NY S05340

Amends Environmental Conservation Law to permit dogs to be legally used for hunting bear on state-owned or leased wildlife management areas, in addition to existing allowances for small game hunting and dog training.

Establishes that dog training on bear is permitted only from July 1 through eight days before any open bear hunting season, whereas training on other wild game is permitted from August 16 to April 15.

Authorizes the Department of Environmental Conservation to certify and regulate leashed tracking and hunting dogs used by licensed persons to track, find, and take bear.

Amends Agriculture and Markets Law to provide that dogs released for hunting or training purposes in compliance with Environmental Conservation Law shall not be deemed to be running at large, and requires dog control officers and police to make reasonable efforts to determine if a dog is engaged in authorized hunting or training before citing violations.

Takes effect immediately upon enactment.