Permanent rifle use pushed in Senate bill By Staff Report
Thursday, February 7, 2008 3:06 PM CST Albany - State Sen. George Winner, Jr., has introduced legislation that would permanently legalize rifles for deer and bear hunting in three Southern Tier counties where it was allowed last season on a one-year trial basis.
Winner, R-Elmira, last month unveiled S6750, which would permanently make Chemung, Steuben and Yates counties part of the Southern Zone's rifle area.
“The 2007 hunting season trial of rifle hunting successfully occurred,�?Winner said in introducing the bill. “In that the increasing deer population and the declining hunting population has resulted in increased crop damage and automobile-deer collisions, the program should now be extended.�?BR>
Gov. Eliot Spitzer last summer signed Winner's S3219 and a companion Assembly bill (A6064-A) sponsored by Jim Bacalles, R-C-Corning, which expanded rifle use into the three counties. Those bills allowed for rifle use on a one-year trial basis. The existing one-year trial expires on July 18.
Winner's bill, which has been referred to the Senate environmental conservation committee, comes on the heels of that one-year trial which showed no particular problems related to rifle use in any of the three counties.
There were five fatal deer-hunting accidents in the state, but none occurred in Steuben, Yates or Chemung counties and DEC officials said none could be directly tied to rifle use.
Prior expansions of the rifle zone in the Southern Tier hasn't led to any accidents related specifically to rifle use, officials said. DEC biologists have also said it's difficult to gauge but rifle use also doesn't seem to be impacting deer harvest figures.
If approved, the trio of counties would join Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chenango, Columbia, Delaware, Fulton, Greene, Herkimer, Montgomery, Oneida, Orange, Oswego, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan, Ulster, Washington, Saratoga and Tioga counties (as well as a portion of Broome County east of the Susquehanna River) as part of the permanent rifle zone.
In addition to Winner's Chemung-Yates-Steuben bill, state Sen. Catharine Young, R-Olean, has introduced legislation that would allow rifle use in a portion of Chautauqua County in western New York.
Similar legislation was pulled from consideration last year amid what Assemblyman William Parment, D-North Harmony, called mixed reaction among sportsmen.
Young's bill - S6682 - would create a rifle zone in the Chautauqua County towns of Charlotte, Gerry, Villenova, Cherry Creek, Ellington, Poland and Carroll.
“In several areas of the state, sportsmen are allowed to hunt bear and deer with rifles,�?Young said in her sponsor's memo which accompanied the bill. “This change in law would (make it) consistent with the hunting practices of adjoining Cattaraugus County. (It) has strong support from the sportsmen community in Chautauqua County.�?BR>
Young's bill was also referred to the Senate's environmental conservation committee.
Many supporters of rifle use in the Southern Tier are hunters who cross the state line to pursue Pennsylvania whitetails in a state which has long allowed rifles for big-game hunting. They contend the areas are generally similar in topography. |
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