Leupold Vdendetta bow-mounted rangefinder verified legal for hunting in New York.

[Manila2005]

After reading conflicting information on the legality of the Leupold Vendetta bow-mounted rangefinder for hunting in New York I came acroos a post in this forum in 2011.  A gentleman sent an email to DEC inquiring about using this device for hunting and received a positive response from DEC.  However, the gentleman did not specify that the Vendetta has a built in visible laser for use while sighting in and the reply from DEC seemed like a generic reply and was not specific to the Vendetta in particular.  That post can be found here: http://huntingny.com/forums/topic/5845-bow-mounted-rangefinder-is-legal-in-ny/

 

I wanted to be sure about the legality of this instrument so I sent DEC an email and explained the unit did in fact project a visible laser while in sight in mode.  My concern was that the law may allow a bow-mounted rangefinder that did not have visible laser capabilities but disallow a similar device that did have this capability, even if it were not utilized in hunting mode.  The response to my inquiry verified that the Vendetta is a legal optic device for hunting in New York as long as it is used in the intended range finding mode.  Here is my conversation with DEC:

 

 

Joe . <[email protected]> Sun, Aug 18, 2013 at 6:48 PM

To: [email protected]

Dear Ms. Montalvo:

I read your response to a gentleman who inquired about the Leupold
Vendetta bow-mounted rangefinder in 2011 in a New York hunting forum.
His inquiry and your response can be found here:
http://huntingny.com/forums/topic/5845-bow-mounted-rangefinder-is-legal-in-ny/

I would like to explain the capabilities of this rangefinder in more
detail and verify if it is still in fact legal to use for hunting big
game in New York State.

This is an electronic rangefinder similar to a handheld unit that
mounts directly to a bow and enables a hunter to range a target while
at full draw.  It has two modes; sight in mode and hunting mode.
While in sight in mode it projects a visible laser beam to allow for
sighting in the unit at 20 yards.  After the unit is sighted in and
switched to hunting mode it no longer projects the visible laser beam
or any other visible light at the target.

Is this particular rangefinder legal for use while hunting big game in
New York State?  Thank you very much for your consideration regarding
this matter.

Sincerely,

Joseph Ferrari

Joshua Stiller <[email protected]> Mon, Aug 19, 2013 at 10:33 AM

To: [email protected]

Good Morning Joe,

 

Using a visible laser beam to target a big game species is a violation of ECL section 11-0901 – 4.b(2) and is therefore illegal.  However, the “Vendetta” and other similar range finders are legal optic devices when used in the intended range finding mode.

 

If you have any further questions, please feel free to give me a call at the number below or call our law enforcement duty desk (631-444-0250).

 

Josh

 

 

Joshua Stiller, AWB®

Wildlife Biologist
50 Circle Road
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Stony Brook, NY 11790
Phone:(631)444-0311

 

“To those devoid of imagination a blank place on the map is a useless waste; to others, the most valuable part.”  - Aldo Leopold

>>>8/18/2013 6:48 PM >>>

 

Edited August 19, 2013 by Manila2005