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Game, Inland Fisheries and Boating

P Passed

P HB100

Deer kill permit. Exempts any locality that operates a Department of Game and Inland Fisheries-approved deer population control program from having to demonstrate that during the period covered by its previous year's authorization that hunting of deer or bear occurred. Currently, in order for a landowner to obtain a new deer kill permit, he has to demonstrate that bear or deer were hunted on his land during the time covered by the previous kill permit.

Patron - Bryant

P HB502

Sale of artificially raised trout. Makes it lawful to sell or offer to sell artificially raised trout for uses as directed by the Board of Game and Inland Fisheries. Currently, it is lawful to sell or offer for sale such trout for human consumption only. This bill is identical to SB 395.

Patron - Larrabee

P HB537

Powers of the Director of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Authorizes the Director to work with constituent organizations to achieve the agency's mission.

Patron - Abbitt

P HB664

Sportsman's hunting and fishing license. Establishes a new license, the sportsman's hunting and fishing license. This combination license can be purchased in lieu of having to separately purchase the basic state resident hunting and fishing licenses, the special license for hunting bear, deer and turkey (big game stamp), the special archery license, and the special muzzleloading license. The Board of Game and Inland Fisheries is authorized to set the fee for purchasing the license; however, the fee cannot exceed the total cost that would be incurred if someone purchased each of these licenses separately. This license would not be available until an automated point-of-sale system has been implemented.

Patron - Tate

P HB675

Use of deer skeletal parts. Allows the manufacture and sale of implements made from legally harvested deer skeletal parts.

Patron - Abbitt

P HB896

Electronic point-of-sale licensing. Authorizes the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to implement an electronic point-of-sale system for issuing hunting, trapping and fishing licenses. The bill includes provisions defining the reporting requirements for those agents who will issue licenses using the new electronic system.

Patron - Cox

P SB395

Sale of artificially raised trout. Makes it lawful to sell or offer to sell artificially raised trout for uses as directed by the Board of Game and Inland Fisheries. Currently, it is lawful to sell or offer for sale such trout for human consumption only. This bill is identical to HB 502.

Patron - Hanger

F Failed

F HB497

Hunting and trapping license exemption. Allows persons 65 years of age or older to hunt or trap in the county or city in which they reside without having to obtain a hunting or trapping license. The current law limits the exemption from having to obtain a license to hunting or trapping on private property in the county or city in which they reside.

Patron - Deeds

F HB1153

Deer kill permits. Prohibits any person who violates provisions of his deer kill permit from being designated as a shooter who is authorized to kill deer or bear under the permit. Currently, if a person is guilty of violating any hunting or fishing law he is prohibited from being a shooter. Under both current law and the proposed bill, a violator is still able to obtain a kill permit but someone else would have to be the shooter.

Patron - Barlow

F HB1423

Disabled hunters. Allows disabled hunters who have been issued a permit to hunt from a vehicle to hunt antlerless deer on private property throughout the deer season, with the written permission of the landowner. They could also hunt on public land if it is permitted by the official in charge of managing the land.

Patron - Katzen

F SB241

Beaver damage. Allows landowners, whose property has been damaged due to the damming of a water body by beaver activity, to seek injunctive relief against the landowner upon whose property the beaver are located. The injunctive relief may require the owner of the property where the beaver are located to remove beaver dams that are diverting water from or impounding water on an adjacent landowner's property and may require that the offending landowner provide such other relief as is necessary to prevent further damage to the adjacent landowner's property. The landowner damaged by the beaver activity would be entitled to compensatory damages as well as reasonable attorney's fees.

Patron - Trumbo

F SB265

Spotlighting of deer. Clarifies that any person who intentionally uses a light that is attached to a vehicle in a manner that is not necessary for the normal operation of the vehicle in order to avoid obstacles or negotiate curves in the roadway would be guilty of spotlighting deer, if light is cast beyond the roadway upon a place used by deer.

Patron - Bolling

F SB314

Bag limits for deer. Authorizes Henry County to increase the bag limit for taking deer from the four a license year, to five a license year. This bag limit would be the highest in the Commonwealth. Currently, the bag limit for persons hunting east of the Blue Ridge is four deer a license year and for those hunting west of the Blue Ridge the limit is three deer a license year.

Patron - Reynolds

C Carried Over

C HB580

Sale of wildlife parts. Allows Native Americans, who possess tribal enrollment cards indicating that they are members of a bona fide state or federally recognized tribe, to possess, offer for sale, sell, offer to purchase, or purchase wildlife parts.

Patron - Davis

C HB901

Duck blinds. Reduces the number of stationary duck blinds that riparian landowners, and persons or clubs who do not have riparian rights, may have licensed from two to one. The bill also reduces the distance that a floating blind must maintain from a stationary blind. Currently, a floating blind cannot be within 500 yards of a stationary blind. This bill allows floating blinds to be within 250 yards of a stationary blind if the stationary blind is not occupied one-half hour before sunrise. Lastly, the bill allows hunters to retrieve downed waterfowl on other landowners' property, provided they do it without having a firearm on their persons.

Patron - Diamonstein