New York Decreases Minimum Archery Age from 14 to 12

After nearly 20 years of bowhunters fighting for a reduction in the junior archery age, it finally happened this year as Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law new legislation lowering the minimum age for bowhunters from 14 to 12.

Just weeks before bill S177A was approved by the state Assembly and organizations such as New York Bowhunters, Inc. were urging members and supporters to contact their legislators to urge their support for the bill. Earlier this year the state Senate approved the move to a 12 year minimum age for bowhunters by a 133-8 victory.

This is another major victory for bowhunters across the State of New York and comes just three years after lawmakers decreased the minimum hunting age for big game with a firearm from 16 to 14.

New York has historically been one of the most restrictive states when it comes to youth hunting and only in recent years has it become more in-line with the rest of the country. The new law hopes to attract more people to participate in bowhunting and promote hunting safety to junior archers at an earlier age.

The law goes into effect for the 2011-12 license year, just in time for junior archery to participate in the upcoming fall hunting seasons.

A special thank you to the legislators and organizations around New York State, such as New York Bowhunters, Inc., that helped push this bill through.

Marc Alberto

Born and raised in the City of White Plains, I didn’t grow up in your typical hunting environment. Then again, bowhunting the suburbs isn’t an option most people consider. Growing up with two beagles, rabbit hunting was a Sunday tradition, but it wasn’t until I was 16 that I went on my first deer hunt.

 

Deer hunting became an instant passion and two years later I picked up my first bow. Bowhunting started as a way to extend my deer season, but after arrowing my first deer in the suburbs of Connecticut I was hooked. There were no corn fields or food plots, just mansions and thin strips of cover for the deer to hide in. I became obsessed with archery and studying how the deer traveled through these tiny suburban wood lots. In 2007 I created NYBowhunter.com as a blog to share my outdoor experiences with others.

 

As I became more in tune with bowhunting, I began to review products I used in the field to let others know what was working for me and what wasn’t. Filming was the next step in my outdoor progression and the expansion of NYBowhunter.com soon followed. I don’t know where this journey will take me, but the adventure always keeps me coming back for more.