MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT
Repeal the provisions of the environmental conservation law requiring hunters to display back tags.
The NYSCC supports elimination of the statutory requirement that mandates the display of back tags while hunting. This is a change whose time has come. Back tags no longer serve a practical purpose, as evidenced by the fact that they are no longer required in any other state.
The tag requirement is an annoyance to hunters. Both bow and gun hunters find back tags to be noisy when moving through the woods. They also require hunters to poke holes in expensive (and formerly waterproof) hunting clothes. Definitely not GORE-TEX friendly.
The tag has to be frequently moved from garment to garment as weather changes necessitate de-layering. Forget or lose the tag in the process and one faces a fine of $25 and potential license forfeiture.
Even in New York, back tags are not required to be worn while hunting in the Northern Zone and the Catskill Park, which comprise almost 50% of New York’s land area. This bill would simplify the existing regulations by eliminating confusion along the border areas of today’s back tag and no back tag areas. It is time to drop this superfluous requirement. They have become a vestigial icon and a small but unnecessary additional expense to the state.