05
LC 25 4123S
Senate
Bill 206 (RULES COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE)
By:
Senator Williams of the
19th
A
BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
AN ACT
To
amend Title 27 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to game and
fish, so as to provide that lands managed by the Department of Natural Resources
shall be open to access and use for recreational hunting except as limited by
the department for reasons of public safety or homeland security or as otherwise
limited by law; to define a term; 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 by adding a new Code section to read as follows:
"27-1-3.1.
(a)
As used in this Code section, the term 'department managed lands' means those
lands that the department owns or those lands over which the department holds
management authority.
(b)
Subject to valid existing rights, department managed lands shall be open to
access and use for recreational hunting except as limited by the department for
reasons of public safety or homeland security or as otherwise limited by
law.
(c)
The department shall exercise its authority, consistent with subsection (b) of
this Code section, in a manner to support, promote, and enhance recreational
hunting opportunities to the extent authorized by law. The department shall not
be required to give preference to hunting over other uses of department managed
lands or over land or water management priorities established by state
law.
(d)
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 lands that exists on the effective date of
this Code
section."
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.