AB 99

Under current law, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is required to

establish open and closed seasons for fish and game and to establish conditions that

conserve the fish and game supply and that ensure opportunities for good fishing,

hunting, and trapping. Current law authorizes DNR to exercise this authority for

the entire state, for any specified county, or for any lake or stream.

This bill prohibits DNR from requiring a person who holds a deer hunting

license to kill an antlerless deer before killing the person's first antlered deer under

that license. It also places restrictions on DNR's authority to establish open seasons

for hunting deer with firearms (deer firearm season). The bill generally prohibits

DNR from establishing a fall deer firearm season that begins before the Saturday

immediately preceding the fourth Thursday in November (early season). Under the

bill, the prohibition does not apply if DNR promulgates a rule that limits hunting

during the early season to certain groups of people, including persons who are under

16 years of age or persons who are learning to hunt. The prohibition also does not

apply if DNR establishes the early season because the early season is necessary to

control the spread of chronic wasting disease or other disease in deer, the early

season is limited to hunting only antlerless deer, the closing date for the early season

is on or before October 15, and the rule authorizing the early season expires 270 days

after the effective date of the rule.