120. Protection of deer. 1. Whenever the governing body of any municipality shall determine that the deer population in the municipality or part thereof is suffering severe depredation due to dogs attacking, chasing or worrying deer, such governing body may by order require that all dogs in such municipality or part thereof shall be securely confined during the period of time designated in the order or, if no time is designated, until the order is revoked.
2. Notice of such order shall be given by publication in a newspaper or newspapers of general circulation in said municipality which shall be designated by such governing body and by filing a copy of the order in the office of each clerk in the area affected by such order. Such order shall be in full force and effect at the expiration of twenty-four hours following publication of such notice.
3. If any dog is not confined as required by such order, any dog control officer, peace officer, acting pursuant to his special duties, or police officer shall seize such dog. Any dog so seized shall be subject to the provisions of section one hundred eighteen of this article. A dog shall not be deemed to be in violation of such order if accompanied by and under the full control of the owner.
4. If any dog, which is not confined as required by such order, shall attack, chase or worry any deer, any dog control officer, peace officer, acting pursuant to his special duties, or police officer upon witnessing the same, shall destroy, or seize and destroy, such dog, and no liability in damages or otherwise shall be incurred on account of such destruction.
5. If any dog shall kill or cripple any deer, the owner shall be subject to a civil penalty in the amount of one hundred dollars for the first deer killed or crippled by the dog or by the pack of dogs, if any, of which the dog was a member, and in the amount of one hundred fifty dollars for each additional deer killed or crippled, to be recovered in an action brought by the commissioner of environmental conservation on behalf of the people of the state of New York.
6. This section and any order issued pursuant thereto shall not apply to dogs in special dog training areas or shooting preserves enclosed and licensed pursuant to the provisions of the environmental conservation law, while such dogs are under the control of the owner or trainer.
Last modified: February 3, 2019