Bills › 89th General Assembly
Relating to requirements for using a dog to track a wounded deer
Sponsored by the Senate Natural Resources and Environment (companion To Hf 552 By Committee on Natural Resources) Committee
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedJanuary 12, 2021
- Done: SubcommitteeFebruary 16, 2021
- Done: Senate committeeFebruary 16, 2021
- Done: Passes the SenateMarch 29, 202145–0
- Skipped: House committeeSkipped
- Done: Passes the HouseFebruary 23, 2021
- Done: To the GovernorApril 12, 2021
- Done: Signed into lawApril 12, 2021
HF 552 became law → The same legislation passed as HF 552, so this version was set aside. Go to HF 552 What’s a funnel?
What’s in it
AI summary People helping a hunter find a wounded deer will no longer both need special blood tracking training. An unarmed person helping a hunter can now assist without needing a specific license, as long as they are with the person who shot the deer. The hunter who wounded the animal can also use their legal hunting methods to finish the job.1
Read the official explanation
This bill relates to requirements for using a dog to track a wounded deer. The bill strikes a provision in current law that requires the dog used for tracking a wounded deer and a person using a dog for tracking a wounded deer to both be trained in deer blood tracking. The bill states that an unarmed dog handler assisting in the recovery of a wounded deer is exempt from licensing requirements as long as the handler is associated with the licensed hunter who wounded the deer. The bill specifies that the licensed hunter who wounded the deer may dispatch the deer using a legal method of take authorized by the person’s deer hunting license and consistent with all rules and regulations for that season. 56A.