for consideration in environmental conservation
2024: A4565; referred to environmental conservation
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None to the state,
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately, provided, however, that the
commissioner of environmental conservation shall promulgate any rules
and regulations necessary for the implementation of this act on or
before such effective date.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
3865
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 30, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. MILLER -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to
including the mourning dove within the definition of "migratory game
birds" and to allow for their taking
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subparagraph 1 of paragraph a of subdivision 2 of section
2 11-0103 of the environmental conservation law, as amended by chapter 47
3 of the laws of 1976, is amended to read as follows:
4 (1) "Migratory game birds" means the Anatidae or waterfowl, commonly
5 known as geese, brant, swans and river and sea ducks; the Rallidae,
6 commonly known as rails, American coots, mud hens and gallinules; the
7 Limicolae or shorebirds, commonly known as woodcock, snipe, plover,
8 surfbirds, sandpipers, tattlers and curlews; the Corvidae, commonly
9 known as jays, crows and magpies; the Zenaida macroura, commonly known
10 as the mourning dove.
11 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. Effective immediately,
12 the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation neces-
13 sary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are
14 authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04401-01-5
