Pennsylvania Act 2015-65 — GAME AND WILDLIFE CODE - DOG TRAINING AREAS

Act text

Session of 2015

No. 2015-65

SB 77

AN ACT

Amending Title 34 (Game) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in special licenses and permits, further providing for dog training areas.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1. Section 2941 of Title 34 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes is amended to read:

§ 2941. Dog training areas.

(a) Establishment.--Upon the application of 20 or more citizens of this Commonwealth, the commission may issue a permit to the applicants authorizing the establishment and maintenance, on land owned by them or over which they have legal control, of a special dog training area where dogs may be trained at any time during the entire year and field trials may be conducted without the necessity of securing a field trial permit. No such dog training area shall be less than [100] 50 acres nor more than 250 acres. Permits shall not be issued for more than ten special dog training areas in any one county. Persons training dogs in established dog training areas shall not be required to have a hunting or furtaking license.

(b) Training periods.--At any time during the year, permittees or guests may train their dogs or the dogs of other persons on the designated dog training area.

(c) Hunting and furtaking restrictions.--[Neither the permittees nor any other person shall at any time hunt or take furbearers within the confines of the dog training area. The permittees, or any person authorized by them, may hunt or trap unprotected game or wildlife for the purpose of population control. A permit must be secured from the director permitting the removal of any protected game or wildlife.] Hunting or trapping of a furbearer or other protected game animal by the permittee or any other person authorized in writing by the permittee may occur during seasons established by the commission.

(d) Big game hunting may be permitted.--Hunting of big game may be permitted on dog training areas during seasons fixed by the commission. [Action of the permittees to permit big game hunting shall be conspicuously posted in the vicinity of the area at least two weeks prior to any such season.] A person may not hunt big game on a dog training area without permission from the permittee, unless the area is conspicuously posted open to the public for big game hunting.

(e) Marking boundary.--[The boundary line of a special dog training area shall be plainly and conspicuously posted prior to October 1 of each year with legible notices at least 10 by 12 inches in size, placed in such a manner that any intruder is warned of the purpose of the area and bearing such information as the commission may require.] A roadway, vehicle entrance or pedestrian pathway entering or bordering a dog training area must be posted prior to October 1 of each year with either a legible notice to warn a trespasser of the purpose of the area or by legible no trespassing signs endorsed by the permittee. The endorsement must note the purpose of the area.

(f) Unlawful acts.--It is unlawful to:

(1) Permit, or through negligence permit, dogs to disturb game or wildlife on a dog training area contrary to the provisions of this section.

(2) Trap for any game or wildlife on a dog training area without [a permit] written permission from the permittees .

(3) Willfully, negligently or maliciously cut, remove, cover up, deface or otherwise mutilate, injure or destroy any special dog training area boundary fence or wire or poster placed in accordance with the provisions of this section[.] or willfully, negligently or maliciously destroy, vandalize or remove any equipment, vegetation, buildings or other facilities within the dog training area.

(3.1) Willfully, negligently or maliciously kill, maim, injure or interfere with a dog engaged in training or field trials within a permitted dog training area or willfully, negligently or maliciously interfere with a person training dogs or participating in field trial events or lawfully engaged in hunting or trapping within a permitted dog training area.

(3.2) Enter onto a posted dog training area without the written permission of the permittee for any purpose.

(4) Violate any other provision of this section.

(g) Penalty.--A violation of this section is a summary offense of the fifth degree.

Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.

APPROVED--The 24th day of November, A.D. 2015.

TOM WOLF