GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2017

S                                                                                                                                                     1

SENATE BILL 624*

 

 

Short Title:      Outdoor Heritage Enhanced.		(Public)
Sponsors:	Senators Alexander, McInnis, Britt (Primary Sponsors);  and Tarte.
Referred to:	Rules and Operations of the Senate

April 5, 2017

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT TO expand the use of firearms for hunting of wild animals AND UPLAND GAME BIRDS on sunday and to allow hunting of migratory birds on sunday.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 103‑2 reads as rewritten:

"§ 103‑2.  Method of take when hunting on Sunday.

(a)        Any landowner or member of the landowner's family, or any person with written permission from the landowner, may may, subject to rules established by the Wildlife Resources Commission, hunt wild animals and upland game birds with the use of firearms on Sunday on the landowner's property, except that all of the following limitations apply:

(1)        Hunting on Sunday between 9:30 A.M. and 12:30 P.M. is prohibited, except on controlled hunting preserves licensed pursuant to G.S. 113‑273(g).

(2)        Hunting of migratory birds on Sunday is prohibited.

(3)        The use of a firearm to take deer that are run or chased by dogs on Sunday is prohibited.

(4)        Hunting on Sunday within 500 yards of a place of worship or any accessory structure thereof, or within 500 yards of a residence not owned by the landowner, is prohibited.prohibited between 9:30 A.M. and 12:30 P.M. Hunting on Sunday is allowed on controlled hunting preserves licensed pursuant to G.S. 113‑273(g) at any time.

(5)        Hunting on Sunday in a county having a population greater than 700,000 people is prohibited.

(a1)      Any person may, subject to rules established by the Wildlife Resources Commission, hunt wild animals and upland game birds with the use of firearms on Sunday on public lands of the State managed for hunting, except that the following limitations apply:

(1)        The use of a firearm to take deer that are run or chased by dogs on Sunday is prohibited.

(2)        Hunting on Sunday within 500 yards of a place of worship or any accessory structure thereof, or within 500 yards of a residence, is prohibited between 9:30 A.M. and 12:30 P.M.

(a2)      The hunting of migratory birds on Sunday is permitted on private lands, public lands, and public waters of the State, subject to rules adopted by the Wildlife Resources Commission.

(b)        A person who hunts on Sunday in a manner prohibited under subsection (a) of this section or rules adopted by the Wildlife Resources Commission shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor. Provided, that the provisions of this section are not applicable to military reservations, the jurisdiction of which is exclusively in the federal government, to field trials authorized by the Wildlife Resources Commission, or to actions taken in defense of a person's property. Wildlife protectors are granted authority to enforce the provisions of this section."

SECTION 2.  Notwithstanding G.S. 150B‑21.2, the Wildlife Resources Commission shall adopt permanent rules to regulate the time and location of Sunday hunting of migratory birds consistent with this act, using the procedure and time lines for temporary rules set forth in G.S. 150B‑21.1(a3). Rules adopted by the Wildlife Resources Commission in accordance with this section shall be subject to review by the Rules Review Commission as provided by G.S. 150B‑21.1(b); provided, however, that if the rules are approved by the Rules Review Commission, they shall become effective as provided by G.S. 150B‑21.3(b). Rules adopted pursuant to this section shall not be subject to G.S. 150B‑21.4.

SECTION 3.  Section 1 of this act becomes effective when the rules required by Section 2 of this act become effective. The remainder of this act is effective when it becomes law.