Genesee County Federation of Sportsman's Clubs

The Genesee County Legislature this evening, with the blessing of local sportsman’s groups, unanimously passed a local law authorizing 12- and 13-year-old licensed hunters to hunt deer with a firearm or crossbow during hunting season under strict supervision.

“As a sportsman, hunter, mother and grandmother, this is a well advised and educated opportunity to continue the tradition that we have embraced in Genesee County,” said Legislature Chair Rochelle Stein upon passage of the law that coincides with a New York State two-year pilot program.

Stein was speaking at the legislature’s meeting at the Old County Courthouse and via Zoom videoconferencing – a session attended by several members of the Genesee County Federation of Sportsman’s Clubs.

Two of those GCFSC representatives were LeRoyans Mike Ciociola and Glen Adams, who had been following the process that resulted in the law becoming reality. The resolution was introduced last month after state lawmakers approved the program in accordance with Environmental Conservation Law. A public hearing today preceded the official vote.

“I am glad that the Genesee County Legislature went along with this and I would just like the public to know that this was an informed decision that was made,” Ciociola said. “I know some people, when they hear 12- and 13-year-olds, they’re worried. But the safety of this is in place as many other states have hunting at this age, and they have almost nonexistent incidences of 12- and 13-year-olds being involved in a hunting-related accident.”

Ciociola underscored the fact that state hunting officials, the Department of Environmental Conservation, and the NYS Fish & Wildlife Management Board have carefully considered this legislation.

“And our Federation of Sportsman’s Clubs represents about 1,200 sportsmen,” he said. “If you look at Genesee County as an average county and multiply it by all the other counties in the state, that’s a lot of sportsmen who have been through this.”

He said he is part of a group of people “who were raised hunting and taught our kids to hunt.”

“I think there are a lot of good safety protocols built into this – the wearing of blaze orange, having to be in a control distance of the youth at all times, no off the ground stands. There have been precautions taken and you have to understand that this is a two-year trial period. So, we’re confident that this is going to be good.”

During the public hearing, Adams thanked the legislature for moving the local law along quickly and emphasized the many supervisory aspects of the law.

Afterward, he mentioned the club’s ongoing hunter education, adding that he believes the law will lead to a natural flow of young hunters obtaining their licenses and receiving the required training to go into the field safely.

Legislators Christian Yunker and John Deleo spoke favorably of the proposal, pointing out that hunting is a “valued tradition” in the county and that bringing more youth into the sport is a positive step to continuing deer management practices.

Specifically, the local law allows hunters age 12 and 13 to hunt deer with a crossbow, rifle, shotgun, or muzzle-loaded firearm through Dec. 31, 2023, with the supervision of a licensed adult.

State requirements include the following:

• Such minor is accompanied by their parent or legal guardian, or by a person designated in writing by such parent or legal guardian on a form prescribed by the Environmental Conservation Department who is 21 years of age or older;
• Such parent, guardian or person has had at least three years’ experience in hunting deer;
• Such parent, guardian or person holds a hunting license;
• Such parent, guardian or person maintains physical control over the minor at all times while hunting;
• Such parent, guardian or person and the minor remain at ground level at all times while hunting;
• Such parent, guardian or person and the minor shall each display either a minimum total of 250 square inches of solid fluorescent orange or pink or patterned fluorescent orange or pink consisting of no less than 50-percent fluorescent orange or pink material worn above the waist and visible from all directions, or a hat or cap with no less than 50 percent of the exterior consisting of solid fluorescent orange or pink material and visible from all directions.

Le Roy residents Glen Adams and Mike Ciociola, both members of the Genesee County Federation of Sportsman’s Clubs, today threw their support behind a proposed local county law that would allow deer hunting by 12- and 13-year-old licensed hunters with a firearm or crossbow under the supervision of a licensed adult.

Speaking at a meeting of the Genesee County Legislature this afternoon, Adams said, “We’re both here to encourage this body to vote positive on opting into the new state law, for a two-year trial period, for youth 12- and 13-years-old to be able to hunt – with supervision.”

Moments later, lawmakers voted in favor of setting a public hearing for 5:30 p.m. on May 12 on what has been designated as Local Law Introductory No. 1 Year 2021 of the County of Genesee. The public hearing will take place at the Old County Courthouse and via Zoom videoconferencing.

If approved, the law would enable Genesee County to take part in the state’s pilot program permitting 12- and 13-year-olds to hunt deer during season with a crossbow, rifle, shotgun or muzzle loaded firearm through Dec. 31, 2023.

When asked about possible opposition to the law, Adams said the strict supervision component is important to the community of sportsmen and sportswomen.

“That (opposition) is always a possibility but we’ve been pushing for it for a long time through the New York Conservation Council, through our federations – trying to move it to a younger age, but it’s under supervision,” he said. “You’ve got to be within physical restraint of the kid, you’ve got to be on the ground. We see it as a positive thing. I’ve got five boys and I would have loved to been able to take them out earlier than I was.”

Ciociola, who also represents Genesee County on the NYS Fish & Wildlife Management Board, said he didn’t expect the state to approve such a measure in 2021.

“I was very surprised that New York State would actually put it in the bill this year,” he said. “I normally wouldn’t have thought that public opinion would have steered it in that direction. But also, just from the fact that I believe that the education – hunting -- rather than waiting until they’re 14, 16, I think they’ll make for safer hunters … more ethical, better hunters if they start at the age of 12.”

Both men said they believe many parents will capitalize on the opportunity for their sons and daughters to take up the sport.

“Although I’m a father of five boys, I would love seeing the young ladies out there,” Adams said. “I do coach the Le Roy trap team and we have female youth. We’d love to see them out there, also.”

Legislator Christian Yunker said the law is needed at this time.

“This was put into the governor’s budget and we know that we need to get the next generation of hunters involved, and we know that we have a deer management issue,” he said. “And this is going to help us.”

Along those lines, City of Batavia Manager Rachael Tabelski this week said the Batavia Police Department will be selecting a deer program coordinator this year to work with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation to "implement and executive the (city's) deer management plan. She said the hope is that the program to cull the deer population could be started this fall as long as the City School District continues full in-person learning.

Previous: Proposed county local law permits 12- and 13-year-olds to hunt deer with strict supervision

In other developments, the legislature:

• Approved four capital projects, totaling $225,000, that were accounted for in the 2021 budget: Holland Land Office Museum exterior paint ($15,000); Genesee County Park Interpretive Center moisture protection and siding ($80,000); DeWitt Recreation Area Pavilion No. 2 parking lot ($65,000); and Genesee County Park and Forest water system upgrade ($65,000).

The project will be paid from the county’s 1 percent sales tax revenue.

• Heard from County Manager Matt Landers that today was the final day of “first doses” of the COVID-19 vaccine at Genesee Community College. “Second doses” will be administered at GCC for a few more weeks, and then everything will be moved to County Building II on West Main Street Road.

Calling it a “milestone,” Landers said the operation at the college went “smoothly, effectively and efficiently.” Still, he said he had hoped more people would have been vaccinated at GCC.

Legislature Chair Rochelle Stein thanked the community and volunteers for working “on behalf of the goal” and urged residents to get the vaccine because “it does matter.”