Buffalo, NY (WBEN) For the first time in Erie County, 12 and 13 year old hunters can shoot for deer with adult supervision. One Erie County Legislator says it's something she wishes were available when she was younger.
Lindsay Lorigo was one of the legislator who overrode County Executive Mark Poloncarz's veto earlier this year. She says this has been going on in the rest of NYS. "It's been extremely successful, and even before we passed the law that would allow 12 and 13 year olds to hunt deer with a supervising adult, they were allowed to hunt small game with a supervising adult. So this only changes the species," says Lorigo.. "I think it's really awesome. It's exciting. I've heard from families that can't wait to get out there this year, and I've heard from a lot of young hunters that are very excited for the season to start."
Lorigo says it's more than just about hunting. "I think it's really important that we teach firearm safety from a young age. There are so many courses and safety courses that these youth hunters have to go through to get their license. They have to have a signed-off permission from their parents that they're going with a supervising adult that has been through safety courses and did all the same things to get their hunting license," says Lorigo. "I think it promotes hunting in our community, which is an act of conservation. We have a deer population that is far too large, which means that there's not enough habitat. Deer are getting hit by cars. It will help with our deer management population."
The 12 and 13 year olds have to get their hunting license, which requires those hours of training, hands-on courses. She says the only additional thing is that the parents do need to sign that permission slip saying they're allowing their youth hunter to hunt with a supervised adult.
Lorigo wishes this were around when she was younger. "I would have been able to probably go out there with my grandfather and start hunting earlier. And without this law, I was not able to go out during deer season. I've only actually ever hunted deer and Turkey, so I didn't start hunting until I was able to. But I think if I was able to start hunting younger, I think those would have been great memories, even further back with my grandfather and even my uncle," notes Lorigo. She adds this can get more youth outside. "I have a 12 year old and I'd rather see him outside, learning how to track animals, learning how nature works, rather than inside on a video game," says Lorigo.
Only Rockland County does not allow deer hunting by 12 and 13 year olds.
