SB 481

Wild turkey hunting licenses, stamps, and tags

Under current law, to hunt wild turkey, a person must be issued a wild turkey

hunting license with an accompanying hunting stamp and tag. In issuing the

licenses, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) must use a preference system

which gives preferences to residents over nonresidents if the number of license

applicants exceeds the number of wild turkey tags that are available for a particular

season. Under the system, qualified resident landowners receive first preference.

To qualify for the landowner preference, a landowner must own at least 50 acres of

land in a single parcel in an established wild turkey hunting zone.

Second preference is for residents who in a previous season applied for but were

not issued licenses, and all other residents receive third preference. Qualified

nonresident landowners receive fourth preference, and all other nonresidents

receive fifth preference. To implement this system, DNR allocates a given number

of tags.

This bill eliminates the preference system. Instead, the bill requires that DNR

issue a wild turkey hunting license and accompanying stamp and tag to each

resident or nonresident who applies for the license. The tag issued with the license

is valid for the entire state. Under current law, the tag issued with a license under

the preference system is limited to a specific wild turkey hunting zone.

Under current law, if the number of tags exceeds the number of licenses applied

for, DNR may issue license holders additional tags. Under the bill, DNR may issue

additional tags if it determines that is necessary to manage the wild turkey

population. Under current law and under the bill, a fee is charged for the additional

tags, with nonresidents paying a higher fee. The bill does not change the amount of

the fee.

Wild turkey hunting zones; hunting seasons and hours

Under current rules promulgated by DNR, there is a fall turkey hunting season

and a spring hunting season. Also, under these rules, the state is divided into seven

wild turkey hunting zones. This bill codifies these provisions in the statutes.

Additionally, the bill codifies the starting and ending dates and hunting hours for the

spring season that are currently in the rules.

Other provisions

Under current law, a student who is not a permanent resident of this state but

who is a full-time student at a college or university in this state that offers an

associate or bachelor's degree (eligible student) may be issued a resident fishing,

small game hunting, or deer hunting license instead of a corresponding nonresident

fishing or hunting license. The fees for these types of resident licenses are lower than

those for the nonresident licenses. This bill allows eligible students to qualify as

state residents for purposes of issuing wild turkey hunting licenses, stamps, and

tags, resulting in their paying the lower fees for the licenses and tags.