Contact your local representative and request they vote no on this bill!



ST BILL NO. DOC TYPE VERSION LEGIS DATE
AL SB592 Bill Text Introduced 4/10/2008
Game and fish, violations, fines increased for various offenses, violations not classified designated as a Class C misdemeanor, Secs. 9-1-1, 9-1-3, 9-1-4, 9-11-59, 9-11-61, 9-11-63, 9-11-84, 9-11-86, 9-11-87, 9-11-88, 9-11-91, 9-11-93, 9-11-94, 9-11-176,

SB592


97518-2


By Senators Benefield, Bedford, Dixon, Mitchem, and Waggoner


RFD: Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry


First Read: 10-APR-08


SYNOPSIS: Under existing law, a violation of Title 9 or a rule approved by the Advisory Board of Conservation and Natural Resources is a misdemeanor. Also, under existing law pursuant to the Alabama Criminal Code, a misdemeanor which is not classified is punished as a Class C misdemeanor.


This bill would provide that a violation of a rule of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources or approved by the advisory board would be specified as a Class C misdemeanor.


Under existing law, the fines for violations of the game and fish laws are provided.


This bill would increase the fines for the following: Making a false statement when purchasing a game and fish license; lending, borrowing, selling, or using the license of another person; trapping for commercial purposes without a license; transporting furs without a fur catcher's license; any violation of the article related to fur dealing or trapping for which a penalty is not provided; sale or transportation of game fish; transporting illegal game fish out-of-state; illegal catching of game fish; catching fish in certain waters impounded by certain dams or from the Tennessee River by gill nets or other nets; the unlawful taking or catching of fish from private waters; catching fish by persons or explosives; catching fish in violation of law or rules; violations relating to spearfishing; unlawful use of wire basket fishing; possession, sale, or purchase of protected wild birds that are not game birds; taking certain animals at night, hunting out-of-season; hunting without permission of landowner; hunting wild game at night on the property of another; transportation or shipment of protected birds or game; hunting across a public road; or a violation of the law requiring permits for the propagation of game birds or game animals.


Amendment 621 of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, now appearing as Section 111.05 of the Official Recompilation of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, as amended, prohibits a general law whose purpose or effect would be to require a new or increased expenditure of local funds from becoming effective with regard to a local governmental entity without enactment by a 2/3 vote unless: it comes within one of a number of specified exceptions; it is approved by the affected entity; or the Legislature appropriates funds, or provides a local source of revenue, to the entity for the purpose.


The purpose or effect of this bill would be to require a new or increased expenditure of local funds within the meaning of the amendment. However, the bill does not require approval of a local governmental entity or enactment by a 2/3 vote to become effective because it comes within one of the specified exceptions contained in the amendment.


A BILL


TO BE ENTITLED


AN ACT


Relating to game and fish violations; to amend Sections 9-1-1, 9-1-3, 9-11-59, 9-11-61, 9-11-63, 9-11-84, 9-11-86, 9-11-87, 9-11-88, 9-11-91, 9-11-93, 9-11-94, 9-11-176, 9-11-198, 9-11-232, 9-11-235, 9-11-236, 9-11-241, 9-11-242, 9-11-255, 9-11-257, and 9-11-261 of the Code of Alabama 1975, to increase the penalties for certain violations; to amend Section 9-1-4 of the Code of Alabama 1975, to provide that violations of rules of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources or approved by the Advisory Board of Conservation and Natural Resources would be a misdemeanor; and in connection therewith would have as its purpose or effect the requirement of a new or increased expenditure of local funds within the meaning of Amendment 621 of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, now appearing as Section 111.05 of the Official Recompilation of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, as amended.


BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:


Section 1. Sections 9-1-1, 9-1-3, 9-1-4, 9-11-59, 9-11-61, 9-11-63, 9-11-84, 9-11-86, 9-11-87, 9-11-88, 9-11-91, 9-11-93, 9-11-94, 9-11-176, 9-11-198, 9-11-232, 9-11-235, 9-11-236, 9-11-241, 9-11-242, 9-11-255, 9-11-257, and 9-11-261 of the Code of Alabama 1975, are amended to read as follows:


"§9-1-1.


"Any person who willfully or knowingly makes to any officer authorized to issue a hunting, fishing, fur-bearing animal, or seafood license a false statement as to his or her name, age, residence or any other statement relevant to the purchasing of said the license, or any person who makes to any officer designated to issue hunting, fishing, fur-bearing animal, or seafood licenses an incorrect statement when purchasing a license for another and makes such a the statement knowing it to be false shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, will shall be punished by a fine of not less than $25.00 two hundred fifty dollars ($250) nor more than $50.00 five hundred dollars ($500).


"§9-1-3.


"The lending, borrowing, selling, buying, renting, or using in any way the license of another to hunt, fish, trap, deal in furs, or to take oysters or shrimp shall constitute a misdemeanor and shall be punishable by a fine of not less than $25.00 two hundred fifty dollars ($250) nor more than $50.00 five hundred dollars ($500).


"§9-1-4.


"Unless otherwise provided, a violation of any of the provisions of this title or any rule or regulation of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources or approved by the advisory board of conservation and natural resources Advisory Board of Conservation and Natural Resources shall be a Class C misdemeanor.


"§9-11-59.


"(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to take, capture, or kill, or to attempt to take, capture, or kill for commercial purposes by any means or device any of the fur-bearing animals protected by the laws or regulations of this state without first procuring a license therefor, to be issued in the same manner as is provided for hunting and fishing licenses. Any person who has been a bona fide resident of this state for six months next preceding may procure a resident trapping license for himself by paying the sum of $7.65. Any person who has not been a bona fide resident of this state for six months next preceding may procure a nonresident trapping license for himself by paying the sum of $500.15. Any resident or nonresident when trapping for beaver only shall not be required to pay a license fee. Said A trapping license shall be valid only during the season when fur-bearing animals may be legally taken.


"(b) It shall be unlawful for any person to trap in the State of Alabama without identifying each trap with a plastic or metal tag bearing the license number, name, and address of the owner; provided, however, that traps used solely for beaver shall be identified in a like manner, but said the tag shall bear only the name and address of the owner. Should any law enforcement officer, of this state or employee of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources of the State of Alabama discover any trapping device being used in violation of the terms of this section, he or she shall confiscate said the device and it shall become the property of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and shall be disposed of as ordered by the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources.


"(c) A violation of the provisions of this section or failure to fully comply therewith shall constitute a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, the person violating same or failing to comply therewith shall be punished by a fine of not less than $50.00 two hundred fifty dollars ($250) nor more than $200.00 two thousand dollars ($2,000) for each offense.


"§9-11-61.


"Any person, firm, or corporation who sells, ships by mail, express, or otherwise transports within or without this state raw furs, skins, or pelts of fur-bearing animals, the taking, capturing, killing, or catching of which has been done without first procuring a fur catcher's license, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of not less than $25.00 two hundred fifty dollars ($250) nor more than $50.00 five hundred dollars ($500) for each offense; provided, however, that nothing in this section shall apply to commercial shippers and common carriers which merely ship or otherwise transport said raw furs, skins, or pelts by request of or contract with the possessor or owner thereof.


"§9-11-63.


"(a) Any person, firm, association, or corporation who or which engages in the business of buying, trading, selling, or otherwise deals in raw furs, skins, or pelts of fur-bearing animals (for which a business license is not otherwise provided in this article) shall be required, before engaging in or transacting any such that business, to first procure a license in the same manner and place as provided for procuring hunting, fishing, and fur licenses and upon the following schedule: a A minimum license fee of $25.00 when the gross sales during the next preceding year amounted to $15,000.00 or less; a license fee of $50.00 when such gross sales amounted to more than $15,000.00 and less than $30,000.00; a license fee of $100.00 when such gross sales amounted to $30,000.00 or more. Any nonresident dealer, trader, or buyer of raw furs, skins, or pelts of fur-bearing animals who or which maintains a place of business in this state or who in person or through his or its an agent buys, trades, or deals in furs, skins, or pelts of fur-bearing animals in this state shall first procure a license and pay a fee of $300.00 therefor. A nonresident as mentioned in this section is defined as any person, firm, association, or corporation who or which has not been continuously domiciled in this state for one year prior to October 1 of the year for which such license is required.


"(b) Any person, firm, association, or corporation who or which violates any of the provisions of this article for which a penalty is not otherwise provided shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction therefor, shall be punished by a fine of not less than $50.00 five hundred dollars ($500) nor more than $300.00 one thousand dollars ($1,000) for each offense and in addition thereto shall have his or its the license of the person or entity shall be cancelled by the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources, and he or it shall not be permitted to renew the license so cancelled renewed nor shall a new license be issued to such the person, firm, association, or corporation for a period of two years thereafter; provided, that amounts required to be paid to the state by Section 40-12-110 shall be deducted from the amounts required to be paid to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources by firms, associations, or corporations as set out in this section.


"§9-11-84.


"(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to sell or offer for sale within this state, or ship or transport for sale within or without this state, or to ship into this state any game fish caught or taken in any of the fresh waters, whether public or private, of this state or any other state. All species of black bass, white bass, yellow bass, saltwater striped bass, bream, and pickerel, as well as walleye, sauger, black and white crappie, and yellow perch are designated game fish for the purpose of this section.


"(b) This section shall not apply to the sale of game fish raised in hatcheries and sold for the purposes of stocking ponds and lakes, nor shall it apply to the sale of nonnative game fish raised for human consumption, nor shall it apply to the sale of largemouth bass, shellcracker, and bluegill bream raised in farm ponds; provided, that, prior to any sale provided for in this section, the seller shall have first obtained a permit for such the sale from the Commissioner, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.


"(c) Nothing in this section shall prevent the practice of private pond owners or managers charging for game fish caught by fishermen from the pond when such the charges are based on the number of fish caught or the total pounds caught.


"(d) A violation of this section shall constitute a misdemeanor; and, upon conviction thereof, the person, firm, or corporation so convicted shall be fined not less than $200.00 five hundred dollars ($500) nor more than $500.00 one thousand dollars ($1,000) for each offense.


"§9-11-86.


"No person, firm, or corporation shall carry, ship, or transport beyond the boundaries of this state more than one day's creel limit of any species of game fish and then only for his own or her personal use. Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, on conviction, shall be fined not less than $25.00 one hundred dollars ($100) nor more than $50.00 two hundred fifty dollars ($250).


"§9-11-87.


"It shall be unlawful for any person to take, catch, or kill or attempt to take, catch, or kill any game fish by any other means than ordinary hook and line, artificial lure, troll, or spinner in any of the public waters of this state. Any person who violates the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, on conviction, shall be punished by a fine of not less than $25.00 two hundred fifty dollars ($250) nor more than $100.00 five hundred dollars ($500).


"§9-11-88.


"(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to take, catch, capture, or kill any game or nongame fish by use of a gill, trammel, or similar type net in the waters impounded by Jordan dam, Lay dam, Mitchell dam, and Martin dam. Whoever violates this subsection is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished as prescribed by law.


"(b) It shall be unlawful for any person to take, catch, capture, or kill any game or nongame fish by use of a gill, trammel, or similar type net in that part of the Tennessee River lying within the boundaries of Alabama and all tributaries thereto. Any person violating the provisions of this subsection shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of not less than $100.00 two hundred fifty dollars ($250) nor more than $500.00 five hundred dollars ($500), or by imprisonment in the county jail for six months, or by both such a fine and imprisonment.


"§9-11-91.


"(a) It is hereby made unlawful for any person to take, catch, or kill or attempt to take, catch, or kill fish or aid in the taking, catching, or killing of fish of any species by the means or use of a seine, net, trap, or any similar or other device which may be used for taking, catching, killing, or stunning fish, or by the use of hook and line, rod and reel, or by use of dynamite or other explosives, or by the use of any poison, poisonous substance, fishberries, lime, or other deleterious or poisonous matter in any private pond, private lake, private pool, or private reservoir of this state, except as otherwise specifically provided in this section.


"(b) Any person who violates any of the provisions of subsection (a) of this section at any time shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall, on conviction, shall be fined not less than $25.00 two hundred fifty dollars ($250) nor more than $100.00 five hundred dollars ($500), but if the violation is for seining, netting, dynamiting, or poisoning fish in such private bodies of water, the fine shall be not less than $200.00 five hundred dollars ($500) nor more than $500.00 one thousand dollars ($1,000), and the convicted violator may also be imprisoned in the county jail or sentenced to hard labor for the county for not more than six months at the discretion of the court.


"(c) The provisions of this This section shall not apply to the owner of any private pond, private lake, private pool, or private reservoir, or to any member of his or her family, or his duly authorized agent, lessee, or any other person holding from the owner specific written authorization, or any person who accompanies the owner or person in possession or control of such private body of water.


"(d) Any federal or state agent engaged in research, restocking, or rescue work shall be exempt from the provisions of this section, or any private fish culturist who holds a written permit from the owner or person in charge of said the private pond, private lake, private pool, or private reservoir shall also be exempt.


"(e) All money arising from fines, penalties, or forfeitures for violations of this section shall be forwarded to the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources by the trial court on the first day of each month and shall be covered by him into the Game and Fish Fund of said the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.


"§9-11-93.


"Any person who takes, catches, kills, or attempts to take, catch, or kill fish by depositing in any public stream or public body of water in Alabama any poison, poisonous substance, fishberries, lime, or other deleterious or poisonous matter, or any person who takes, catches, kills, or attempts to take, catch, or kill fish in any of the public streams or public bodies of water in this state by the use of giant powder, dynamite, gunpowder, or any other explosive substance must, on conviction, shall be fined not less than $50.00 five hundred dollars ($500) nor more than $200.00 two thousand dollars ($2,000), to be paid into the State Treasury to the credit of the Game and Fish Fund of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.


"§9-11-94.


"(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to take, catch, stun, or kill or attempt to take, catch, stun, or kill any game or nongame fish by any means other than those which are expressly allowed by law or regulation of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in any of the public waters of this state.


"(b) Any person who uses any electrical device or any other device or instrument capable of taking, catching, stunning, or killing game or nongame fish, which is not expressly allowed by law or regulation of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources shall be in violation of this section, and such the violation shall be punishable by a fine of not less than $50.00 five hundred dollars ($500) nor more than $500.00 two thousand dollars ($2,000). Any person convicted the second time of violating any of the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not less than $200.00 one thousand dollars ($1,000) nor more than $500.00; and the three thousand dollars ($3,000). The court, at its discretion for any conviction, may also impose a jail sentence of not longer than six months.


"(c) The possession of any electrical device or any other device or instrument, on the bank of a public stream or other public body of water or in a boat on such water which is capable of taking, catching, stunning, or killing fish and which device or instrument is not expressly allowed by law or regulation of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources shall be prima facie evidence that the device or instrument is being used illegally for the purpose of taking, catching, stunning, or killing or attempting to take, catch, stun, or kill game or nongame fish.


"§9-11-176.


"Any person who shall violate the provisions of violates this article shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished as provided for by law, except that the minimum fine under this article shall be $25.00 not less than one hundred dollars ($100) nor more than two hundred fifty dollars ($250).


"§9-11-198.


"Any person who violates the provisions of this article shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished as prescribed by law; provided, that the minimum fine shall be not less than $25.00 one hundred dollars ($100) nor more than two hundred fifty dollars ($250), and in addition to such that punishment, the court trying the case shall revoke all basket licenses issued or to be issued to such the person for a period of three years from the date of such the conviction.


"§9-11-232.


"Any person, firm, association, or corporation who takes, catches, kills, or has in possession at any time, living or dead, any protected wild bird not a game bird, or who sells or offers for sale, buys, purchases, or offers to buy or purchase any such bird or exchange same for anything of value, or who shall sell or expose for sale or buy any part of the plumage, skin, or body of any bird protected by the laws of this state, or who shall take or willfully destroy the nests of any wild bird, or who shall have such the nests or eggs of such the birds in his or her possession, except as otherwise provided by law, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of not less than $10.00 one hundred dollars ($100) nor more than $25.00 five hundred dollars ($500) for each offense.


"§9-11-235.


"It shall be unlawful, except as to trapping as otherwise provided by law, for a person to take, capture, or kill, or attempt to take, capture, or kill any bird or animal protected by the laws of this state between sunset and daylight of the following day, except that the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources may by a duly promulgated regulation, allow the taking, catching, or killing of raccoons and opossums between sunset and daylight in any county or counties within the state. In any county where the taking, catching, or killing of raccoons and opossums is permitted during nighttime hours by regulations of the commissioner, the animals may only be legally taken with the use of a light and/or a shotgun using shot no larger than number eight, and the person or persons so hunting shall be accompanied by a dog or dogs and, if hunting on the lands of another, shall have the written permission of the landowner.


"Any person violating this section shall be guilty of a Class B misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished for the first offense by a fine of not less than one two thousand dollars ($1,000) ($2,000) nor more than two three thousand dollars ($2,000) ($3,000) and may be imprisoned in the county jail for a period not to exceed six months. In addition, the court shall revoke all hunting license privileges for a period of three years from the date of conviction. Any person shall be punished for the second and each subsequent offense by a fine of not less than two thousand dollars ($2,000), and shall have all hunting license privileges revoked for a period of three years from the date of conviction, and shall be imprisoned in the county jail for a period of not less than three days nor more than ten days.


"No provision of this section shall be construed to prohibit the nighttime hunting of foxes with dogs.


"§9-11-236.


"Any person who hunts, takes, catches, captures, kills, or has in his or her possession or who attempts to hunt, take, catch, capture, or kill, any bird or animal protected by law or regulation of this state except during the open season when same may be hunted, taken, caught, captured, or killed shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of not less than $50.00 two hundred fifty dollars ($250) nor more than $500.00 one thousand dollars ($1,000) and, at the discretion of the court, may also be imprisoned in the county jail for not longer than six months. Any person convicted the second time for violating this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not less than $100.00 nor more than $500.00 and, at the discretion of the court, may also be imprisoned in the county jail for not longer than six months. Any person convicted for violating this section the third or subsequent times shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not less than $250.00 nor more than $500.00 and, at the discretion of the court, may also be imprisoned in the county jail for not longer than six months.


It is provided further that any person who hunts, takes, catches, captures, or kills, or attempts to hunt, take, catch, capture, or kill, a wild turkey in an illegal manner or during the closed hunting season, or has in his or her possession a wild turkey killed during the closed hunting season or taken in an illegal manner, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be punished by a fine of not less than $250.00 two hundred fifty dollars ($250) nor more than $500.00 one thousand dollars ($1,000) and, at the discretion of the court, may also be imprisoned in the county jail for not longer than six months.


"§9-11-241.


"Any person who hunts, traps, captures, injures, kills, or destroys, or attempts to hunt, trap, capture, injure, kill, or destroy any wild game on the lands of another between the hours of daylight and sunset without the written permission of or accompanied by the landowner or person in possession or control of said the lands shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished for the first offense by a fine of not less than $250.00 one thousand dollars ($1,000), and at the discretion of the court may have all hunting license privileges revoked for up to one year from the date of conviction. Any said person shall be punished for the second and each subsequent offense by a fine of not less than $500.00 two thousand dollars ($2,000) and the revocation of all hunting license privileges for one year from the date of conviction, and shall be imprisoned in the county jail for a period not less than 10 nor more than 30 days.


"This section shall not apply to the members of the family, guests, servants, or agents of the landowner.


"§9-11-242.


"Any person who hunts, traps, captures, injures, kills, or destroys, or attempts to hunt, trap, capture, injure, kill, or destroy any wild game on the lands of another between the hours of sunset and daylight without the written permission of or accompanied by the landowner or person in possession or control of said the lands shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished for the first offense by a fine of not less than $250.00 one thousand dollars ($1,000), and at the discretion of the court may have all hunting license privileges revoked for up to one year from the date of conviction. Any said A person shall be punished for the second and each subsequent offense by a fine of not less than $500.00 two thousand dollars ($2,000) and the revocation of all hunting license privileges for one year from the date of conviction, and shall be imprisoned in the county jail for a period not less than 10 nor more than 30 days.


"This section shall not apply to the members of the family, guests, servants or agents of the landowner; provided further, that this section shall not apply to fox hunting with dogs exclusively; and, provided further, that this section shall not apply to raccoon and opossum hunting with dogs only.


"§9-11-255.


"Any person, firm, association, or corporation who takes, ships, or transports without or within this state any of the birds or game protected by the laws of this state, unless the same are in the personal possession of or are carried openly by the owner thereof or person killing the same, who has in his or her possession a nonresident's license if the game is to be carried without this state or a resident's license if the game is to be transported wholly within this state shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, on conviction, shall be punished by a fine of not less than $25.00 nor more than $50.00; provided, however, that under proper regulations by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources issued by the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources, any person may transport as baggage or by express not more than two days' bag limit of any game birds or animals taken legally; and provided further, that such the baggage or express be is marked or tagged with the shipping tag procured from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and a fee of $.25 paid therefor. Failure or refusal on the part of any person to comply with the provisions of this section shall be deemed a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, he shall be punished by a fine of not less than $25.00 two hundred fifty dollars ($250) nor more than $50.00 five hundred dollars ($500) for each offense.


"§9-11-257.


"Any person, except a duly authorized law enforcement officer acting in the line of duty or person otherwise authorized by law, who hunts or discharges any firearm from, upon, or across any public road, public highway, or railroad, or the rights-of-way of any public road, public highway, or railroad, or any person, except a landowner or his or her immediate family hunting on land of the landowner, who hunts within 50 yards of a public road, public highway, or railroad, or their rights-of-way, with a centerfire rifle, a shotgun using slug or shot larger in diameter than manufacturer's standard designated number four shot, or a muzzleloading rifle .40 caliber or larger in this state, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished for the first offense by a fine of not less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) one thousand dollars ($1,000), and shall be punished for the second and each subsequent offense by a fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500) two thousand dollars ($2,000) and shall have all hunting license privileges revoked for one year from the date of conviction.


"§9-11-261.


"(a) The Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources, upon the payment of a fee of $1.00, may issue an annual permit to any individual, association, partnership, firm or corporation owning property in the State of Alabama permitting such the permit holder to engage in the business of raising game birds and game or fur-bearing animals for propagation purposes in the State of Alabama under such the rules and methods as may be prescribed by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, for the exclusive purpose of stocking private or protected lands under the ownership, supervision, or control of the holder of such the permit. The holder of such the permit shall not be authorized to dispose of any game or fur-bearing animals propagated under the permit authorized by this section.


"(b) Any permittee having game birds or game or fur-bearing animals in his or her possession at the time of the expiration of the permit so issued and held and who fails or refuses to renew said the permit on or before the beginning of the new fiscal year shall immediately make such disposition of such the game birds, or game or fur-bearing animals as may be provided in regulations issued and promulgated by the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources.


"(c) Any individual, association, partnership, firm, or corporation violating any of the provisions of this section or any regulations based thereunder shall forfeit the permit held at the time of the violation and in addition therefor shall be adjudged guilty of such the violation and upon conviction shall be fined not less than $25.00 two hundred fifty dollars ($250) nor more than $100.00 five hundred dollars ($500)."


Section 2. Although this bill would have as its purpose or effect the requirement of a new or increased expenditure of local funds, the bill is excluded from further requirements and application under Amendment 621, now appearing as Section 111.05 of the Official Recompilation of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, as amended, because the bill defines a new crime or amends the definition of an existing crime.


Section 3. This act shall become effective on the first day of the third month following its passage and approval by the Governor, or its otherwise becoming law.

Hmmm. Thanks J.

Lordy...you have turned into BPB...lol

Not hardly, NTA emailed me this, doubt BPB know's or care's about it.

Looks like the fines went up $50.

I see Mike didn't get the trap tag issue that we wanted. It still states TL#. So that means two tags. Don't most tag makers limit the number of lines to three? And here we have a 17 digit TL # for 300 trappers. Geeze!

Don't break the law and you won't have to worry about it.

Danny this is the state legislature , the tag deal can be changed by the Game Commission.

Id not hold my breath for any of them to do anything though that may actually make life easier on the trappers!


Do you even KNOW which of those stupid numbers is the Fur Catcher number? If you do you may want to share that info with Montgomery as they have no clue!

Timber the only thing that bothers me is the fact that member of Game and Fish has attended out Associations meetings for the past couple of years. We asked and tried to get him to see about changing one word in the laws concerning trap tags. Name, address is what is needed for beaver trapping, but when trapping furbearer in fur season you must also have TL #. We asked for the option of having the TL # only or name and address only to eleminate having two sets of tags on each trap. With name and address only one wouldn't have the extra expense as having to buy more tags for the TL # every year.

Yea, the first four digits is the year 2008 then there's a bunch of 0000000s then the rest.

You should go to Tenn and sell furs and listen to the buyers when they see the numbers. That gal Heather from Kentucky gets frustrated everytime. lol

That don't tell me anything, next time you see Mike show him where it is so he can pass it along to the Game Commissioner and everyone else at Fish and Game.

If that tag deal is still the same as it is right now Mike can go find someone else to help him with his projects this winter! Im fed up with foot dragging on one hand and having our throats cut behind our backs on the other!

ours, if it hasn't passed already soon will, the tag issue. all we need is TWRA issued number on our tags. i've been putting that number and j lord on mine for years now and they haven't said anything, been checked twice also.

Jtrapper or Booger, what are some names of people we need to contact??

Whoever your representative is in your district Benji.

Probably Roger Bedford! Biggest crook this state has ever seen, which is saying alot with the group we have in our legislature!

Here's a link you can use to see which district your in and who your rep. is.


http://www.legislature.state.al.us/senate/senate.html

Ok, thanks. I'll get with booger and find out for sure who I need to contact.

you should be able to call the courthouse and find out as well.

Hey the fat cats of Ala. got a famiily to feed to, have you seen how much a good lobster dinner cost now days. Bless their hearts don't know how they made it this long without going up on us poor little outdoormen.

steve with them high avg dollar coon you got, you should be able to take all us alabama trappers (members) out to a lobster dinner.

Did'nt say i got a lobster dinner i just seen the price of one on tv. Honey buns and a dew is all i can stand to buy, im just another poor o southern boy tryin to make a living.

Is your boy still trapping with ya?