Vote to pass a bill that authorizes licenses for existing deer hunting preserves and establishes requirements, effective upon passage.
Highlights:
Authorizes the Department of Natural Resources to issue an initial hunting preserve license to an individual operating a hunting preserve if certain requirements are met, including, but not limited to, the following requirements (Sec. 6):
The individual operated the hunting preserve during the 2014 calendar year; and
The individual pays a fee of $2,000.
Requires a hunting preserve that allows hunting of deer and other “cervidae” to meet certain requirements, including, but not limited to, the following requirements (Sec. 6):
The hunting preserve contains at least 100 continuous acres in the hunting area;
The hunting preserve is enclosed by a fence that is at least 8 feet in height and not more than 6 inches above the ground; and
The hunting preserve must pass an annual inspection by the department and the Indiana Board of Animal Health.
Defines “cervidae” as privately owned members of the cervidae family, including deer, elk, moose, reindeer, and caribou (Sec. 1).
Prohibits the owner of a hunting preserve from releasing privately-owned cervidae into the wild, and releasing “non-permitted animals” on a hunting preserve (Sec. 6).
Defines “permitted animal” as a cervid born and raised in Indiana and released on a hunting preserve by the licensed owner of the preserve (Sec. 6).
Requires an individual who hunts an animal on a hunting preserve to obtain a special hunting license issued by the department (Sec. 6).
Requires the owner of a hunting preserve to report the escape of a cervidae to the department within 24 hours after the escape is discovered (Sec. 6).
Classifies a violation of certain provisions of this bill as a Level 6 felony, including, but not limited to, the failure to report the escape of a cervidae, the improper release of cervidae, and the use of computer assisted remote hunting on a preserve (Sec. 6).