2025 Resolution Booklet : simplebooklet.com

TABLE OF CONTENTSLetter from Resolutions Committee ..........................................................Page 1#01-2025 Report on ﬁ rearms and ammunition background checks..........................................................................................................................................Page 2#02-2025 Support in writing and policy for the 2nd Amendment..........................................................................................................................................Page 2#03-2025 Air Bows not be permitted during archery only season..........................................................................................................................................Page 3#04-2025 Create youth ﬁ rearms season for deer in Su olk County..........................................................................................................................................Page 4#05-2025 Allow crossbows to be used for deer hunting in Su olk County..........................................................................................................................................Page 5#06-2025 NYSDEC color collectible habitat stamp ........................Page 6#07-2025 Establish early bear season in the southern zone to include WMU 4O ....................................................................................................................Page 7#08-2025 Allow youth 12-13 to hunt deer and bear from elevated stands with ﬁ rearm, crossbow or muzzleloader .................................................Page 8#09-2025 Modiﬁ cations to Black Bass tournament permit regulations..........................................................................................................................................Page 10

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01PAGENEW YORK STATE CONSERVATION COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS 2025 June 2025To the NYSCC Membership:Enclosed you will find nine (9) resolutions that have been submitted to the New York State Conservation Council resolutions committee. In accordance with the proceedures, these resolutions were distributed to the respective committee for review and comment. Any information submitted by the committee is included. Any member organization that submitted a resolutions will have the op-portunity to answer questions at the fall convention. It is recommended that someone knowledgeable on the subject be in attendance.All voting members in good standing will have the ability to vote on these resolutions in person at the fall convention this September. If your del-egate cannot attend the fall convention, your organization can vote by proxy by completing the enclosed form. For more information on the resolutions process, you can visit the coun-cil website - https://www.nyscc.com/resolutions.The deadline for 2026 resolutions is February 1, 2026. You can now submit resolutions right on our website.If you have any questions, please email resolutions@nyscc.com or con-tact me at (315) 506-2117 or Jim Steel at (716) 983-7867. Respectfully,Stephen WowelkoChairman, Resolutions Committee

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Whereas; The New York State Police are required to present an annual report to the legislature and in order for the NYSCC membership to eval-uate the efficiency of the system for completing background checks on individuals prior to purchase of a firearm or ammunition, and;Whereas; The annual report to the legislature in particular contains the following information: the number of background checks performed in the past 12 months, the number of checks delayed over 72 hours, the number of sales denied, where the fees were deposited (i.e. General Fund, Conservation Fund, etc.) and the annual cost of the program to date.Be it Resolved: that the NYSCC obtain the report information listed above, as put forth in the report forthwith, so that the results are availa-ble to the membership in a timely manner.REPORT ON FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION BACKGROUND CHECKS01-2025Otsego County Federation of Sportsmen’s ClubsOtsego County Federation of Sportsmen’s ClubsContact: Pat McBrearty mcbreartypat72@gmail.com 607-293-8880Committee: Firearms & Ammunition – No CommentsWhereas: New York State has become a leader in infringement of the 2nd Amendment to the constitution of the United States, only making it tougher on hunters and sport shooters, as well as citizens desiring a firearm for defensive purposes and;Whereas: Recent regulations have only increased the costs involved in shooting without (in the opinion of the Trumansburg Rifle & Pistol Club) making anyone safer, and;Whereas: Hunters and shooters have historically financed wholeheartSUPPORT IN WRITING AND POLICY FOR THE 2ND AMENDMENT02-2025Tompkins County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs02PAGENEW YORK STATE CONSERVATION COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS 2025

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edly conservation efforts benefiting New York State wildlife. Be it Resolved that: The New York State Conservation Council whole-heartedly support the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution of the UnitedStates and support abolishing restrictive, cost inflating laws as well asopposing any further laws or regulations doing the same.Tompkins County Federation Of Sportsmen’s ClubsContact: Gary Argetsinger gmasr1970@gmail.com 607-227-6769Committee: Legislation – SUPPORTWhereas; the New York State Conservation Council (NYSCC) has had a long-standing policy of supporting a variety of hunting implements dur-ing the appropriate NYS hunting seasons, and;Whereas, New York State legislators have been asked to re-file 2019 legislation regarding the inclusion of “Air Bows” in NY big game seasons that allow archery equipment, and;Whereas, sporting equipment manufactures’ use various vernacular to describe their design platforms that utilize compressed air or gas to propel an arrow downrange, and;Whereas, some of the common terms used to define such as; “Air Bow, Arrow Gun, Archery Arrow Rifle, Air Gun, Air Rifle, and Air Archery Gun”, for the purpose of this resolution, we will refer to this implement as an “Air Bow” being consistent with a NYS senate legislative bill filled in 2019.Whereas, the IRS definition of a bow for excise tax purposes reads: (a) “§ 48.4161(b)-2 (1) Bows. The term “bows” includes all articles made of flexible materi-als, that are designed to be equipped with a string and used for the pro-pelling of arrows in the sport of archery (target shooting), or in hunting or fishing.”Whereas, a hunting and/or target implement that propels an arrow by means of compressed air or gas is not a “bow” by definition, and;AIR BOWS NOT BE PERMITTED DURING ARCHERY ONLY SEASON03-2025Wyoming County Wildlife Federation03PAGENEW YORK STATE CONSERVATION COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS 2025

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Whereas, current NYS laws and regulations only permits archery equip-ment that propels an arrow via the energy release of limbs and strings during the archery only seasons, and; Therefore, be it resolved, that the NYSCC adopts a position that the use of “Air Bows” or any implement that propels an arrow by means other than limbs and strings not be permitted during any archery only season.Wyoming County Wildlife FederationContact: Brian Krawczyk krawczykbrian@gmail.com 585-721-6108Committee: Archery & Bowhunting - OPPOSED - Premature, as we are not well informed about this implement, nor is it well de-fined enough to take a position at this timeWhereas: Since 2012, Columbus Day weekend has been the designated youth firearms weekend in New York State, and;Whereas: Since 2012, 54 of the 55 Counties with a firearms season have been permitted to conduct a youth firearms hunt on Columbus week-end. The one exception is Suffolk County. The only County that is “down” state. The other 54 counties are “up” state, and;Whereas: In the other 54 Counties, the firearms season is open for the youth hunt, this is also not the case for Suffolk County. In Suffolk Coun-ty, it is not legal to discharge a firearm at deer on Columbus Day week-end, or any other day, except during the “Special Firearms Season”, and;Whereas: the special firearms season in Suffolk County was “legislat-ed” in 2015, stating “the season runs from the first Sunday in January through January 31.” This is an exclusionary statement. By Law, there are no other days in the year when it is legal to discharge a firearm for deer hunting in Suffolk County, and;Whereas: Suffolk County is the Southernmost and Easternmost County in NY State. The 7 nearest counties (Nassau, Queens, Brooklyn, Rich-mond, Manhattan, the Bronx, and Westchester) haveCREATE YOUTH FIREARMS SEASON FOR DEER IN SUFFOLK COUNTY04-2025Su olk Alliance Of SportsmenPAGE04NEW YORK STATE CONSERVATION COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS 2025

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no Firearms season at all. It is unreasonable to think that the average Suffolk Youth Hunter with a mentor can travel round trip to an upstate firearms County, and still have a hunt on the same day, and; Whereas: one of the goals of the various youth hunts is to encourage recruitment and retention of new hunters, it follows that a youth hunt should by timely, and occur near enough to the actual dates of the hunt-ing season, so that there is some carry over for young hunters. Since the Firearms season is in January, the youth day should occur in Late December. Youth are typically on school vacation at this time, and it is reasonable to think that participation in a local hunt during that time frame would be popular, and; BE IT RESOLVED THAT The New York State Conservation Council, support a legislative change which would create a youth deer hunt using firearms in Suffolk County. Su olk Alliance Of SportsmenContact: Ron Sineo duckboater@gmail.com 631-862-8518Committee: Big Game - No comment Whereas; NY State has only 6 counties that have no deer hunting sea-son (Nassau, Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island) and 1 County (Westchester County) which has a bowhunting season for deer, but has no gun season), and;Whereas: Of the remaining 55 counties in NY state that have a gun sea-son to hunt deer, all but one County is permitted to use a crossbow. Suf-folk County stands alone as the only County with a shotgun / muzzlel-oader season in which the crossbow is not permitted, and;Whereas: the crossbow has been classified as a “muzzleloader” by NYS since 2014, and;Whereas: in the last decade, crossbows have become significantly saf-er and more improved through advancements like: enhanced safety fea-tures, anti-dry fire mechanisms, lighter and more durable materials ALLOW CROSSBOWS TO BE USED FOR DEER HUNTING IN SUFFOLK COUNTY05-2025Su olk Alliance Of Sportsmen05PAGENEW YORK STATE CONSERVATION COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS 2025

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such as aluminum and carbon fiber. Improved cocking mechanisms, advanced scope technology, better string materials, and designs that prioritize accuracy and power while minimizing recoil; These advances make them easier to handle and use for hunters and recreational shoot-ers alike, and;Whereas: Many modern crossbows now come with automatic safety systems that engage as soon as the crossbow is cocked. It follows that these systems ensure that the crossbow cannot be fired accidentally while loading or handling, adding an extra layer of protection for the user, and;Whereas: a special firearms season for deer (using shotgun or muz-zleloader rifle) was first created in Suffolk County, New York in 2015, to help manage the increasing deer population and provide more opportu-nities for hunters. This expansion of the deer hunting seasons was part of Governor Cuomo’s NY Open for Fishing and Hunting Initiative and it continues today, and; Whereas: it is a shallow argument to claim that the crossbow is more powerful or more dangerous than the shotgun or muzzleloader rifle; and;Whereas: the hunters who would benefit most from a crossbow are those who require a quicker, easier draw due to physical limitations, like older hunters or those with reduced upper body strength (including young hunters), as crossbows are easier to cock and hold at full draw compared to a compound bow, and; Whereas: the crossbow would offer yet an additional implement to be used in the attempt to curb the deer population. Hunters of all ages would have expanded opportunity to harvest deer, and this would help in recruitment and retention of hunters, andTHEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the New York State Conserva-tion Council support a legislative change which would permit the use of crossbow during the Special Firearms season in Suffolk County.Su olk Alliance Of SportsmenContact: Ron Sineo duckboater@gmail.com 631-862-8518Committee: Big Game - SUPPORT06PAGENEW YORK STATE CONSERVATION COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS 2025

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Whereas: the original habitat stamp was a full color collectible stamp, the current stamp is black and white on printer paper, thus losing its ap-peal to the public and collectors.Be it Resolved: The NYSCC shall request NYSDEC make a full color collectible habitat stamp available.Otsego County Federation of Sportsmen’s ClubsContact: Pat McBrearty mcbreartypat72@gmail.com 607-293-8880Committee: Public Access, Habitat, Natural Resources & Forestry (which has been combined into one committee) OPPOSEThe Public Access, Habitat, Natural Resources & Forestry Committee has reviewed proposed resolution number 06-2025 pertaining to NYSDEC producing a color habitat stamp. The consensus of the committee is to oppose this proposed resolution. The expense that would be incurred by DEC, that would come from the Habitat and Access Account of the Con-servation Fund, would take away from funds that will benefit the Fish and Wildlife of New York State and take away improvements to access for the hunting, angling and trapping communities of New York State. Sales of hab-itat stamps have been historically high in the last two years disproving the statement that the stamp has lost its appeal.Whereas: Whereas: The NY black bear population has increased signif-icantly in WMU 4O, and;Whereas: There has been an increase of nuisance bear incidents in WMU 4O, and;Whereas: There has been a successful early bear season in 11 contigu-ous WMU’s for many years which are adjacent to WMU 4O, and;NYSDEC COLOR COLLECTIBLE HABITAT STAMP06-2025Otsego County Federation of Sportsmen’s ClubsESTABLISH EARLY BEAR SEASON IN THE SOUTHERN ZONE TO INCLUDE WMU 4O07-2025Delaware County Federation of Sportsmen07PAGENEW YORK STATE CONSERVATION COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS 2025

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Whereas; notwithstanding subdivision one-a of section 11-0701 and the crossbow prohibition of subdivision one of section 11-0929, a hunting license holder who is twelve or thirteen years of age may hunt deer with a crossbow, rifle, shotgun, or muzzle-loading firearm as provided in this title in an eligible area provided that:(a) such minor is accompanied by their parent or legal guardian, or by a person designated in writing by such parent or legal guardian on a form prescribed by the department who is twenty-one years of age or older; and(b) such parent, guardian or person has had at least three year’s ex-perience in hunting deer; and(i) such parent, guardian or person holds a hunting license; and(ii) such parent, guardian or person maintains physical control over the minor at all times while hunting. For the purposes of this par-agraph “physical control” shall mean that the physical proximity of such minor to the parent, guardian or person is such that the parent, guardian or person is reasonably able to issue verbal di-rections and instructions, maintain constant visual contact, and otherwise provide guidance and supervision to the minor; andDelaware County Federation of SportsmenContact: Dan Owen dowen218@gmail.com 607-267-6387Committee: Big Game - SUPPORTWhereas: The NYSDEC sets the bear season dates and locations through regulation, and;Therefore be it resolved: That the NYSCC request the NYSDEC amend the regulation establishing the early bear season in the southern zone to include WMU 4O on the list along with the 11 adjacent WMU’s that have an early bear season.ALLOW YOUTH 12-13 TO HUNT DEER AND BEAR FROM ELEVATED STANDS WITH FIREARM, CROSSBOW OR MUZZLELOADER08-2025Genesee County Federation Of Sportsmen’s ClubsPAGE08NEW YORK STATE CONSERVATION COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS 2025

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(iii) such parent, guardian or person and the minor remain at ground level at all times while hunting; and(c) such parent, guardian or person and the minor shall each display either a minimum total of two hundred fifty square inches of solid fluorescent orange or pink or patterned fluorescent orange or pink consisting of no less than fifty percent fluorescent orange or pink ma-terial worn above the waist and visible from all directions, or a hat or cap with no less than fifty percent of the exterior consisting of solid fluorescent orange or pink material and visible from all directions.Whereas, for the purposes of this section “eligible area” shall include a county that has passed a local law authorizing participation in the pilot program and has notified the department of such participation, provid-ed, however, that the following counties: Westchester; Richmond; Bronx; New York; Kings; Queens; Nassau; and Suffolk shall not be deemed to be eligible, and;Whereas, the department shall prepare a report by February first of each year including the following information at a minimum: number of violations; hunting related incidents and revocations pursuant to sec-tion 11-0719; the number of counties participating; the number of minors participating; and the number of deer taken, and;Whereas, referencing the February 2025 Department of Environmental Conservation Report to the New York State Senate and Assembly on Deer Hunting by 12- and 13- Year-Old Hunters in 2024 on page 7, Rec-ommendations, paragraph 4:“Allow 12- and 13-year-old hunters to hunt big game with a firearm from an elevated position. Twelve- and 13-year-old big game hunters are cur-rently able to hunt with longbows from elevated positions but are pro-hibited from using an elevated tree stand or elevated blind when hunting with a firearm. This reduces sight distances, which limits opportunities to see and harvest animals and restricts shot opportunities that might otherwise be safely taken using the ground as a backstop. Hunting from an elevated position is safe when hunters follow appropriate safety pre-cautions. Two-person ladder stands, and elevated blinds provide easily accessible, safe shooting platforms for 12- and 13-year-old hunters and their mentors.”Therefore, be it resolved that the New York State Conservation Council Inc. pursue and support legislation that would allow youth 09PAGENEW YORK STATE CONSERVATION COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS 2025

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A resolution seeking to modify the newly adopted Black Bass Tourna-ment Permit Regulation. Current regulation requires organizers of any black bass tournament that has a field size of 10 or more anglers/ teams, secure a free permit from the Department, with application deadline be-ing no less than 45 days from the planned event. The rationale behind this regulation is to determine how tournament fishing pressure impacts the related bass fishery of tournament host waters;Whereas, The New York State Department of Environmental Conserva-tion (NYSDEC, or The Dept) now requires organizers of black bass tour-naments to secure a permit from The Dept prior to holding the event, and;Whereas, The Dept requires this permit for black bass tournaments where 10 contestants or 10 teams, or more, comprises the field size, and;Whereas, The Dept requires applications be submitted no later than12- and 13-year-old hunters to hunt big game with a crossbow, rifle, shot-gun, or muzzle-loading firearm from an elevated position.Genesee County Federation Of Sportsmen’s ClubsContact: John Crandall jwcrandall@fedex.com 585-339-8547Committee: Hunter Education – SUPPORTThe only comment offered by the committee revolved around the interpreta-tion and enforcement of “physical control” contained within the DEC current regulation stipulations. This concern does not directly affect the intent of the resolution; it does address ambiguity and inconsistency within the current DEC regulation.Committee: Big Game, - OPPOSE AS WRITTEN - The Big Game Committee support the initiative to permit jr. hunters to hunt from elevated positions. However, we believe this legislative action should sim-ply define “to hunt big game with a lawful hunting implement from an elevated position,” striking the specific implements listed.By doing so, we avoid the need for additional legislation when a new hunting implement is legalized.MODIFICATIONS TO BLACK BASS TOURNAMENT PERMIT REGULATIONS09-2025Erie County Federation Of Sportsmen’s Clubs10PAGENEW YORK STATE CONSERVATION COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS 2025

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45 days prior to the planned event, and; Whereas, 10 anglers/ teams competing in a tournament represents a negligible catch quantity that is no different than fishing success varia-tions from day to day from recreational angling, and;Whereas, small fishing tournaments are the essence of recreational an-gling, and;Whereas, recreational anglers purchase a freshwater fishing license to pursue recreational sportfishing in NYS, and;Whereas, black bass fishing tournaments practice catch and release, showing minimal impacts to host lake’s black bass population Whereas, small tournaments bring small purses, and;Whereas, large black bass tournaments have become a profession, and more than simply recreational, and;Whereas, larger tournaments require greater launch and parking ca-pacities, limiting the waters specific, inland waterways, and;Whereas, recurring black bass tournaments of any size, and related po-tential impacts to bass fisheries, should inform NYSDEC fisheries of a simple fact; if the tournaments harmed the fisheries, they wouldn’t hold tournaments there any longer, opting for more productive waters, and;Whereas, a tournament which can create population impacts would exceed 50 entrants/ teams, or more, based on real numbers of bass caught, assuming all contestants bring their daily creel limit of black bass to the scale, and;Whereas, smaller waterways, where the majority of small tournaments take place cannot accommodate larger numbers of boats/ trailers at launch facilities due to limited parking capacity, andWhereas, the Great Lakes are a completely different population dynam-ic and therefore black bass tournaments on the Great Lakes are exempt from this rule, and;Whereas, use of modern technology should reduce the permit issuance time to well under 30 days, Therefore, Be It Resolved, the New York State Conservation Council seek to amend the Black Bass Tournament Permit Regulation to adjust the tournament size to 50 anglers/ teams, or more, and reduce the filing time requirement to 15 days prior to the event. 11PAGENEW YORK STATE CONSERVATION COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS 2025

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Committee: Fish Environment & Marine Resources - OPPOSE-The Marine Resources Committee questions whether it is an appropriate fo-rum for reviewing this resolution, which does not address the state’s marine resources and, to the extent that black bass may enter the brackish reaches of rivers, has only a minimal impact on tidal waters. However, as the Marine Resources Committee was asked to address the resolution, it has determined that, while certain provisions of the resolution have merit, the resolution should be opposed as it is currently written.Committee members have questioned the accuracy of some of the resolu-tion’s provisions, most particularly the assertion that bass tournaments have “minimal impacts to host lake’s black bass population numbers (studies have demonstrated that there may be permanent relocation of bass released after weigh-in, particularly on larger waters, while other studies have shown that de-layed release mortality may be substantial in higher water temperatures), find the reference to “small” tournaments unnecessarily vague, question the rele-vance of the reference to purse size, and have asked whether the reference to the logistical needs of larger tournaments could be an argument against such events.Committee members have also questioned the value and accuracy of the first three “Whereas” clauses on the second page, which make assumptions about tournament impacts that are not necessarily supported by facts.Committee members also recognize that the information gleaned from tourna-ment registrations could aid the Department of Environmental Conservation management of the black bass fisheries, whether on the scale of a specific water body, a region, or the entire state, and note that in a marine resources context, all tournaments, regardless of size, that award prizes for any highly mi-gratory species (tunas, billfish, swordfish, sharks) must, without exception, be registered with the National Marine Fisheries Service. Thus, the requirement that bass tournaments be registered does not appear unreasonable.However, Committee members do question two aspects of the state tourna-ment registration process. The Committee would like to see the DEC revisit the 10-participant threshold, which seems somewhat low, although the Com-mittee also believes that the resolution’s proposed 50-participant threshold is too high; the optimum threshold is probably between those two extremes. The Committee also questions the 45-day notification period, believing it to be too long, and would support the 15-day notification period proposed in the resolu-tion, provided that the DEC is confident that it could issue tournament permits within that shorter time period.Erie County Federation Of Sportsmen’s ClubsContact: Rich Davenport rich@weloveoutdoors.org 716-510-795212PAGENEW YORK STATE CONSERVATION COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS 2025

2025 Resolution Booklet

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