05
SB206/AP
Senate
Bill 206
By:
Senator Williams of the 19th
AS
PASSED
AN
ACT
To
amend Title 27 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to game and
fish, so as to change certain provisions relating to legislative declarations
relative to hunting, fishing, and the taking of wildlife, ownership and custody
of wildlife, promotion and right to hunt, trap, or fish, local regulation, and
general offenses; to change certain provisions relating to hunting deer with
dogs; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION
1.
Title
27 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to game and fish, is
amended in subsection (c) of Code Section 27-1-3, relating to legislative
declarations relative to hunting, fishing, and the taking of wildlife, ownership
and custody of wildlife, promotion and right to hunt, trap, or fish, local
regulation, and general offenses, by designating the existing provisions of said
subsection as paragraph (2) thereof and adding a new paragraph (1) to read as
follows:
“(1)
To the greatest practical extent, department land management decisions and
actions shall not result in any net loss of land acreage available for hunting
opportunities on department managed state owned lands that exists on the
effective date of this paragraph.”
SECTION
2.
Said
title is further amended by striking subsection (c) of Code Section 27-3-17,
relating to hunting deer with dogs, and inserting in lieu thereof the
following:
"(c)
It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt deer with dogs on any tract of real
property unless a permit for hunting deer with dogs has been issued by the
department for such tract to the owner or owners of such tract or the lessee of
deer hunting rights for such tract. A permit for hunting deer with dogs shall
not be issued to a lessee of deer hunting rights for any tract of real property
that is less than 1,000 contiguous acres or to the property owner or owners for
any tract of real property that is less than 250 contiguous acres. Any
application for a permit for hunting deer with dogs shall be on such form as
prescribed by the department; shall be accompanied by the required application
fee; and shall include a written description of the tract boundaries and a map
showing key features such as public roads or streams on or bordering the tract
and occupied dwellings on adjacent properties. The application must be signed by
all persons owning any portion of the tract of real property or an authorized
agent thereof. The application fee for such permit shall be $100.00 for an
annual permit or $25.00 for a two-day
permit."
SECTION
3.
All
laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.