Supporters of a bill which would extend big game hunting with a rifle in Niagara County for two more years are asking Governor Kathy Hochul to sign it.
Current legislation, enacted in 2024, allows the use of a rifle to hunt deer and bear, but it expires October 1.
State Senator Rob Ortt, who sponsored the extension, expects the governor to sign it. But he’s urging her to act quickly so that the coming fall hunting season isn’t disrupted.
“She has to call for bills,” Ortt explained. “The executive chamber calls for batches of them at a time, and then she either signs or vetoes. We just want to make sure that she calls for the bill. I fully expect that she would sign it.”
Current legislation allowing the use of a rifle to hunt deer and bear expires October 1st. Ortt explains why hunters may prefer rifles over shotguns when hunting.
Ortt, the Senate’s Republican Minority Leader, represents Niagara County. He was joined Monday by Assemblyman Angelo Morinello, Niagara County Legislator Shawn Foti, and Escarpment Arms owner Joe Olscamp to encourage quick action on the bill.
Ortt explained the benefits of using a rifle over a shotgun for some hunters.
“A shotgun has a lot of recoil and can be challenging for certain people to handle. Whereas a rifle, there's much less recoil, much smoother as far as firing it,” he said. “And obviously, with big game, sometimes a rifle is a better weapon to bring down big game.”
Supporters of the legislation say state Department of Environmental Conservation statistics show hunting with firearms to be generally safe. There were no fatalities involving firearms while hunting last year. Seven injuries were reported, five of which were self-inflicted.