liberty

You are right this is abou the bow. You keep saying that 50 yards is unsafe no matter what the situation. Bringing the gun into the debate shows the ignorance of what safety actaully means. Firearms are much more dangerous than a bow ever will be. If you do not object to a firearm at 500 ft How in the world could you object to a bow at 150ft. It is all about the direction of shot which is up to the individual hunter. A law cannot correct stupidity, We keep punishing those who are decent for those who are careless. You keep ignoring the simple fact that 500 ft is way too close for the stupid among us who hunt with a rifle. Your arguement should hold for the gun as it does for the bow beacuse distance is relative. Logic holds true here.. We who support this are trying to understand your objections. You constantly sight safety but you could sight a safety concern with every hunting scenario. I think no matter what is said here you will remain biased like the others because it is not your "TYPE" of hunting.

The rifle comparison is to show the disparity you have with the term "Safety". You keep insisting that that someone in that 50 yard zone is going to shoot recklessly and carelessly everytime. Explain what is different with a rifle at 500ft? A 30'06 can travel up to a 5 (five) mile distance. That is why I am saying you are more concerned with the appearance of someone hunting at 50 yards than the with the safety. .

So Doc, according to your theory an arrow is more dangerous at a 150ft than a 30'06 bullet at 500 ft. Not even a close comparison. I think your are more concerned about the appearance of someone hunting at 50 yards than safety aspect of it. You keep using the word "Safety" as a disguise for "I just do not like it.". Like I said if you are truly concerened about safety you should outright oppose hunting with a high powered rifle at 500 ft. Far more dangerous in the hands of an idiot hunter.

Doc, if you feel that 50 yds is too close for a bow then how could you support 500 ft with a rifle.Is it not up to the individual to be safe?? A 30'06 pointed in the wrong direction at 500 ft is no different than a bow pointed in the wrong direction at 150FT. Besides man has been hunting lomg before the DEC came around. Do you see, that is the problem. Hunters like you feel that if does not affect me I do not want it.to change. You have the luxury of space where you hunt. This view is obviously skewed for your personal situation. Remember, the Dec is not here to only cater to people with large tracts of land. It is here for all hunters. I think you made a good point earlier.. We both agree on a directional requirement. This would do more for safety than any distance requirement. I think at this point in the debate we can agree to disagree. It has been fun.

Trust me, you are not going to hurt my feelings. However, you said it again. You make it sound like the DEC is my personal friend and they considering it just for me.. I believe the DEC who are the professionals here looked long and hard at this and feel that there are more positives than negatives. Look at NJ. Thay have done it with great success. Like G-man said there are numerous laws on the books to protect land owners from hunters who have no regard for the safety of others. That is the problem with this country today. No one wants to take responsibility for their actions. Some of us feel another law or regulation is needed to make us responsible. Your freedoms are being rapidly diminished right under your nose. and you think it is ok. Your logic regarding 150ft being unsafe with a bow.should also apply to 500 ft with a rifle.. A rifle pointed in the wrong direction is unsafe wether it is 500 ft or 5000ft. It is up to the hunter to be safe iIndividual responsibility..is the issue here. Everyone forgets that.

Well said!!

It is quite obvious that someone that wants a law changed has a vested interest in it.Common sense there. If you do not feel there should be any law then why are you here in this forum debating it? I am sure the DEC is not looking to accomodate me personally. I do not think that I am that important to them. However there are thousands that would benefit and that is exactly why the DEC is looking to change it.

Wrong. That is what is not being said. If you read the 20 previous posts you would clearly see that.

Whoever keeps saying that "suburban hunting" is not hunting is foolish at best. I am a "Big Woods" hunter like the West Canada Lakes Wilderness Area in the Adirondacks where the trees are large and the woods are endless. I am also a suburban hunter. They both have a different set of challenges. Just because you do not hunt like someone else does not make it wrong. Hunting is different and varied like everything else in life. Some of us are not as fortunate as others to have large tracts of land readily accessible. I think that if you oppose a law that will strengthen hunting opportunities is just egoistic.

We can go back and forth all day over scenarios. You will never be conviced no matter what someone says. Boths sides make valid arguements. The botton line is when the state changes the law time will tell. NJ is working out just fine.

That is the problem. The definition of an occupied or in use structure.

I think people that are opposed to shortening the distance feel that this is going to create all kinds of incidents. Kind of like states that lessened restrictions on concealed carry permits. The opposition claimed it would become the wild west. Truth is it has become the exact opposite. We are so accustomed to the gov't controlling everything in our lives that when restrictions are put in place we just roll over and accept them. Lets wait and see what happens. i think we beat this to death. Thanks for the lively debate.

So true about using common sense. Even with 500 ft. If you shoot your rifle in the wrong direction, no distance is going to stop that. You cannot legislate stupidity

I agree. Do away with a distance requirement and make it a directional requirement. kind of like hunting waterfowl.

Recovery rights have never been an issue on my 5 acres.Every deer that I have shot goes in the direction of my good neighbor. My experience tells me that a deer seems to run in the direction it is facing after shot. My backyard abutts a creek and then a 300 acre farm. Basically I am 700 feet in the middle of no where. A shed placed in the woods 700 feet from someones dwelling should not be classified as structure for shooting purpose's, when clearly it is place there for one purpose only. Like i stated earlier. we as hunters better look to expand hunting opportunities not limit them. There are alot more hunters by number in suburbia than in rural ares of NY (DEC FACT). If we go away beacuse of oppositin by people like you then your idea of a safe hunting distance may change in the future. A7878 was introduced to increase trhe distance to 1000 ft. What is next ???? Hunters in numbers means strength. . I wonder if those that oppose this are trying to protect something (selffish) This is NYS. Stick together, we have alot of opposition!!!

As i said before. The problem I have with the law is not necessarly being 500 from the house but the BS shed would prevent someone from hunting at 700 feet from a dwelling. That is just wrong.

Excellent point!!! NJ seems to have great success since enacting the 150 ft rule for bow. This law in NY is like every other reg in NY. It is far reaching and burdensome. ThIs is an example of why people and business flee the state. Overregulation. By the way, the DEC is in favor of the 150ft rule. If you are a hunter I do not understand how you could oppose opening new areas for hunting. Is it possible you are trying to protect an area where you live ????? HMMMMM

I understand what you are saying and agree to a point. However, the law needs to be addressed so it can not be manipulated by somneone hell bent on ruining your freedoms in the name of property rights. Remeber we own property and pay taxes like everyone else including fees to hunt. We as hunters should have the same protections from manipulation of the law as the manipulators themselves.have.

I am sure this law if enacted would l not only benefit me. My property is 1000 ft deep. If both neighbors were ANTI's which they are not, I would have alot of room to move around away from the BS shed with the 150 ft rule.. Why do we as hunters have to be second class citizens when it comes to our hunting rights. We need to fight for our right to hunt and not constantly bend over and appease the ANTI's.

One more thing. You as a hunter should never look to restrict hunting access if you would like this sport to continue long into the future. Remeber, hunting is slowly dying and with thoughst like yours it will die a faster death. Then the ANTI's have won.

I think you are missing the big picture here. My present stand is 700 ft from any structure. I am on a small creek with no structures any where in sight. Like i said earlier my property is only 220 ft wide. I can never escape the 500 ft rule if some one places a B.S. shed 5ft off the property line 700 ft from their own home.. That is just wrong that the present law allows an A-hole to manipulate it in his favor. And yes according to the DEC a shed qualifies as a structure. .

In my 6 years hunting on my property I never had to recover a deer from my ANTI neighbors property. I only shoot deer when it is facing the good neighbors property, that is the direction they run. It will be unfortunate like I said in my earlier post that my neighbor can manipulate the law and put a shed in a loaction and claim I am within 500 ft of it. Even though it is a B.S. structure. That is why we need a 150 ft rule. We as hunters should not have to hide and worry or waiver in what we do. . It is our right and freedom.

This is for all you anti 150 ft bowhunters. I live on 5 acres . My tree stand is presently 700 ft from my neighbors structures. On one side I have an anti hunter, the other I have a pro hunter.. I regularly hunt and shoot deer without any problems. Every deer I shoot is facing the pro hunting neighbors property which is the direction it runs and is where I recover it. My problem is my lot is only 220 ft wide. I have been told that my anti neighbor is going to locate a shed in the woods for the sole purpose to prevent me from hunting within 500 ft of it. That is why we need a 150 ft rule. The present day law allows the A-holes to ruin other peoples freedoms.