Town of Brookhaven, LI, NY anti-hunters

CGeminski

CGeminski

Well-known member
I just wanted to share an experience I had yesterday with anyone local to Long Island or the Town of Brookhaven, NY:

I have been working on my duckboat and having recently registered it, I wanted to secure my town launch permit so I made a call to one of the town launch ramp offices. Everything was going smoothly with the process, until I was asked why I was buying a permit so late in the boating season. Looking back, I should have kept my mouth shut... but I mentioned I would be duck hunting...

The woman on the phone had an immediate 180 degree attitude adjustment. The conversation ceased to be cordial, I was told no hunting was allowed in the area serviced by the launch ramp, even though I knew that to be untrue. I kept my composure, but attempted to educate her on the law (In NY as long as we are shooting over water I can have my back up against someone's property or even their waterfront house). She wanted to hear none of it and when I asked her to check on the regulations, she said she would speak to her supervisor and call me back, then she abruptly hung up.

Now I was pretty upset, not only at how I was treated, but how this woman wanted to take my rights away from me. I called the NYSDEC office and got the # of a local officer who was familiar with the area. The officer could not have been nicer, I explained the situation to her, told her what I had encountered and she said it was a typical response from the Town, which did not want hunting in the area. She assured me I was within my rights to hunt there and I made sure to save her # in my cell phone in case of future problems.

So armed with this ammunition, I called the rude, anti-hunting town employee back and explained to her that the DEC said it was ok to hunt there and could I buy a launch ramp permit. She responded that her supervisor said there was absolutely no hunting whatsoever and that I would be arrested if I was caught hunting there. I asked for her and her supervisor's name (public employees mind you, I am paying their salary) and her response was "I am not going to give you that information". Then I asked who was going to arrest me? She responsed... "The game warden". "Wait a minute" I replied, "didnt I just tell you that the state game warden told me it was ok to hunt there?".
The conversation ended with her telling me there is no hunting because of kayakers.... Wow, are there really kayakers out there in mid-January when it's 30 degrees, raining like hell and blowing 35 of out of northwest? I havent seen any! I could see I wasnt getting anywhere, so I let it go. But now I have to do my homework to make 100% sure I have a right to hunt there, and in the end I never got a launch permit from the less than friendly staff.

I wanted to share it with all of you because not only are our hunting rights always being challenged, but there are anti-hunters in local government who could care less what the law really states. Know before you go, keep a copy of the regulations with you and the local game warden's phone # handy...
 
That Stinks.....seems that suburbia creeps further into our hunting area's then ever before. Similar situation on two nice north NJ rivers.

Just check and see if the town has a no discharge ordinance. That is how a few NJ town have tried to stop otherwise legal hunting.
 
hey, call the CO back and see if she will be in the vicinity one day to stop by the town office with you when you go to pick up your launch permit.........
 
Here is what you do. You call back from another number, or you have someone else call. Ask a bunch of questions and be real nice. Ask a bunch of questions on how to obtain a boat launch permit. Near the end of the conversation tell the government employee how helpful she has been and ask for her name and tell her you will need her supervisors name as well so you can email and call him and tell him what a great employee and how helpful she was.

Then call back and ask for whatever her name is. Tell her you want a boat launch pass for launching your duck boat. When she refuses, remind here that you have her, and her supervisors name and you will be writing letters to the Attorney General office letting them know how government employees are breaking the law.

This will work very well. You just have to be smarter than the antis out there. I know this works cause I had the same issue and did the above. Worked like a charm.

Mark W
 
"Here is what you do. You call back from another number, or you have someone else call. Ask a bunch of questions and be real nice. Ask a bunch of questions on how to obtain a boat launch permit. Near the end of the conversation tell the government employee how helpful she has been and ask for her name and tell her you will need her supervisors name as well so you can email and call him and tell him what a great employee and how helpful she was.

Then call back and ask for whatever her name is. Tell her you want a boat launch pass for launching your duck boat. When she refuses, remind here that you have her, and her supervisors name and you will be writing letters to the Attorney General office letting them know how government employees are breaking the law.

This will work very well. You just have to be smarter than the antis out there. I know this works cause I had the same issue and did the above. Worked like a charm.

Mark W "

Nice idea or you could post their office number on the web and we could all call her and ask a bunch of questions and inform her how she is wrong. In a nice and cordial way, of course.


I had this happen once down in Fort Atkinson, parks lady for the county was real nice until she asked why I was asking these questions, once I told her I wanted to hunt, she informed me "they" were trying to convert the area into a preserve where no hunting was allowed and that I couldn't go there. When I asked who "they" were? She got really defensive and then she got down right rude when I asked if she was working on this project on the clock, working for the county.

If you could I would go down to their office and ask for a superviser, like someone said, bring the CO with you if possible.
 
Must be Mt. Sinai harbor.
First of all, just go down to any town ramp, find one of the ramp trolls and pay for a season pass. Easy peasy, In fact, come duck season, the trolls will be gone and there will be no one around to check if you have a pass.
I have NEVER had a ramp permit, and never expect to get one, of course if you plan on using the ramp during the summer, you'll need one.
Never argue with an idiot, they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

One thing, ALWAYS keep your guns cased on any Town park, marina, ramp, that should save you from a confrontation with the Code Enforcement Trolls.
 
hey, call the CO back and see if she will be in the vicinity one day to stop by the town office with you when you go to pick up your launch permit.........

That's what I would do. I doubt she will deny you a permit with the ECO standing there. Unless they pass some new rules before you get there.

I would definitely pursue it with the help of the DEC. If you do get the permit, just use common sense when you're hunting. Keep a good distance from peoples homes, even though you may legally hunt closer. And don't dispose of anything at the ramp that may bother someone else (empty shells, bird carcasses).

That's too bad. However not all of the town offices down there are like that. I buy a launch permit from a town park on Long Island every year. The staff there know we are going hunting and they are always very friendly and helpful.

Good luck.
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Finding more and more of this in CT waters as well.
Great job on not losing your temper or giving her ammo. I love the atty Gen idea. I am filing that one away for the future!!
Jim/Fowlfishing
 
I kept my cool with her and never raised my voice, she escalated the conversation. I am sorry I even tried to reason with her to be honest, I had no chance of getting anywhere with her and all it did was bring the potential for a confrontation at a later date with myself or another hunter.

At the same time, we as hunters have to protect our rights, it's just getting harder to do that without being perceived as the "bad guys".

Kevin, private message me your phone # and I will give you a call Monday, I am busy all weekend.
 
This will be my 2nd season on L.I., and one of the most difficult aspects of getting-into this sport, was figuring out all the laws and where I was allowed to hunt. The State may allow us to hunt, but local municipalities have banned firearm dischage (i.e. Town of Huntington); quite upsetting.
I'm still trying to speak to a Huntington Harbor Master, to see how far into the Sound, they claim they have jurisdiction, as I'm planning on sea duck hunting this season.

I looked up most towns' code, and I found the following for Brookhaven:
"Waterfowl hunters, duly licensed by and meeting the requirements and regulations of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and any applicable federal regulations, shall be permitted to access Town property adjacent to authorized hunting areas, during the open season for waterfowl hunting, for the purposes of access to authorized hunting areas. Shotguns and any other instruments or weapons used for the purposes of waterfowl hunting by such individuals shall be unloaded and encased while on Town property."

I feel I may have joined this sport on its downfall; here in Long Island..... :(
 
Finding more and more of this in CT waters as well.
Great job on not losing your temper or giving her ammo. I love the atty Gen idea. I am filing that one away for the future!!
Jim/Fowlfishing
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Make sure you vote for Martha Dean Jim....She's on our side.

Hey, You should also host a duck hunter's breakfast at your place of employment at say, around 9 am or so. Just some coffee and egg sammiches and talk about the morning's hunt....
 
BrentS,

I have been down that road before with the Town of Huntington and their Harbormaster. The entire Town of Huntington is a no discharge zone. No exceptions. That means right out past the lighthouse to the edge of the towns waters.
The harbor master I spoke to was hunter friendly. My discussion with the harbor master went something like this.
Read between the lines:
________________________________________________________________________________________________
If I as the harbormaster get a call and have to come out to investigate the discharge of a firearm, I will be forced to issue you a summons if I witness you discharge your gun. I can not take your game unless I see you down the said bird.
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Is it worth it? Probably not.
Shoot me a PM with your number and I'll fill you in a bit more.
By the way, where on the south shore are you located. I'm in Wanatgh
 
In VA you could charge her with intgerfering with a legal hunt. That's good for 5000.00 I belive.
 
I was just thinking the same thing. Thankfully I dont have to deal with issue like this either.
 
I live and hunt on the aforementioned north NJ twin rivers and it has been a real issue for a while now dealing with the antis in the local communities. We are lucky to have a few fellow waterfowlers on the police force. I have certainly seen the amount of hunters decrease over the years, which has helped mellow the area out some, but it is still a very touchy issue.

With that being said it is very refreshing to hunt out of Tuckerton, Brigantine, etc. a couple times a season where duck hunters are not looked at so negatively.
 
What a mess. Sounds like you did the right thing. I'm sure you will prevail, it's just a shame that we have got to go thru this kind of crap to do what we love doing. I don't see anybody out there trying to make it easier for us. With the revenue that hunting anf fishing generates, you would think that state governments would ENSURE that we continue to hunt and fish. Good luck. dc
 
Just realize, the "Town of Brookhaven" is no more anti hunter then any other place on Earth, He just spoke to an ordinary employee that couldn't separate her job from her own emotions, it happens.
That's why you go in person to the dockmasters and ask for the permit, they get $7.50 an hour and could care less why you want one, just so you do when they are on duty. There's no conspiracy, trust me, at least for the permits, as for the black helicopters, who knows? lol.
 
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