This bill amends the Environmental Conservation Law to prohibit hunting of leucistic deer, including white deer and albino deer, as well as melanistic deer. It creates specific definitions for those terms, identifying leucistic deer as deer with a recessive genetic trait resulting in an all-white coat and melanistic deer as deer with a genetic mutation resulting in a black or dark brown coat.
The bill includes an exception to the hunting ban for the owner or lessee of a dwelling house, members of their immediate family residing there, their employees, and guests acting with the owner’s or lessee’s consent. The measure would take effect immediately upon enactment.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would add a new hunting prohibition to section 11-0901 of the Environmental Conservation Law and would expand the list of deer that may not be hunted in New York. It would affect hunters, landowners, and wildlife enforcement by creating enforceable definitions for rare color-variant deer and by carving out a limited property-based exception for certain people associated with a dwelling house.
Sentiment
The available record shows the bill was introduced and referred to the Assembly Committee on Environmental Conservation, but there are no recorded votes or committee transcripts provided. As a result, there is no direct evidence of support or opposition in the supplied materials. The bill’s structure suggests a conservation-oriented approach focused on protecting unusual deer color variants.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided context because there are no committee transcripts or votes. Potential areas of debate, based on the text alone, would likely involve wildlife management, hunting rights, enforcement of genetic/color-based definitions, and whether the exception for landowners and their guests is sufficiently narrow or broad.
Same As
Prohibits the hunting of leucistic deer, including white deer and albino deer, or melanistic deer; authorizes the hunting of such deer on private property.
Prohibits the hunting of leucistic deer, including white deer and albino deer, or melanistic deer; authorizes the hunting of such deer on private property.
Establishes a counties of Nassau and Suffolk deer management pilot program; allows for a local opt-in to such pilot program for municipalities located within either county; requires reporting; makes related provisions.
Provides for reporting by utilities and owners of buildings meeting certain thresholds regarding energy consumption data; requires NYSERDA to create a list of buildings subject to such requirements; provides exemptions; requires public reporting on the information collected; makes related provisions.