IBA Legislative update 2/3/12

[ElkHunter]

FOURTH WEEK IN REVIEW.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS GENERAL FUND BUDGET TARGETS. The H Republicans have increased the General Fund budget target or Ag & DNR by $1.234 mil. over the Governor’s recommendation. At this time, I am unsure what programs the additional money will be increased. REAP. I have also been informed that the H Republicans are moving REAP from the Environmental First Fund to the General Fund. The appropriation is to be included in what is called the “Standings” bill. REAP is what is termed as a standing appropriation in that the Iowa Code specifies $20 mil. each year.

AG & NATURAL RESOURCES BUDGET SUBCOM. This week the DNR presented their budget and reviewed of the Fish & Game Trust Fund. The DNR’s budget is the same as last year although $2 mil. for Floodplain Mgt was transferred from Infrastructure funding to the General Fund and Animal Ag Permitting was transferred from penalty fines to the General Fund. The Trust Fund carryover will be depleted by 2015 necessitating a license fee increase or a reduction in programs.

NATURAL RES, OUTDOOR REC …

HF 2003, TRESPASS - DEER ANTLERS. Makes it a simple misdemeanor to trespass with the intent of taking the shed antlers. Establishes a civil penalties for liquidated damages based on antler size. Allows for the discharge of the damages if antlers are returned. Requires damages be paid to the Fish & Game Protection Fund. HJ subcom-Massie, Pearson, M. Smith. No subcom action. Will delete for now.
HF2007, SF 2017, DEER RETRIEVAL. Allows for the use of leashed dogs to retrieve a wounded deer. Does not allow the hunter to be armed during the search. Requires permission before entering another’s private land. HNR subcom-Rayhons, Arnold, Wittneben. Passed SNRC. There was a concern expressed over the requirement that permission must be granted by the landowner because current law does not require permission to track a wounded animal.
HF 2026, SPECIAL NONRESIDENT DISABLED VETERAN HUNTING LICENSES. Requires the NRC to issue special hunting licenses, including for deer and turkey, for use by non-resident disabled veterans who are hunting in Iowa through a non-profit organization that helps such veterans hunt. License fees are to be the same as a resident. HVA subcom-Lukan, Chambers, Lofgren.
HF 2142, DEER BAG LIMITS/PARTY HUNTING/LATE MUZZLE-LOADER SEASON. Sets the bag limit of one deer per hunter during the regular gun and late muzzle-loader season. Allows party hunting during the late muzzleloader season. HNR subcom-Arnold, Van Engelenhoven, Wittneben.
HF 2143, FREE TURKEY LICENSES. Authorizes the free land owner/tenant wild turkey license issued to be valid for any wild turkey season. HNR subcom-Arnold, Hager, Hall.
HF 2151, FERAL SWINE & HUNTING SWINE. Prohibits owning feral swine, bringing feral swine into contact with other animals or transporting them in the state. Establishes civil penalties ($25,000 for a continuous violation). Allows a person to put non-feral swine on a hunting preserve and allows hunting of non-feral swine on a preserve. Requires that the released swine have been born and raised in captivity, have a health certificate and be approved by DALS. Allows DALS to order testing, vaccination, quarantine or slaughter of the hogs, with no liability to the state. HAGC.
HF 2197, SPECIAL ANTLERLESS DEER SEASON. Strikes the authority of the NRC to establish a special antlerless deer season. HNRC. Unlikely to be considered. Will delete.
HSB 564, PHEASANT SEASON & BAG LIMITS. Shortens the pheasant season to Dec 15. Reduces daily limits for cocks to 2 & the total bag limit to 8. HNR subcom-Arnold, Hager, Wittneben. Unlikely to be debated. Will delete.
SJR 2001, HJR 2001, LEAD SHOT RULE NULLIFICATION. Nullifies the NRC rule banning the use of lead shot during the mourning dove season. Passed the H, goes to the S.
SF 2045, VETERAN HUNTER SAFETY. Requires the DNR to issue a hunter safety certificate to a former or present active-duty member of the armed forces who has passed a weapons proficiency test. SV subcom-Black, Danielson, Greiner.
SF 2055, YOUTH CROSSBOW SEASON. Establishes a youth crossbow season for resident hunters 12-16 during the deer bow season. Requires the hunter to pay the normal fees and allows the hunter to get other licenses. SNRC. Will not be considered.
SF 2113 (formerly SSB 3058), MARKING DEER BLINDS. Allows the NRC to adopt rules requiring that man-made deer blinds and stands be marked with identification stickers with the hunting license number or name & address. Amended & passed SNRC. There were 4 no votes. There was concern that there was no exemption for IDs for landowner stands & a belief that it would not curtail poaching or putting up stands without permission.
SSB 3051, HUNTING & FISHING LICENSES. Establishes a 3-year fishing license at $51 including fish habitat and 3-year hunting license at $84 including the habitat fee. Establishes an annual hunting & fishing combination license at $60 including habitat fees plus a subscription to Iowa Outdoors. Allows a third fishing line for $10. SNR subcom-Dearden, Black, Hamerlinck. The subcom met & will amend the proposal to delete the free Iowa Outdoors subscription. There was also a request to change the fur takers license fee.
SSB 3059, DEER EAR TAGS. Requires the owners of farm whitetails to mark their deer with ear tags and keep records on the tagged whitetails. Requires DALS to make ear tags available at cost. Allows for the revocation of a fence certificate for a deer farm when it fails to follow ear tags rules. SNR subcom-Dearden, Black, Hahn.
SF 2068 BALD EAGLE PENALITIES. Establishes civil penalties of $1,500 for killing, injuring or possessing a bald eagle without a permit. SNR subcom-Dearden, Hahn, Ragan.

 

[phunts]

Thanks for the up date.Like the one for NR vets we need to help these guys and gals when we can.

 

[Scott]

HF 2142, DEER BAG LIMITS/PARTY HUNTING/LATE MUZZLE-LOADER SEASON. Sets the bag limit of one deer per hunter during the regular gun and late muzzle-loader season. Allows party hunting during the late muzzleloader season. HNR subcom-Arnold, Van Engelenhoven, Wittneben.

I dont understand this bill. How can you set the bag limit at one deer per hunter and allow party hunting? Party hunting during LM is not a good idea either. To many Non Residents and Outfitters already abuse the use of party hunting during shotgun season.

 

[LoessHillsArcher]

I with Scott - I'm confused by the bag limit statement? You can get as many tags as allowed, thus having a bag limit larger than one? I'm not understanding something right I assume... anyone have more info on that one?

 

[deersniffer]

Hf2017

Under the leashed dog tracking bill I purposely had the bill written to include needing permission to track onto private land. This would only pertain if you were tracking the wounded game with a leashed dog. I put this in because if there is any way for the legislators to come up to kill the bill they probably will. Personally I would rather have permission prior to tracking with my dog on private ground. I think a lot of the land owners would appreciate it too. If you can't get a hold of the landowner you can always resort back to the traditional tracking and leave the dog behind. This bill is in no way going to change being able to pursue a normal track without permission. I also made sure the bill states the dog will be on a lead and under the full control of the handler. Again, this covers the argument that a dog will be free running and ruining someone else s hunt or overrunning their property. Tracking with a dog on a lead is really nothing more than tracking as we do it now, except there would be a dog on a lead maybe up to 30' in front of the tracker and hopefully pointing out sign the tracker may have missed thus increasing the odds of recovering the animal.
Thanks. Brian

 

[Fishbonker]

H.F. 2142​

Section 1. Section 483A.8, subsection 2, Code Supplement 1 2011, is amended to read as follows:

2 2. a. The A deer hunting license shall be accompanied by
3 a tag designed to be used only once. When a deer is taken,
4 the deer shall be tagged and the tag shall be dated. The tag
5 shall be attached to the carcass of a deer taken within fifteen
6 minutes of the time the deer carcass is located after being
7 taken, or before the carcass is moved to be transported by any
8 means from the place where the deer was taken, whichever occurs
9 first. For each antlered deer taken, the tag shall be affixed
10 to the deer’s antlers.

11 b. During regular gun seasons and the late muzzleloader
12 season, the bag limit for a hunting party is one deer for each
13 hunter in the party who has a valid transportation tag. The
14 possession limit is one deer per license. For purposes of
15 this paragraph, “hunting party” means two or more persons who
16 each have a deer hunting license and tag, and who are hunting
17 together. For purposes of this paragraph, “possession” means
18 that the deer is in the possession of the person whose license
19 number matches the number of the transportation tag on the
20 carcass of the deer.

EXPLANATION:


22 This bill provides that during regular gun and the late
23 muzzleloader deer hunting seasons, the daily bag limit for a
24 hunting party is one deer for each hunter in the party who has
25 a valid transportation tag. The possession limit is one deer
26 per deer hunting license and the deer must be in the possession
27 of the person whose license number matches the number of the
28 transportation tag on the carcass of the deer.
29 Currently, the natural resource commission’s administrative
30 rules only allow such bag limits for hunting parties during
31 regular gun deer hunting seasons. During all other seasons,
32 the deer must be shot and tagged only by the person in whose
name the license and tag was issued. For purposes of the bill,
34 a “hunting party” is two or more persons who each have a deer hunting license and tag, and who are hunting together.

However you wanna word it the bill means party hunting in late ML will be allowable.

 

[Liv4Rut]

What i think would happen for these big shotgun groups is half would buy buck tags and the rest does. Come late muzz the other half would buy buck tags and the rest buy does. A big group could.gun hunt a month straight starting 2nd shotgun.l granted they would have to use muzzleloaders which decreases amount of shots fired at least. I dont like it.

 

[Fishbonker]

I copied and pasted the bill from the legislative web site. What didn't copy was the underscore for the proposed changes. Lines 12-21 are the new parts.

 

[LoessHillsArcher]

Liv nailed it and that's not a good thing. Not good at all.

 

[River Ratt]

Thay already hunt in big groups late season muzzy, so Iam shur thats why thay want the change to Party hunting...I dont like it, and my buddy hunts first season now because of it...Late muzzy is a joke...

 

[stickbow]

as a landowner i feel tracking dogs should be leashed and permission obtained before trailing. there are already too many grey reasons people can enter land without permission(trailing and looking for deer without a blood trail, coyote hunters looking for"lost dogs", ect). as far as Disabled Vets tags, is there a specified #/yr as there are a ton of vets on disability for a variety of miniscule type problems. Is this a once in a lifetime or every year type privilege. late muzzle party hunting as stated is a big opening for NRLO to hunt with other NR or residents and buck hunt with a doe tag. It already happens in the gun seasons. all party hunts should be done away with. never gonna happen though, farm bureau and ins companies won't allow the dnr or gov to potentially restrict the harvest /hunter opportunity. why as a landowner should i have to mark all my stands and blinds. the dnr has no authority to come on my property unless they have a reason or warrent. i can see this on public land but why private. maybe if they are close to property lines.

 

[deersniffer]

Tracking Deer With A Leashed Dog

Stick bow. I agree that a dog used when tracking should be on a lead and under the full control of the handler, and that permission must be granted prior to tracking with a dog on private property. That is the way this proposed rule is written. I had it written that way to cover these concerns. When using a leashed dog to help track a wounded deer the handler tracks the deer with the dog on a lead in front of him. That way the handler and the dog work as a team. A trained dog can help locate sign the tracker would normally miss or even track with no visible sign smelling the scent left by the shot deer. The lead also takes care of the concern of a free running dog on someones private property. Needing permission to track on private ground is also an important part of the proposed leashed dog tracking law. I wouldn't want someone tracking with a dog on my property without knowing about it and I'm sure most landowners wouldn't either. Thanks. Brian