N.Y. Environmental Conservation Law § 11-0913: Deer management permits

§ 11-0913. Deer management permits.

1. a. Until December thirty-first, two thousand twenty-seven, whenever

in its opinion the population of deer in any area of the state except in

the northern zone is such that additional harvest of deer is reasonably

necessary to properly manage the deer herd in the state in balance with

the available deer range and natural food supply, the department may

provide by regulation for issuance of deer management permits,

permitting the taking of one deer for the permit, in addition to the

limit of one deer that may otherwise be taken by one person in a license

year.

b. In the issuance of permits, the department may give preference to

resident license holders and may give preference to service-connected

disabled veterans having 40 percent or greater service-connected

disability as evidenced by a compensation rating from the United States

Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States Department of

Defense who shall only have to provide proof of service-connected

disability at the time of initial issuance of the permit, and to the

applications of groups which include a person or the spouse of a person,

provided that such spouse lives in the same household, who owns at least

50 acres of land in one parcel in the specified area.

c. "Owner" as used in this section shall include the owner or spouse

of the owner of record of such parcel, provided that such spouse lives

in the same household as the owner, or a purchaser or spouse of such

purchaser of such parcel, provided that such spouse lives in the same

household as such purchaser, under an executory contract duly recorded

in the office of the recording officer in the county in which real

property to which it relates is situate, who actually occupy and

cultivate such parcel.

2. Each such regulation shall specify, with respect to the permits to

which it relates:

a. The open season or part thereof and the day or days of such season

in which such permits may be used;

b. The specific area in which they are valid;

c. The manner of taking for which such permits are valid, which shall

conform with the specifications as to the manner of taking deer in the

open season for which the permits may be used;

d. The method of application for and issuance of such permits,

including eligibility and allocation among applicants;

e. The number of persons, no fewer than one nor more than six, who

must join in the application; and

f. Such other regulations as the department may determine.

3. Each member of a group issued a permit pursuant to this section

shall possess a license which authorizes the holder to hunt deer before

the permit may be validated.

4. During a license year, no person shall use more than one license

which authorizes the holder to hunt deer during the regular open season

in making application for a deer management permit.

5. The provisions of paragraph a of subdivision 1 of section 11-0911

shall not apply when a deer is taken pursuant to a deer management

permit, but the department may by regulation provide an alternative

method of identifying and reporting the deer so taken.

6. With each deer management permit there shall be issued a tag or

seal and a reporting form as the department shall determine to be

appropriate, and the additional deer may be taken only by the group

member who, at the time, is in physical possession of the permit and any

tag, seal and reporting form issued with it.

7. The department shall charge and receive a fee of ten dollars for

the application and the processing of such permit or permits. Applicants

who are successful in the computerized selection shall receive the

permit or permits free of any additional charge. The application fee

shall be non-refundable. The department may waive the application fee

for holders of a lifetime sportsman license existing as of October

first, two thousand nine and holders of a hunting license less than

sixteen years of age.

8. Except with respect to deer management unit thirty-four the

provision of this section shall not apply to the "Northern Zone" of the

state as defined in subdivision sixteen of section 11-0103 of this

chapter.

9. Nothing set forth in this section shall prevent the department from

permitting the issuance of deer management permits in those portions of

Franklin, St. Lawrence, Jefferson and Lewis counties and Northern Zone

portions of Oneida and Oswego counties which are situated in the area

generally described as the Lake Ontario Plain, St. Lawrence Valley and

peripheral Adirondacks/peripheral Tug Hill region. The department is

authorized and directed to promulgate any rules or regulations necessary

to more particularly describe the region of land set forth in this

subdivision.