New York State Is Enforcing This Nightime Conservation Law

Recently, there was a discussion on a Western New York Facebook page about seeing people using spotlights from cars in a field at night. What does New York State law say about spotlighting fields?

Did you know,  there are laws on the books regarding the use of spotlights from a vehicle? Most of the laws pertain to the use of lights when firearms are in the vehicle. However, there are portions of the law that refer to location and proximity to homes and dwellings.

It is that time of the year here in New York State when the farmers are clearing fields, or will be soon and there are more and more deer wandering around to find some food. There is something special about seeing deer in a field on a country back road!

When the sun goes down, some people will hop in the truck and head to local field to see if there are any large bucks that are wandering out for an evening snack. New York State is pretty clear on what the laws are when it comes to using a spotlight.

According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation:

You may use lights to observe deer and bear under the following conditions:

You are not within 500 feet of a home or farm building, unless you have permission from the owner or lessee.
While in or on a motor vehicle and operating a light and no person has a firearm or bow unless:
the firearm is taken down or the bow is unstrung, or
the firearm is securely fastened in a case, or
the firearm is locked in the trunk of the vehicle, or
the firearm is a handgun.

The archery hunting season is just about here in New York State and from what I can tell based on trail cameras and just observing the deer around the property, there is a healthy amount of deer around.  In fact, New York State has a new program for hunters that allows them to get additional doe tags in an effort to talked more "antlerless deer" this coming hunting season.