ALBANY – Governor Kathy Hochul has signed legislation making it illegal for any group to hold a hunting competition or contest for certain animals in the state.
The bill makes it unlawful for any group to hold a contest, competition, tournament, or derby with the objective of taking or hunting wildlife. The bill does not include contests for hunting white-tailed deer, turkey, bear, or fishing contests. It would apply, however, to hunting other animals such as coyotes or rabbits.
Brian Shapiro of Woodstock, state director of the Humane Society of United States, hailed the governor’s action.
“These contests are extreme, fringe events in our area. They have occurred in Sullivan, Columbia and Greene counties. It’s time for these to stop and that’s why we are so thrilled that Governor Hochul has signed this legislation into law,” he said.
The bill is strongly opposed by hunting groups, like the Sullivan County Sportsmen’s Federation.
Gary Muthig, a member of the Sullivan County Sportsmen’s Federation and delegate to the state Conservation Council says his group hosts an annual coyote hunt, which last year resulted in the harvesting of 124 coyotes from a several county region. Muthig says that the state Department of Conservation (DEC) has designated coyotes as a nuisance animal and hunting competitions help manage the population. He also pointed out that DEC sets harvest limits for animals, which apply to both individual hunters and hunters participating in hunting contests.
“This really hurts our federation,” said Muthig. “Myself and others tried to reach out to the Governor’s office to urge her not to sign this bill, I called, we called, but nobody wanted to talk with us.”
The sportsmen’s federation is scheduled to host their annual coyote hunt in early February 2024. The new law is set to take effect on November 1, 2024, making the upcoming February competition the federation’s last.
