Bowhunting set-back change

[Doc]

It would appear that revising the set-back rules for shooting a bow from 500' to 150' has hit the crapper, according to an article in New York Outdoor News. Although Using them as a credible source has not really panned out all that great lately .... lol.

This was another 5-year deer management plan item that I didn't agree with. I understand what they were trying to accomplish, but my gosh, 50 yards from an occupied building? .... really? That's a bit close. I think that sometimes it is a good thing to take some matters out of the DEC's hands. This certainly is a case where smarter heads prevailed (even if they were political....lol).

[growalot]

I don't know if Jeremy Hurst shoots archery or if he was quoted right but he's handing a very flawed bill of sales to the public and the legislators....I was not happy with some of the things in that article

Edited September 18, 2012 by growalot

[SteveB]

Glad it's dead - would just let to conflict and deer not recovered. You can hunt 150 ft or closer now WITH permission.

Chances are if someone won't let you bow hunt closer then 500 ft to them when you ask, they are not going to let you recover one on their property you shoot 30 yds from their kitchen table.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Well if you are shooting 30 yards from their kitchen table, youd most likely be less than 150 feet from their house. Just sayin...

The plan is a 5 year plan, not a first year after it was proposed plan. Was the 150' rule actually proposed in a bill? If so, what was the bill number?

[nyantler]

Glad it's dead - would just let to conflict and deer not recovered. You can hunt 150 ft or closer now WITH permission.

Chances are if someone won't let you bow hunt closer then 500 ft to them when you ask, they are not going to let you recover one on their property you shoot 30 yds from their kitchen table.

That's pretty much it in a nut shell for me too.

[SteveB]

Well if you are shooting 30 yards from their kitchen table, youd most likely be less than 150 feet from their house. Just sayin...

The plan is a 5 year plan, not a first year after it was proposed plan. Was the 150' rule actually proposed in a bill? If so, what was the bill number?

Ok - 2 to 3 yd possible difference. Change to able on the deck - with no window to stop the arrow. Probably still not getting permission unless you ask before you shoot.

[13BVET]

This proposal was brought about for places like down here, where the damned developers have made it virtually impossible to get 500 feet from any house. There are far too many deer, and they can't be controlled, because they just hang out around all the new housing developments. We're beating our heads against the wall down here, trying to get 500 feet away. We don't have the luxury of tons of state land, and acres upon acres of woodlands.

[SteveB]

This proposal was brought about for places like down here, where the damned developers have made it virtually impossible to get 500 feet from any house. There are far too many deer, and they can't be controlled, because they just hang out around all the new housing developments. We're beating our heads against the wall down here, trying to get 500 feet away. We don't have the luxury of tons of state land, and acres upon acres of woodlands.

You can hunt closer - just ask.

How do you get permission to recover if they won't give it to hunt closer then 500 ft?

Fact is if you are going to be bowhunting 30 yds from someone's house it is a question of when you will need to ask permission to recover - not if.

[13BVET]

Do you have any idea about the mentality of the people from the city, and Westchester who move here? They are anti hunting all the way, as a rule. It's a whole different world here. Whether it be 500 feet, or whatever, there is no way in hell that you're going to recover your deer here. These people run their dogs free during the deer season, in order to harass the hunters. They stop by where you're hunting, to call you a "murderer". They even go so far as to yell out of their doors, wnem you rabbit hunt. As I said-it's a whole different world.

[Doc]

Well if you are shooting 30 yards from their kitchen table, youd most likely be less than 150 feet from their house. Just sayin...

The plan is a 5 year plan, not a first year after it was proposed plan. Was the 150' rule actually proposed in a bill? If so, what was the bill number?

As a matter of fact, I mis-read the article. The bad news that they were trying to convey from the standpoint of the DEC proposal apparently is that they do not have it in their power to just arbitrarily change the regulation but they must go to the legislature for this particular change. The article eventually said that no legislation has been introduced in the Senate or Assembly. There was no explanation as to why that was. So apparently, if they can find a sponsor, the proposal still lives.

[sits in trees]

yea at first it sounded like a good idea that would open additional hunting opportunities for down state hunters, but after listening to the views on this forum im kinda glad it never went thru. 50 yards would be fine in an imaginary world where every hunter was totally responsible and had a brain, but unfortunatley thats not the real world.

[A Sportsman]

13B Vet, Similar on Long Island. If I;m hunting woods bordering a development, I'd rather not even mention to the residents about the hunting.

What bothers me is that I was very much for lessening the set-back distance. But 150'??? Why did they choose such a short distance. Personally, I think 300' is a nice number.

When setting up stands, I always have an urge to set up close to houses. The idea being to hunt a stand where my wind blows to the houses. I follow the rules though and keep it 500 feet. Its definitely a hindrance though.

[SteveB]

Do you have any idea about the mentality of the people from the city, and Westchester who move here? They are anti hunting all the way, as a rule. It's a whole different world here. Whether it be 500 feet, or whatever, there is no way in hell that you're going to recover your deer here. These people run their dogs free during the deer season, in order to harass the hunters. They stop by where you're hunting, to call you a "murderer". They even go so far as to yell out of their doors, wnem you rabbit hunt. As I said-it's a whole different world.

Yes I do understand the mentality - that is why I am asking what good a 30 yard set back is going to do if some one will not be able to recover the deer they shoot?

To me knowing I will be able to recover is a make or break it decision on hunting a spot.

[growalot]

Steve I don't think you'll be able top fly any lower than over his brow....lol

[phade]

yea at first it sounded like a good idea that would open additional hunting opportunities for down state hunters, but after listening to the views on this forum im kinda glad it never went thru. 50 yards would be fine in an imaginary world where every hunter was totally responsible and had a brain, but unfortunatley thats not the real world.

Same thing could be said about the youth bill and adults hunting on the kids tags. Yet, that is going through. Can't take that stance on one and not the other can we hunters? Sheesh.

[WNYBuckHunter]

As a matter of fact, I mis-read the article. The bad news that they were trying to convey from the standpoint of the DEC proposal apparently is that they do not have it in their power to just arbitrarily change the regulation but they must go to the legislature for this particular change. The article eventually said that no legislation has been introduced in the Senate or Assembly. There was no explanation as to why that was. So apparently, if they can find a sponsor, the proposal still lives.

Gottcha. Im guessing it wasnt put on the table this year because they were busy with the Oct 1 opener and the Youth Season. We will probably see it proposed within the next few years.

[Doc]

Gottcha. Im guessing it wasnt put on the table this year because they were busy with the Oct 1 opener and the Youth Season. We will probably see it proposed within the next few years.

Yeah, it was pretty weird that right out of the blue NYON decided to run this article right on the front page like it had some timely value. And then at the very end, they finally tell you that it hasn't even moved to the legislature. They must be a bit tight for things to write about.

I will say that I sense from the reaction on this thread that when it does come around, it may have a pretty difficult time. It doesn't sound terribly popular. And, I can imagine how the non-hunters will feel about it.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Yeah Im kinda wishy washy on this one. I can see both sides of it. I do have a practice stand location that Id like to use, but the neighbor thinks I hunt out of it for some reason and posted signs asking me to take it down. I wasnt shooting toward his property or any one elses, there was no problem but the guy just acted like a dipstick instead of asking why it was there. It was about 70 yards from his house, I ranged it.

[A Sportsman]

I keep thinking that if they shoot for 150', nothing is going to change. 150' is laughable and it will be shot down. If they provide a realistic set back distance, maybe something productive could get done. In suburban areas, where this distance rule really matters (and why this rule is being disucssed in the first place), the difference of even 100' will have an effect. I can't get my head around why they would go from 500 down to 150'.

[Doc]

I am kind of a privacy nut, and having somebody posted 50 yards away from a persons house grinning back at them, is just a little on the intrusive side. Of course if you wanted to have a little neighborly conversation while your hunting, I guess you wouldn't have to raise your voice a whole lot .... lol.

Giving the DEC a whole lot more credit than they probably deserve, one might think that they have surveyed the amount of suburban land that could be additionally hunted by lowering the distance to 50 yards instead of something like 100 yards. Perhaps the 50 yard thing met some arbitrary target area of additional hunting area that they figured that they have to have. However, going for the whole thing may be a mistake as Sportsman pointed out. I think the only way that they can pull this off is if they go into stealth-mode and keep the legislation as quiet as possible. If non-hunting people get wind of this, we'll be lucky if they don't wind up increasing the distance.

[shawnhu]

Yes I do understand the mentality - that is why I am asking what good a 30 yard set back is going to do if some one will not be able to recover the deer they shoot?

To me knowing I will be able to recover is a make or break it decision on hunting a spot.

Maybe if I wanted to shoot at 500 ft and not bother with asking for permission to recover, since chances are at 150 ft, the deer would not have made it that far. It's not always about how close you shoot, but how far the recovery is as well.

[SteveB]

Shawn - I really don't understand if you are supporting reduction or not.

Even with 500 ft, I seek permission for recovery from everyone in the area before the 1st hunt.

Even perfect hit arrowed deer can sometimes make it 200 yards - and not a single bowhunter can count on perfect.

[growalot]

Really because every function I go to where there is a mix of ppl I let them all know about this proposal and how they are going to try to get it through before hunting and non hunting landowners find out...let me say ppl aren't happy about it..and that includes a whole lot of hunters...yep stir em up good and then they start to talk..to other ppl...been doing this since way early this year..The Wendys clinic is a great place...wine tastings all over the Finger Lakes...fairs...lol

Edited September 20, 2012 by growalot