The wildlife damage abatement program and the wildlife damage claim program. (FE)

Under current law and DNR rule, a county pays 75 percent of the actual costs of providing wildlife damage abatement assistance, for which it is reimbursed by DNR, and the person receiving the assistance pays 25 percent of the costs. DNR pays wildlife damage claims directly.

Effective January 1, 2022, this bill removes counties from the administration of these programs and requires DNR to administer the programs instead. The bill specifies that, if DNR provides wildlife damage abatement assistance to a person, it must determine the actual cost of providing that assistance and pay 75 percent of that cost, leaving the remaining 25 percent as the responsibility of the recipient. The bill eliminates a $10,000 limit under current law on the total amount that may be paid to a claimant for each damage claim. The bill maintains the current law requirement that DNR pay claimants on a prorated basis if there is not a sufficient amount appropriated to pay all claims.

The bill also eliminates the requirement under current law that a county participate in the administration of these programs in order to be eligible for reimbursement by DNR for the costs that the county incurs in processing and donating venison from certain deer carcasses and in processing and donating meat from certain wild turkey carcasses.

Under current law, the type of wildlife damage that is eligible for wildlife damage claim payments is limited to damage to commercial seedings or crops growing on agricultural land, damage to crops that have been harvested for sale or further use but that have not been removed from the agricultural land, damage to orchard trees or nursery stock, and damage to apiaries or livestock. This bill adds that damage to commercial seedings or crops growing on agricultural land caused by operating a vehicle in a field in order to place a bear trap under the wildlife damage abatement program is eligible for a wildlife damage claim payment.

Under current law, if the amount of a wildlife damage claim exceeds $500 but does not exceed $5,250, the claimant is paid 100 percent of the amount, and if the amount of the claim exceeds $5,250, the claimant is paid that amount plus 80 percent of the amount that exceeds $5,250. This bill increases the wildlife damage claim amount threshold from $5,250 to $5,500.

Under current law, with certain exceptions, a person may receive wildlife damage payments only if the person opens the land for hunting the type of animal that caused the wildlife damage. Under this bill, this hunting requirement does not apply to a person who receives wildlife damage abatement assistance to acquire a bear trap for land the person leases if the person waives any eligibility to receive a wildlife damage claim payment for damage caused by bears.

Under the bill, effective June 30, 2021, DNR must require all bear traps acquired with wildlife damage abatement assistance to be equipped with remote monitors, including traps placed under the program prior to the effective date of the bill.