If you know a young person who wants to start hunting this season for the first time, New York State has a variety of laws that they need to follow. One such law specifically mentions 16 and 17 year old hunters who will be hunting this fall for their first time.

The deer have been pretty active this week after the recent cold front moved in. In fact, I saw a pretty decent buck wandering along the side of the New York State Thruway this week in Hamburg, New York. This buck was just strutting along like he owned the entire shoulder of the road. It got me excited to get hunting since I have not been out yet this fall.

As the sport of hunting grows, there are some who may not have had a chance to hunt deer until now. Younger people are being introduced to hunting and there are even laws that allow kids as young as 12 and 13 years old hunting.

New Hunter Law For 16 and 17-Year-Old People In New York State

According to New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation Law, “Resident and non-resident hunting license holders aged 16 or 17 who have not previously hunted deer or bear must be accompanied for the entire season by a parent, legal guardian, or an adult mentor who is 18 years old or older”.

I started hunting when I was 14 or so with a bow and arrow. I absolutely love archery season and would choose to hunt October 31-November 11th if I could pick the exact days during the season. As for hunting with a shotgun or rifle, I like being in the woods. However, the deer camp that surrounds opening day of “gun season” is quite possibly the most exciting time of all!

New York State Whitetail Deer Trail Cam Photos

Gallery Credit: Clay Moden