DEC announces new deer, bear hunting rules including longer hunting hours, dress code

The state Department of Environmental Conservation this week announced several changes to the state’s hunting laws concerning deer and black bear – including extending hunting hours and dress code requirements.

DEC announced the proposed changes in June 2021, after adopting the updated New York State Deer Management Plan.

After careful review of the public comments received on the proposed changes, DEC adopted the rules as proposed. A summary of the public comments received and DEC’s response is available on the DEC website and in the latest issue of the New York State Register.

The adopted changes and the DEC’s rationale for enacting them are:

*Extend the hunting hours for deer and bear to include the full period of ambient light from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. The previous regulations allowed hunting only after sunrise and not after sunset. All other states allow deer hunting beginning one-half hour before sunrise or earlier, or specify daylight…