Non-Ambulatory Hunter Permit
The Non-Ambulatory Hunter Permit allows qualified hunters to shoot a firearm from a motorized vehicle (including an off-road vehicle) that has the motor turned off and that is completely off the highway right-of-way.
To qualify: you must be physically unable to move about except with the use of a mechanized aid such as a wheelchair.
Non-Ambulatory Access to State Lands
DEC offers designated roads and trails for motor vehicle use by authorized individuals with disabilities having a mobility impairment. These roads can be found throughout the state on state forests, wildlife management areas, and forest preserves.
View the Motorized Access Permit page for a list of designated roads and details on how to obtain a statewide permit for this purpose.
Modified Longbow Authorization
The Modified Longbow Authorization (previously Modified Archery Permit) allows qualified individuals to hunt big or small game with a legal bow equipped with a device to aid in the drawing, holding and releasing of the bowstring. This authorization does not allow the use of a crossbow or modified crossbow.
To qualify: you must be physically unable to draw and hold a legal bow.
Modified Crossbow Permit
The Modified Crossbow Permit allows qualified individuals to hunt big or small game with a crossbow that has been specifically modified with a device that allows it to be discharged (fired) with use of a breath tube. This permit does not allow the use of an unmodified crossbow.
To qualify: you must be permanently physically unable to hold or draw a legal bow or to fire a legal bow that has been modified to hold and release the string. If you can pull the trigger on a gun, you will not qualify.
Reasonable Accommodation To Use an Unmodified Crossbow During The Regular Bow Season
A reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) may be requested by individuals with disabilities whose needs are not met by the Modified Longbow authorization or Modified Crossbow Special Permit. Certification of disability by a licensed physician is required for a reasonable accommodation for unmodified crossbow use to be granted. Your physician must certify that: "The individual is incapable of holding a bow or operating a mechanical device attached to a legal longbow for drawing, holding, and releasing a bowstring due to a physical disability." See Form and Instructions to Request a Reasonable Accommodation for an Unmodified Crossbow (PDF). Hunters using an unmodified crossbow during the full bowhunting season under authority of a reasonable accommodation must possess a bowhunting privilege and a certificate of bowhunter education.
Reduced Fee Sporting Licenses & Deer Management Permit Preference
Military veterans with service-related disability of 40% or more can get reduced fee hunting, trapping and fishing licenses and preference for Deer Management Permits (DMP). Get information on reduced fee licenses and permit preference for military veterans online, or contact DEC Regional Offices or the Deer Management Permit Information Hotline at 1-866-472-4332.
