Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official source posted by the New York State Senate, fetched 2026-08-11. Nothing is edited or removed. Where this bill amends existing law, language marked for deletion in the official source appears here in brackets. The official bill page.
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
6360--A
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
March 11, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sens. HARCKHAM, COMRIE, SALAZAR -- read twice and ordered
printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Environ-
mental Conservation -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to clar-
ifying provisions regarding the use of crossbows for hunting
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Section 11-0103 of the environmental conservation law is
amended by adding a new subdivision 33 to read as follows:
33. "LONG BOW" INCLUDES LONGBOWS, RECURVE BOWS, COMPOUND BOWS, AND
CROSSBOWS.
§ 2. Subparagraph 9 of paragraph b of subdivision 4 of section 11-0901
of the environmental conservation law, as added by section 6 of part EE
of chapter 55 of the laws of 2014, is amended to read as follows:
(9) with a crossbow unless such crossbow shall consist of a bow and
string, either compound or recurve, [that launches a minimum fourteen
inch bolt, not including point,] mounted upon a stock with a trigger
that holds the string and limbs under tension until released. The trig-
ger unit of such crossbow must have a working safety. The [minimum limb
width of such crossbow shall be seventeen inches, have a] minimum peak
draw weight of SUCH CROSSBOW SHALL BE one hundred pounds [and a maximum
peak draw weight of two hundred pounds. The minimum overall length of
such crossbow from buttstock to front of limbs shall be twenty-four
inches].
§ 3. Subparagraph 9 of paragraph c of subdivision 4 of section 11-0901
of the environmental conservation law, as added by section 7 of part EE
of chapter 55 of the laws of 2014, is amended to read as follows:
(9) with a crossbow unless such crossbow shall consist of a bow and
string, either compound or recurve, [that launches a minimum fourteen
inch bolt, not including point,] mounted upon a stock with a trigger
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10843-02-5
S. 6360--A 2
that holds the string and limbs under tension until released. The trig-
ger unit of such crossbow must have a working safety. The [minimum limb
width of such crossbow shall be seventeen inches, have a] minimum peak
draw weight of SUCH CROSSBOW SHALL BE one hundred pounds [and a maximum
peak draw weight of two hundred pounds. The minimum overall length of
such crossbow from buttstock to front of limbs shall be twenty-four
inches].
§ 4. Paragraph a of subdivision 1, paragraphs a and b of subdivision 8
and subdivision 10 of section 11-0907 of the environmental conservation
law, paragraph a of subdivision 1 as amended and subdivision 10 as added
by section 14 and paragraphs a and b of subdivision 8 as amended by
section 16 of part EE of chapter 55 of the laws of 2014, are amended to
read as follows:
a. Wild deer without antlers or having antlers measuring less than
three inches in length shall not be taken unless it is taken (1) by long
bow in a special long bow season established in subdivision [3] THREE of
this section, or (2) by muzzle-loading firearm [or crossbow] in a
special muzzle-loading firearm season established in subdivision [8]
EIGHT of this section, or (3) by long bow in Westchester and Suffolk
Counties in a year in which a regular season for deer of either sex is
established for such counties, or (4) in a special open season for deer
of either sex fixed by regulation pursuant to subdivision [5] FIVE or
[7] SEVEN of section 11-0903 of this title, or (5) pursuant to a special
antlerless deer license in a special open season for antlerless deer in
a tract within a Wilderness Hunting Area fixed by regulation pursuant to
subdivision [6] SIX of section 11-0903 of this title, or (6) pursuant to
a deer management permit by a person eligible to take such deer pursuant
thereto as provided in section 11-0913 of this title, or (7) pursuant to
a permit issued to an eligible non-ambulatory person, pursuant to subdi-
vision [2] TWO of section 11-0931 of this title, while in possession of
a valid license issued by the department which authorizes the holder to
hunt big game. Nothing in this subparagraph shall be construed to limit
the power of the department to designate by regulation an area or areas
of the state consisting of a county or part of a county where such
season shall apply and whether the number of such special permits shall
be limited.
a. In every area identified in column one of the table set forth in
subdivision two of this section, except those areas restricted to
special seasons for taking deer by longbow only, special open seasons
may be established by regulation for taking deer and/or bear, by the use
of muzzle-loading firearms, of not less than .44 caliber shooting a
single projectile[, or by the use of a crossbow,] by the holders of a
hunting license with a valid muzzle-loading privilege.
b. Such special open season for the Southern Zone shall be for the
seven day period immediately preceding the regular open season for deer
stated in column two of the table set forth in subdivision two of this
section, except that the department may, by regulation, fix such open
season in the Southern Zone or any portion thereof to be either the
seven days immediately preceding or immediately following the regular
open season for deer[, provided, however, that any taking of deer or
bear by the use of a crossbow in a season or special season in which the
muzzle loader is the only firearm permitted shall succeed the regular
open hunting season for deer established pursuant to subdivision two of
of this section].
10. Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter, or any prior
notwithstanding language in this article, the department may, by regu-
S. 6360--A 3
lation, authorize the taking of big game by the use of a crossbow by any
licensed person in any big game season in any area [designated in items
(a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), (i), (k) and (l) of paragraph a of subdi-
vision two of this section] in which a [shotgun or muzzle loader] LONG
BOW is permitted [provided however, that any crossbow use during an
archery-only season shall only take place during the last fourteen
consecutive days of such archery-only season in the southern zone
provided that such archery-only season shall consist of not less than
forty-five days and only during the last ten consecutive days of any
archery-only season in the northern zone provided that such archery-only
season shall consist of no less than twenty-three days. Any muzzle load-
ing season which occurs at the same time as a special archery season may
only occur during times when crossbows are authorized to be used].
§ 5. Section 11-0931 of the environmental conservation law is amended
by adding a new subdivision 8 to read as follows:
8. A. NO PERSON IN WESTCHESTER, NASSAU, OR SUFFOLK COUNTY SHALL
DISCHARGE A CROSSBOW WITHIN FIVE HUNDRED FEET OF A DWELLING HOUSE, A
FARM BUILDING OR FARM STRUCTURE ACTUALLY OCCUPIED OR USED, OR A SCHOOL
BUILDING OR PLAYGROUND, PUBLIC STRUCTURE, OR OCCUPIED FACTORY OR CHURCH.
B. A COUNTY NOT ENUMERATED IN PARAGRAPH A OF THIS SUBDIVISION MAY OPT
BY LOCAL LAW TO BE COVERED BY THE PROVISIONS OF SUCH PARAGRAPH.
§ 6. This act shall take effect immediately.Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.