New York Passes Bill to Authorize Elk Season, No Elk Present in State OutdoorHub Reporters 03.27.15



If there are no elk in the forest, can you have an elk season? Apparently New York lawmakers are entertaining the idea, as a bill that recently passed the state’s Senate Environmental Conservation Committee will authorize moose and elk hunts in the state. This is despite that fact that elk have been expatriated from New York since the late 1800s.

“Woolly mammoths and passenger pigeons may be next!” stated Brad Hoylman (D-Manhatten) on his Facebook page.

Not surprisingly, the bill has been a target for jokes and witty remarks about hunting nonexistent animals, but many hunters do support the bill since it would regulate moose hunting. Patrick Gallivan (R-Erie County), said the provision for elk was left in the bill in case the animals are ever reintroduced to the state.

“What harm does it do to leave it in,” Gallivan was quoted by the New York Daily News. “We wouldn’t have an opportunity to do it now, but that doesn’t mean we would not have an opportunity in the future.”

Gallivan has supported numerous hunting bills in the past, including legislation that legalized crossbows in the state.