The state Senate has approved a bill to permanently allow crossbow hunting in New York, a few months before the two-year experiment that now allows crossbows is set to expire.

The measure directs the state Department of Environmental Conservation to set standards for an annual crossbow hunting season where the agency deems their use appropriate, and allows the department to set safety standards for licensed hunters.

“By allowing crossbow hunting, we’re giving hunters another way to enjoy the outdoors, promoting recreation and increasing tourism to Upstate communities,” said Senator Patty Ritchie (R-Heuvelton), 48th District senator and a cosponsor of the bill.

“States that have long allowed crossbow hunting have not reported any significant problems with their use. Instead, they report that crossbows have helped increase interest in hunting and the outdoors,” Ritchie said. “And making the law permanent is way of being responsive and supportive of what sportsmen want.”

In Senator Ritchie’s 2012 Hunters Survey, three-fourths of sportsmen said they support extending the crossbow law beyond the December 31 expiration. The bill, which now goes to the Assembly, has support from a number of hunting and sportsmen’s organizations.

A recent statewide deer hunter survey conducted by Cornell University for the DEC found a majority of New York deer hunters support the legalization of crossbows.

“Hunting and fishing are a $1.5 billion business in New York State, and many communities rely on outdoor recreation for the livelihoods of residents, to draw visitors and create jobs,” said Ritchie. “For our economy, and for the love of the outdoors, this law makes sense.”