Rod, Gun & Game: The great NYS crossbow debate and the lead ammo ban

By [email protected] | on January 26, 2023

There is unrest as licensed anglers and safety-certified hunters purchase a NYS recreation-specific license to support conservation and fish/wildlife management. Not for all, but for many. The concern for banning contamination-sensitive lead ammunition and fishing sinkers/jigs is growing. It has gained momentum locally, regionally and nationally. In New York state, the short big game crossbow season affecting many aging senior hunter folks has been on the front burner for more than 20 years.

80-year-old Joe Byers with a nice mule deer taken out west where crossbows are legal during early archery season.

CROSSBOW: While many other states offer a lengthy early archery season that includes crossbow use, New York does not. For example, the southern zone big game early archery season in New York starts on Oct. 1 and runs through the day before big game firearm season, typically the third Saturday in November (48 days). The crossbow season runs from the first Saturday in November, ending the same day as early archery season, the day before big game firearm season – the third Saturday in November (14 days). If you are a proponent of the crossbow, you can see why. The allowable season length is the issue. While both archery and crossbow are legal through the firearm big game season and the muzzleloader season, every hunter with any experience knows that deer become nocturnal when they hear the growl of gunfire in the woods. The deer bed down during the daytime. Hence, finding a deer walking in the woods during the daytime close enough to use a crossbow (or regular archery) is much more difficult after the opening day of the firearm season.

The issue of banning the crossbow altogether at first, and now the short crossbow season in NYS, has continuously and effectively been supported by a tiny group called the NYS Bowhunters, Inc. The 30-year rumor is that this not-for-profit club group has apparently gained the favor of influential lobbies in the NYS legislative offices. Yes, this is a political issue since many or most other states offer full-season use of crossbows during their respective big game early archery season.

Lead fishing tackle in the form of ice fishing jigs, split shots and sinkers may be banned in the near future.

In the long run, this issue should resolve itself when NYS adds full-season crossbow use to the early archery season. It has to happen, eventually. Of course, it has been more than 30 years in the process of attempting change. The part that disturbs many, especially whitebeard hunting elders, is that the early archery season allows the use of highly compensated modern bows with a mechanical advantage. In the last 40 years, modern archery bow design incorporated high-tech cam design to reduce the holding pull weight while drawing the bowstring back from, say, 70 pounds to 14 or 15 pounds. This differs from holding a string-only bow with no mechanical advantage at 70 pounds (no draw/hold weight reduction) while aiming at the target. Yet, the modern bow is allowed in NYS's entire early archery big game season. For seniors, the problem is that the modern archery bow still requires the archer to pull the string to nearly 70 pounds for a split second or so, to reach the cam release point that reduces the pull weight from 70 pounds to 14-15 pounds hold weight. Then aim. Aiming at the target can take as long as 30 seconds or more.

Aging hunters with arthritis, bone spurs and other medical issues can't do that. So should this aging class of hunters be removed from early season big game hunting privilege because they are medically disadvantaged? As you get older, if it's not the shoulders and elbows, it's the knees. Therein lies the support and diehard request from the growing population of license-purchasing senior hunters for the crossbow season extension to be allowed during the early archery season. If nothing else, an interim, non-discrimination support gesture might be to enable senior hunters over the age of 65 or 62 the privilege of crossbow use during the entire NYS early big game archery season. For most folks, this is only common sense.

Lead projectile ammunition is under study for possible ban across the country and in several states, including New York.

LEAD AMMUNITION: The lead ammo ban began in California several years ago when condors and eagles were found dead and lead was discovered in their ingestion system. Then, lead bans were enacted (and later removed) for use on all federal properties, such as national parks, national forests and related federally-owned parcels where hunting is allowed. Then legislation was introduced last year in the NYS Legislature. NYS Bill A-5728/ S-5058 proposes a ban on hunters using lead ammunition while hunting state lands. This lead ban would include all wildlife management areas – there are 125 WMAs in NYS, and multiple use areas – there are 106, such as Carlton Hill and Hanging Bog, and in state forests and state parks where hunting is currently permitted. In June last year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released proposed regulations that started the lead ban process on National Wildlife Refuges across the country. The groundwork for additional lead prohibitions on refuges provides a precedent that could be utilized to ban lead ammunition and fishing tackle on all public lands where hunting and fishing occur. The problems don't stop with federal land because the USFWS distributes excise tax money from the purchase of firearms, ammunition, archery equipment and fishing gear to state fish and wildlife departments. These monies collected are financial support from sportsmen for conservation management – ironic that a reduction in the supply of this designated cash is in the planning. Following up with the fed policy proposal, the USFWS agency might attempt to force states to adopt similar bans on state public land. So for NYS, here we go.

Minimizing risks to wildlife and people from lead hunting ammunition is a high priority for the NYSDEC and NYS Department of Health. Along these lines, the NYS Lead Ammunition Working Group was formed in December 2020. Their mission was to comprehensively examine the risks posed by lead hunting ammunition to wildlife and people and recommend actions to minimize those risks. The Working Group comprises staff from DEC, DOH, Cornell University's Wildlife Health Program, the Venison Donation Coalition, the New York State Conservation Council and Audubon New York. The Working Group researched to understand hunter ammunition use and views on lead ammunition and non-lead alternatives, and consulted with experts from state fish and wildlife agencies, state and county health and nutrition programs, non-governmental conservation groups, deer processing and venison donation organizations, and the ammunition manufacturing and retail industry. Based on the information received, the Working Group prepared a report that provides a comprehensive assessment of this issue with prioritized recommendations to minimize risks to wildlife and people from lead hunting ammunition. In the meantime, new development of alternative non-lead ammunition has progressed. The new ammo allows hunters the same performance and accuracy as traditional lead-based ammunition without fragmentation. The NYSDEC now recommends, not mandates, the use of non-lead ammunition that consists of solid copper or copper alloys (90-95 percent copper and 5-10 percent zinc). The ammo is available in a large variety of calibers and bullet weights for rifles, shotguns and muzzleloaders. Look for more on this issue!

Here is to sharing the peace and fun of the outdoors. God bless America!

Outdoors Calendar:

Jan. 26– Erie County Federation of Sportsmen, monthly meeting, 7 p.m. start, Elma Conservation Club, 600 Creek Road, Elma.

Jan. 31 – WNY Trout Unlimited, monthly meeting, 7 p.m., 4545 Transit Road, Scott Cornett NYSDEC is guest speaker.

Feb. 4-5 – Fly Tying demo, Cabela's Cheektowaga, 1-5 p.m., free.

Feb. 16-19 – Greater Niagara Fishing and Outdoor Expo, Niagara Falls Convention Center, 1010 Old Falls St., visit www.niagarafishingexpo.com for info.

NOTE: Submit Calendar items to [email protected] at least 2-weeks in advance.

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