Governor signs bill increasing penalties for illegal deer hunting
Late Wednesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law a bill that would roughly double the fines illegal hunters get.
The bill, which amends New York conservation law and is expected to result in a small net gain for the Department of Environmental Conservation, will double the fine for illegally taking a deer from $250 to a minimum of $500 for hunters caught using an artificial light or hunting out of season. The bill also raises the maximum fine in many instances.
The new law also has a provision for repeat offenders that raises the minimum fine in some instances to $750. The new provisions take affect in 120 days, or about the end of March next year.