2023 New York Laws › ENV - Environmental Conservation › Article 11 - Fish and Wildlife › Title 9 - Hunting › 11-0929 - Hunting by Minors.

§ 11-0929. Hunting by minors.
1.  A  licensee  who is twelve or thirteen years of age shall not hunt
wildlife with a gun or a longbow unless he or she is accompanied by  his
or  her parent or legal guardian, or by a person twenty-one years of age
or older designated in writing by his or her parent or legal guardian on
a form prescribed by the department, who  holds  a  hunting  license.  A
licensee  who  is  twelve or thirteen years of age shall not hunt with a
crossbow.
2. A licensee who is fourteen or fifteen years of age shall not:
a. hunt wildlife with a gun, crossbow or longbow, other than wild deer
or bear as provided in paragraph b of this subdivision, unless he or she
is accompanied by his or her parent or legal guardian holding a  hunting
license,  or  by  a person eighteen years of age or older, designated in
writing by his or her parent or legal guardian, holding such license;
b. hunt wild deer or bear with a crossbow or gun unless:
(1) he or she is accompanied by his or her parent or a legal guardian,
or a youth mentor who is twenty-one years of age or older designated  in
writing  by  the  parent  or  legal  guardian  of the licensee on a form
prescribed by the department; and
(2) such parent, guardian or youth mentor has had at least three years
of experience in hunting big game; and
(3) such parent, guardian or youth mentor holds a hunting license; and
(4) such parent, guardian or youth mentor maintains  physical  control
over the minor he or she is accompanying at all times while hunting; and
(5)  such  parent, guardian or youth mentor and the minor he or she is
accompanying remain at ground level at all times while hunting; and
(6) such parent, guardian or youth mentor and the minor he or  she  is
accompanying  shall  each  display either a minimum total of two hundred
fifty square inches of solid fluorescent orange  or  pink  or  patterned
fluorescent  orange  or  pink  consisting  of no less than fifty percent
fluorescent orange or pink material worn above  the  waist  and  visible
from  all directions, or a hat or cap with no less than fifty percent of
the exterior consisting of solid fluorescent orange or pink material and
visible from all directions. For purposes of this  paragraph,  "physical
control"  shall  mean  that  the  physical proximity of the minor to the
parent, guardian or youth mentor is such that the  parent,  guardian  or
youth   mentor  is  reasonably  able  to  issue  verbal  directions  and
instructions, maintain constant visual contact,  and  otherwise  provide
guidance and supervision to the minor.
3. A licensee who is sixteen or seventeen years of age and who has not
previously  had  a  license which authorizes the holder to hunt big game
issued to him or her and engaged in hunting pursuant  to  it  shall  not
hunt  deer  or bear unless he or she is accompanied by his or her parent
or legal guardian, or by a person designated in writing by  his  or  her
parent  or legal guardian on a form prescribed by the department and who
is eighteen years of age or older and who has had at  least  one  year's
experience  in  hunting  deer  or  bear,  and  such accompanying parent,
guardian or person holds a hunting license.
4. A hunting licensee with a bowhunting privilege, who is fourteen  or
fifteen  years  of  age, shall not hunt deer or bear unless he or she is
accompanied by his or her parent or  legal  guardian,  or  by  a  person
designated  in  writing by his or her parent or legal guardian on a form
prescribed by the department who is eighteen years of age or  older  and
who  has  had  at least one year's experience in hunting deer or bear by
longbow, and such  accompanying  parent,  guardian  or  person  holds  a
hunting license with a bowhunting privilege.
5.  A  hunting  licensee with a bowhunting privilege, who is twelve or
thirteen years of age, shall not hunt deer or bear unless:
(a) he or she is accompanied by his or her parent or  legal  guardian,
or  by  a  person  designated  in  writing by his or her parent or legal
guardian on a form prescribed by the department who is twenty-one  years
of age or older and
(b)  such  parent,  guardian  or  person has had at least three year's
experience in hunting deer or bear by longbow and
(c) such parent, guardian or person holds a hunting license and
(d) such parent, guardian or person maintains  physical  control  over
the  minor he or she is accompanying at all times while hunting. For the
purposes of this  paragraph  "physical  control"  shall  mean  that  the
physical  proximity  of  the  minor to the parent, guardian or person is
such that the parent, guardian or person is  reasonably  able  to  issue
verbal  directions  and  instructions, maintain constant visual contact,
and otherwise provide guidance and supervision to the minor.