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New Laws Impact California Hunters

California Outdoor Heritage Alliance

Sacramento, CA - -(AmmoLand.com)- As of January 1st, several new laws sponsored or supported by the California Outdoor Heritage Alliance (COHA) have gone into effect which will benefit hunters and provide more hunting opportunity in the field.

First, penalties for hunter harassment have appropriately been increased to a possible misdemeanor on the first offense, while field trials and related hunting dog training are now legally protected activities. Also, commercial hunting club license fees imposed by the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) have been substantially reduced, with most hunting clubs seeing their annual fees cut nearly in half. In addition, California’s private lands hunting program (SHARE Program) has finally been formally established as a statewide program, paving the way for significant new hunting opportunity for the public in future years.

Other positive legal changes written by COHA include new laws which: a) reduce penalties for hunters who have been cited for not having their hunting license in the field, but who can produce it in court; b) allow hunters to shoot across roads and other ways open to the public when it can be done in a reasonably safe manner; c) make it a crime to remove the collar of a hunting dog without written permission of the owner; and, d) require the Wildlife Conservation Board, in acquiring land for hunting and fishing purposes, to take into consideration those areas of the state most in need of increased hunting and fishing access.

COHA also teamed with DFG to substantially increase penalties and fines for egregious cases of poaching. Violators can now face tens of thousands of dollars in fines and possibly have their hunting license revoked for life.

COHA thanks Assembly Members Tom Berryhill (D-Modesto) and Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) for their considerable efforts to support and pass these legislative provisions.

About:
The California Outdoor Heritage Alliance is a 501(c) 4 non-profit political advocacy organization dedicated solely to the promotion of wildlife and the protection of our hunting heritage. COHA professional staff is active at the California State Legislature, Congress, State Fish and Game Commission, State and Federal resource agencies and all other political arenas where decisions are made which may impact wildlife management, habitat conservation, wildlife program funding, hunting access and opportunity, and your ability to purchase and possess sporting arms and munitions. COHA was created in early 2006 by the California Waterfowl Association. For more information on COHA and its efforts, visit their website at www.outdoorheritage.org

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West Virginia Trappers and Hunters Must Tag Furbearers

West Virginia DNR

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. --(AmmoLand.com)- Trappers harvesting beaver and fisher in West Virginia are reminded they must present the whole animal or pelt to a game checking station or Division of Natural Resources representative within 30 days after the close of the respective season. A tag provided by the checking station shall be attached to the whole animal or pelt until it has been sold, tanned or mounted.

The law requires bobcat hunters and trappers to field tag each bobcat before moving the animal from the location where it was killed. The field tag must remain on the carcass until it is retagged with an official game checking tag at an official game checking station. Hunters and trappers are to present the unskinned bobcat when checking the animal.

Information provided by hunters or trappers on the checking tag is used to monitor harvests and assist in future management of these species in West Virginia. Decisions regarding season length, opening and closing dates, and bag limits are reliant upon accurate data obtained from these tags.

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