Dogs; licensed hunter may track a wounded bear, turkey, or deer with certain weapon. (HB995)
Introduced By
Del. Kathy Byron (R-Lynchburg)
Progress
✓ |
Introduced |
✓ |
Passed Committee |
✓ |
Passed House |
✓ |
Passed Senate |
✓ |
Signed by Governor |
☐ |
Became Law |
Description
Tracking wounded bear, deer, or turkey. Allows a licensed hunter to use tracking dogs to find a wounded or dead bear, deer, or turkey. The bill authorizes the hunter to have a weapon in his possession and to use it to humanely kill the tracked animal, including after legal shooting hours. The bill prohibits using the weapon to hunt, wound, or kill any animal other than the animal the hunter is tracking, except in self-defense. Current law prohibits a hunter from having a weapon in his possession while tracking. Read the Bill »
Outcome
Bill Has Passed
History
Date | Action |
---|---|
01/09/2018 | Committee |
01/09/2018 | Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/18 18102690D |
01/09/2018 | Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources |
01/23/2018 | Assigned ACNR sub: Subcommittee #2 |
01/29/2018 | Impact statement from DPB (HB995) |
01/31/2018 | Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (7-Y 0-N) |
02/07/2018 | Reported from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources with substitute (22-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
02/07/2018 | Committee substitute printed 18106509D-H1 |
02/09/2018 | Read first time |
02/09/2018 | Impact statement from DPB (HB995H1) |
02/12/2018 | Read second time |
02/12/2018 | Committee substitute agreed to 18106509D-H1 |
02/12/2018 | Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB995H1 |
02/13/2018 | Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (100-Y 0-N) |
02/13/2018 | VOTE: BLOCK VOTE PASSAGE (100-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
02/14/2018 | Constitutional reading dispensed |
02/14/2018 | Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources |
03/01/2018 | Reported from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources (9-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
03/05/2018 | Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
03/06/2018 | Read third time |
03/06/2018 | Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
03/08/2018 | Enrolled |
03/08/2018 | Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB995ER) |
03/08/2018 | Impact statement from DPB (HB995ER) |
03/08/2018 | Signed by Speaker |
03/10/2018 | Signed by President |
03/16/2018 | Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 16, 2018 |
03/16/2018 | G Governor's Action Deadline Midnight, April 9, 2018 |
03/23/2018 | G Approved by Governor-Chapter 447 (effective 7/1/18) |
03/23/2018 | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0447) |
Comments
This bill will reduce animal suffering and contribute to the safety of the handler. I have had 40 years of tracking experience, and I have been charged and knocked out by a wounded buck.
I have been tracking for several years and it is so important to end the suffering of these animals as quickly and efficiently as possible.
I am a tracker, and have experienced finding live wounded animals with no weapon; this presents a danger for all concerned. This bill doesn't leave the hunter and tracker defenseless, and it helps to quickly end needless suffering.
I have a blood tracking dog and this bill is IMMORAL! Why charge someone extra $ to recover a wounded animal? We owe that animal every single effort to find it, that is just part of hunting. So don't go charging people extra money for a license just to find their animal. That's ludicrous. Most of the deer I track are for children, and I often don't make a single dime but I recover their animal for a nice meal and fantastic memory. There's one thing I can assure you though - forcing us to buy a license will result in less people calling us to help find their deer since they think we will charge an arm and a leg now since we had to buy a license which results in more wasted wildlife (coyote food)....