BIL: 4703

RTN: 429

ACN: 353

TYP: General Bill GB

INB: House

IND: 20000229

PSP: Sharpe

SPO: Sharpe and Witherspoon

DDN: l:\council\bills\swb\5066djc00.doc

DPB: 20000601

LAD: 20000601

GOV: S

DGA: 20000614

SUB: Deer, unlawful to build enclosure which prevents hunting of; Predatory animals, trapping of; Fish and Game

HST:

Body Date Action Description Com Leg Involved

______

------20000628 Act No. A353

------20000614 Signed by Governor

------20000608 Ratified R429

House 20000601 Concurred in Senate amendment,

enrolled for ratification

Senate 20000601 Amended, read third time,

returned to House with amendment

Senate 20000530 Made Special Order

Senate 20000524 Read second time, ordered to

third reading with notice of

general amendments, carrying

over all amendments to third

reading

Senate 20000509 Recalled from Committee, 07 SFGF

placed on the Calendar

Senate 20000509 Introduced, read first time, 07 SFGF

referred to Committee

House 20000504 Read third time, sent to Senate

House 20000503 Amended, read second time

House 20000413 Request for debate by Representative Easterday

Kennedy

Delleney

Young-

Brickell

Jennings

Gourdine

Hosey

Govan

Hayes

Clyburn

Chellis

Ott

Witherspoon

Perry

Sharpe

Davenport

Quinn

Knotts

House 20000413 Amended

House 20000412 Debate adjourned until

Thursday, 20000413

House 20000411 Debate adjourned until

Wednesday, 20000412

House 20000405 Committee report: Favorable with 20 HANR

amendment

House 20000229 Introduced, read first time, 20 HANR

referred to Committee

Versions of This Bill

Revised on 20000405

Revised on 20000413

Revised on 20000503

Revised on 20000509

Revised on 20000601

TXT:

(A353, R429, H4703)

AN ACT TO AMEND CHAPTER 11, TITLE 50, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO PROTECTION OF GAME, BY ADDING SECTION 5011100, RELATING TO WILDLIFE, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT IT IS UNLAWFUL TO CONSTRUCT A NEW ENCLOSURE WHICH PREVENTS OR MATERIALLY IMPEDES THE FREE RANGE OF DEER BEING HUNTED, TO REQUIRE OWNERS OR LESSEES OF PROPERTY WHICH HAVE ENCLOSURES WHICH PREVENT OR MATERIALLY IMPEDE THE FREE RANGE OF THE DEER BEING HUNTED TO REGISTER WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES WITHIN THIRTY DAYS AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION, TO LIMIT EXPANSION OF ENCLOSURES, AND TO PROVIDE PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS OF THIS SECTION; AND TO AMEND CHAPTER 11, TITLE 50, BY ADDING SECTION 50111145, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THE OWNER, LESSEE, OR PERSON IN LAWFUL POSSESSION OF LAND WHEREON AN ENCLOSURE FOR RUNNING RABBITS WITH DOGS HAS BEEN ERECTED MAY TRAP PREDATORY ANIMALS WITHIN THE ENCLOSURE USING A CAGETYPE TRAP THAT DOES NOT INJURE OR KILL THE ANIMAL, TO PROHIBIT THE USE OF POLETOP TRAPS, STEEL TRAPS, FOOTHOLD TRAPS, RUBBER PADDED TRAPS, BODY GRIPPING TRAPS, OR TRAPS THAT INJURE OR KILL AN ANIMAL, AND TO REQUIRE THAT ALL ANIMALS TRAPPED MUST BE RELEASED BACK INTO THE WILD UNHARMED.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Unlawful to construct new enclosure; registration of owners or lessees; expansion of enclosures; penalties

SECTION 1. Article 1, Chapter 11, Title 50 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

“Section 5011100. (A) It is unlawful to construct a new enclosure which prevents or materially impedes the free range of the deer being hunted. For purposes of the definitions herein, ‘prevents or materially impedes’ means erecting a fence in excess of six feet in height from ground level for the express purpose of corralling wild game for hunting purposes.

(B) A person who violates a provision of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not less than one thousand dollars nor more than two thousand five hundred dollars or imprisoned for not less than one year nor more than three years, or both. The hunting and fishing privileges of a person convicted under the provisions of this section must also be suspended for two years. In addition, the court in which a person violating this section is convicted may order that restitution be paid to the department of not less than one thousand five hundred dollars for each animal taken in violation of this section and shall be ordered to remove the enclosure.

(C)(1) All owners or lessees of property which have enclosures which prevent or materially impede the free range of the deer being hunted must register with the department within thirty days after the effective date of this section, provided, the enclosure is an existing, completed enclosure in that the construction of the enclosure is wholly complete in every respect and requires no further labor or material to erect or complete the construction of the enclosure thirty days after the effective date of this section.

(2) Except as provided in item (3), after an enclosure is registered with the department, the owner may expand but may not decrease the enclosed area. The owner may make repairs necessary for the care and maintenance of the enclosure.

(3) Expansion of a registered enclosure of less than seven hundred acres is limited to an aggregate of up to fifteen percent of the area of the enclosure as of the time the enclosure was registered. Expansion of a registered enclosure of seven hundred acres or more may not exceed an aggregate of four hundred acres.

(D) It is unlawful to hunt deer with dogs in an enclosure registered with the department pursuant to Section 5011100(C)(1).

(E) It is unlawful to construct any mound, platform, or other device designed to allow animals into an enclosed area.

(F) If any term or provision of this section is declared unconstitutional, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remainder of this section is severable and remains in full force and effect.”

Trapping predatory animals within enclosure; traps that may not be used; release of trapped animals

SECTION 2. Chapter 11, Title 50 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

“Section 50111145. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, and at any time during the year, the owner, lessee, or person in lawful possession of land whereon an enclosure for running rabbits with dogs has been erected may trap fox, wildcat, bobcat, wolf, coyote, skunk, raccoons, and any other predatory animal within the enclosure when using a cagetype trap that does not injure or kill the animal. No poletop trap, steel trap, foothold trap, rubber padded trap, body gripping trap, or trap that injures or kills an animal may be used to remove predatory animals from an enclosure, and all animals trapped in a cagetype trap must be released back into the wild unharmed at another location.”

Time effective

SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

Ratified the 8th day of June, 2000.

Approved the 14th day of June, 2000.

______

2