Allowing the use of a leashed dog to track and retrieve a wounded deer and providing a penalty

56A to allow a hunter with a valid hunting license and deer hunting license who wounds a deer while hunting to use a dog to track and retrieve the wounded deer. The bill provides that a dog being used for tracking a wounded deer and a person using a dog for tracking a wounded deer shall both be trained in deer blood tracking. Any person using a dog for tracking a wounded deer must maintain physical control of the dog at all times during the search by means of a maximum 50-foot lead attached to the dog’s collar or harness. The person may dispatch the deer using a legal method of take authorized by the person’s valid deer hunting license. The bill provides that a person may use a dog to track a wounded deer on private property at any time with the consent of the property owner. The bill allows a person to use a dog to track a wounded deer on land designated for public hunting only during designated hours. The bill prohibits a person from possessing a firearm or archery device when using a dog to track a wounded deer outside of legal deer hunting hours. The bill directs the natural resource commission to adopt rules pursuant to Code chapter 17A to implement the bill’s provisions. A violation of the bill’s provisions is punishable by a scheduled fine of $250.