Indiana NRC Extends “One-buck Rule” for Deer Hunting

The Indiana Natural Resources Commission on Tuesday approved an indefinite extension of what’s commonly referred to as the “one-buck rule” for deer hunting.

The decision to extend the rule removes the expiration date on a 10-year-old regulation that limits a hunter to taking no more than one antlered deer during the regular archery, firearms and muzzleloader hunting seasons.

The “one-buck rule” was first applied in 2002 for a five-year period. The Commission approved an extension in 2007 with an expiration date of Sept. 1, 2012.

This year, the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife proposed extending the rule indefinitely, stating that limiting deer hunters to only one buck per year is not needed to manage the deer herd. The DNR considers it a social issue, not a biological issue.

In other actions, the NRC:

• Approved the permanent appointment of three assistant property managers: Mike Miller at Ouabache State Park; Matt Wronowicz at Brookville Lake-Whitewater Memorial State Park Complex; and Lynda Ellington at Shakamak State Park.
• Granted nature preserve status to three properties: Elliott Woods in Vigo County; Section Six Flatwoods Addition in Posey County; and Glacial Esker at Chain O’Lakes State Park in Noble County.
• Authorized the Division of State Parks & Reservoirs and State Park Inns to conduct negotiations with a potential vendor for a restaurant and other operations at the Indiana Dunes State Park pavilion.

The Commission gave final approval to the following:

• Amendments that govern aquatic vegetation control permits (312 IAC 9-10-3).
• Amendments that govern entomology and plant pathology (312 IAC 18).

The Commission gave preliminary approval to:

• Amendments to fish and wildlife rules that include clarifying requirements for chasing wild animals with dogs during the hunting season, removing restrictions and handgun license requirements when chasing raccoons, adding the late season for taking lesser snow geese and Ross’s geese, adding the monk parakeet as an exempted species of bird that can be taken at any time, adding the use of bowfishing equipment and crossbows for taking Asian carp and other specified fish on rivers and streams, adding the rayed bean as an endangered species of mussel, and removing application deadlines and other changes to the special disability permit for hunters.
• Amendments to Indiana Administrative Code 312 IAC 9 governing commercial fishing, fishing guide licenses, and establishment of the new roe harvesters and dealers licenses.
• A rule to provide administrative review of testing results and continuing education credits required of individuals obtaining certain permits administered by the DNR.

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Indiana DNR Seeks Input on Fish, Hunt, Trap Regulations

The DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife wants to hear your ideas on fishing, hunting and trapping regulations in Indiana, and it doesn’t require attending a meeting to give your input.

Call it a “virtual” open house.

From May 15 to June 1, the public will be able to use a convenient online form to contribute ideas and suggestions as well as provide input on issues the DNR has identified for consideration.

To find the online form, go to wildlife.IN.gov and click on the “Got INput?” box near the middle of the page. The form will be available for use beginning May 15.

“This is an opportunity for people to let us know what changes they would like us to consider,” said Gregg McCollam, assistant director of the Division of Fish & Wildlife. “This process also allows us to get much needed feedback on issues that the division is in interested in moving forward.”

The online form allows people to comment quickly and enables DFW staff to organize the public input into categories.

Input on fishing, hunting and trapping regulations also can be mailed to:

DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife
Attn: Proposed Regulatory Changes
402 W. Washington St., Room W 273
Indianapolis, IN 46204

After compiling the input, DFW staff will evaluate the comments and suggestions and come back in mid-summer with a second round of feedback both online and at open house meetings before proposing rules to the Natural Resources Commission.

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CheckIN Game System in Place for Indiana Turkey Season

Hunters during the spring and youth turkey season now have the option of reporting their harvest information using a free online system through the Department of Natural Resources called CheckIN Game.

Hunters can report their turkey harvest through a computer, tablet or wide variety of smart phones and handheld devices without having to take the turkey to a designated check station for physical inspection.

However, hunters will still have the option of taking their turkey to a designated check station.

The CheckIn Game system was developed by IN.gov, the official website of the state of Indiana and a service of the Indiana Office of Technology.

“The CheckIN Game system allows hunters to quickly check in their game from the convenience of their home or directly in the field using their mobile device,” said Mark Reiter, Division of Fish & Wildlife director. “This free online system is a big step forward in giving hunters more options to check in their game.”

Hunters who use CheckIN Game will get an electronic confirmation receipt with a confirmation number. They will need to write the number on the temporary transportation tag for the turkey. Indiana Conservation Officers will use the confirmation number to check validity of the turkey. While printing the confirmation receipt is not necessary, hunters may want to do so for their records.

Hunters must have their customer ID number ready when using the CheckIN Game system. Customer ID numbers can be found on spring turkey licenses or any hunting, trapping or fishing license from Indiana. Lifetime license holders will have the option of looking up this number in the CheckIN Game system. Hunters exempted by law from needing a license can also check in their game through this online system by entering some basic information.

To access CheckIN Game visit: hunting.IN.gov/7365.htm.

Directions for using the system will be posted on the CheckIN Game website; however, the system has a user-friendly design.

“The simple drop-down lists and the automatic filling in of information allows hunters to quickly and easily check their game,” Reiter said.

CheckIN Game will be available this weekend during the two-day youth season and when the regular spring turkey hunting season begins on April 25.

This fall, CheckIN Game likely will be expanded to include checking in white-tailed deer and fall-season turkey.

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Early Spring Presents Turkey Hunting Challenges for Indiana Hunters

As Indiana’s spring turkey season approaches, DNR wildlife research biologist Steve Backs said hunters should plan to work a little harder this year.

Spring turkey season begins with the youth season April 21-22. The regular spring turkey season is April 25 through May 13.

Backs is forecasting a spring turkey harvest of 11,000, plus or minus 1,000. His prediction is about 6 percent less than the 11,669 birds harvested in 2011, and 20 percent less than the 2010 spring harvest, when hunters bagged a record 13,742 turkeys.

Expectations are lower this year for two reasons, several years of below normal brood production and the advanced progression of vegetation.

Indiana has experienced seven consecutive summers of below normal turkey production primarily due to above normal precipitation in June. Several other states in the Midwest and South have experienced similar or worse drops in production.

Due to the record warm weather, the spring progression of vegetation is three to four weeks ahead of schedule. More greenery will make seeing and hearing turkeys more difficult, but also provide more concealment for hunters.

“The increased concealment gets us into a potential hunter safety issue,” Backs said. “Hunters are going to have to be very vigilant in correctly identifying their target and also recognize that the hunter’s presence may not be as easily detected by another hunter in the same area.”

When hunters do hear a turkey, they could be more likely to overestimate the distance to the bird and may end up spooking or “over-running” the location of the gobbler as they approach, Backs said.

“It may be just a different year,” he said. “Anybody that’s been around turkey hunting realizes you can’t predict the weather, you can’t predict the timing of spring green up, you can’t predict how turkeys will respond.”

Hunters shouldn’t get too discouraged.

There are reasons for optimism this year, Backs said. Mushroom season came early, and morel hunters are likely to be out of the woods by the time turkey season comes. Additionally, hunters might find some extra gobblers in areas where flooding limited hunting last year.

Hunters are allowed one bearded or male turkey. A wild turkey license and a game bird habitat stamp are required unless otherwise exempted. Exemptions are detailed in the online Turkey Hunting Guide.

The online Turkey Hunting Guide also contains license requirements, bag limits, hunting hours, equipment regulations, a comprehensive list of public hunting areas, and contact information for DNR district wildlife biologists and DNR law enforcement districts.

To hunt wild turkey, Indiana residents need a resident hunting license and a valid game bird habitat stamp privilege, a lifetime comprehensive hunting, or lifetime comprehensive hunting and fishing license. Non-resident hunters must purchase a non-resident turkey license and a game bird habitat stamp. Additionally, non-residents from some states, including Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio, must also purchase an annual non-resident hunting license.

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Public Hearing Scheduled for Proposal to Continue One-Buck Rule in Indiana

The Natural Resources Commission will conduct a public hearing May 3 in Plainfield on a proposal to continue the one-buck deer hunting rule.

The one-buck rule currently allows only one antlered deer to be taken during the special youth, archery, firearm, or muzzleloader seasons combined. The rule is set to expire Sept. 1.

The proposed rule language can be viewed at IN.gov/nrc/files/one_buck_amendment.pdf.

Individuals can provide comments at the public hearing at 6 p.m. at the Plainfield Public Library, 1120 Stafford Road, Plainfield.

Comments regarding this proposal can also be submitted online to the NRC at IN.gov/nrc/2377.htm. Click on “Comment on this rule” next to “Deer ‘One-Buck Rule’ Amendment.” The deadline for submitting comments is May 3.

Comments can also be mailed to:

Natural Resources Commission
Indiana Government Center North
100 N. Senate Ave., Room N501
Indianapolis, IN 46204

All comments sent to the NRC regarding this rule change will be provided to commission members and DNR staff and will be publicly disclosed and searchable on the Internet and in a paper docket as part of the final report.

The NRC is expected to vote on final adoption of the rule change at its meeting on May 15.

For more information call Linnea Petercheff at (317) 233-6527.

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Indiana Deer Harvest Down in 2011, But Still 4th Best

Indiana deer hunters bagged fewer deer during the 2011 season than the year before, but the 129,018 total was still the fourth-best season on record, according to a report from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish & Wildlife.

The total represented a 3.7 percent drop from the all-time record harvest of 134,004 in 2010. In the 60-year history of the state’s modern deer hunting era, hunters have bagged almost 2.99 million deer.

“It becomes somewhat predictable that the harvest would fall in line close to where it has the past couple of years,” said Chad Stewart, deer management biologist for the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife. “It appears in some areas the deer population is in fact down, but those areas aren’t many. Overall, the deer herd is thriving in our state.”

The 2011 statewide harvest was still almost 5,500 deer above the 10-year average, and 64 counties registered totals that were higher than their 10-year annual averages.

“Though there are always a lot of complaints that come across my desk during and immediately after deer season from hunters who are not seeing the numbers they typically see, the decline of the Indiana deer herd is greatly exaggerated,” Stewart said. “Local populations in some areas may be down, but the state’s herd is overall abundant and healthy.”

Fourteen counties had record harvests: Boone (460), Crawford (1,925), Decatur (727), Floyd (712), Jennings (1,962), Marion (329), Montgomery (1,204), Randolph (667), Shelby (396), Sullivan (1,917), Vermillion (1,380), Vigo (1,507), Wabash (1,798), and White (1,233). It was the third straight record year for Boone and Sullivan, and the second straight for Jennings, Montgomery, Randolph, Shelby and Wabash.

Steuben County led the state for the seventh straight year with 3,532 deer reported. Switzerland County was second with 3,309, followed by Kosciusko (3,123), Noble (3,025), Dearborn (2,885), Franklin (2,876), Harrison (2,680), Washington (2,605), Parke (2,561) and LaGrange (2,523).

The deer hunting season began in urban zones on Sept. 15, followed by a two-day youth only weekend (Sept. 24-25) and then the early archery (Oct. 1-Nov. 27), firearm (Nov. 12-27), muzzleloader (Dec. 4-19) and late archery (Dec. 3-Jan. 1).

Hunters using muzzleloaders logged their third consecutive record year by bagging 33,571 deer in either the firearm or muzzleloader segments, including a record 19,235 in the muzzleloader segment. That was a 10.5 percent increase from the 2010 muzzleloader segment.

Hunters also harvested 79,717 deer in the firearm segment (down 7.5 percent from 2010); 26,021 in early archery (down 1 percent); 1,726 in late archery (up 2.5 percent); and 2,319 in the youth season (down 0.8 percent).

The early archery total includes deer taken in urban deer zones.

Weather may have been a factor in the lower overall harvest. The Indiana State Climate Office reported above normal temperatures 21 days in November 2011, with eight of those days being 10 degrees or more above normal, making it the ninth warmest November since 1895. It was also the third wettest November in history and the wettest in the past 26 years.

“Both of those can have an effect on not only deer movement in November but also hunter participation,” Stewart said. “It’s certainly one potential reasonable explanation for the smaller harvest during firearm season, which contributes a great deal to the overall harvest, but it’s impossible to say if the decreased harvest is a function of smaller deer populations in some areas or weather factors keeping hunters and deer at bay.”

Hunters purchased 276,398 deer licenses in 2011, the most since the DNR began its computerized point-of-sale license system in 2006. It was a 3 percent increase from 2010 (268,485 licenses). All categories showed increases from 2010, led by military/refuge licenses at 23.5 percent and muzzleloader 9 percent, plus a 5 percent increase in youth licenses.

“Indiana seems to be somewhat of an exception to the norm in that our hunters continue to come out and participate in hunting,” Stewart said. “This can’t be said for many other states that are seeing alarming declines in their hunter numbers.

“Whether it is the tradition that is ingrained in Indiana hunters or benefits seen from an emphasis on recruiting and retaining hunters within the state is hard to say, but something is working, and that is positive.”

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Indiana DNR Proposes New Waterfowl Hunting Zones

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is proposing changes to waterfowl hunting zones that would mark the first adjustment to Indiana’s traditional three-zone boundaries in more than 25 years.

The DNR’s proposal for the 2012 hunting seasons would stick with three zones but rename them North, Central and South, with the South Zone representing a significant geographic expansion and replacement for the current Ohio River Zone.

DNR surveys show two out of three Indiana resident waterfowl hunters express satisfaction with the current zone lines, but only one-third of those surveyed are satisfied with season timing.

“The point of zones is to be able to better target duck seasons when ducks are migrating,” said DNR waterfowl biologist Adam Phelps. “Changing zone lines may enable us to better address hunter preferences by better relating duck migration, and therefore season timing, to the geography of the state.”

The Ohio River Zone was first established in 1984 and covered parts of 13 counties along the Ohio River. The proposed South Zone boundary extends as far north as Terre Haute and would include all or parts of 29 counties and take in such DNR-managed properties as Fairbanks Landing, Glendale, Sugar Ridge and Wabashiki Fish & Wildlife Areas, plus Hardy Lake and Patoka Lake.

The proposed South Zone boundary follows a line along U.S. 40 from the Illinois border to U.S. 41, south to Indiana 58, and east to U.S. 50 to the Ohio border.

The proposed North Zone boundary is essentially unchanged with the exception of moving Roush Fish & Wildlife Area into the North. The Central Zone would be the area between the North and South zones.

Phelps said the current North Zone, which was last adjusted in 1986, represents a geographic split by segregating the natural lakes and wetlands part of the state into its own zone.

“But the rivers of southern Indiana have largely been relegated to Central Zone for the past two decades,” he said. “Changing zone lines in southern Indiana will allow us to capture another fundamental geographic split by bunching the lower Wabash River as well as much of the White and Muscatatuck rivers with the Ohio River in the southernmost zone.”

The new zones were derived by looking not only at geography but also at climate patterns and, most importantly, waterfowl usage.

“We survey state and federal properties weekly from August through January, and we have those data back to the mid-1980s,” Phelps said. This long-term waterfowl migration data set was very important in helping to choose the new zone boundaries.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife (USFWS) allows states to propose zone line changes every five years. The USFWS approved Indiana’s current setup of three geographic zones – North, South and Ohio River – and two split-date segments in 1991.

Until this year, the USFWS limited changes to two hunting zones with two split-date segments or three zones with no split dates. States now are being allowed to adjust boundary lines without sacrificing the number of zones or the option of split-date segments.

The detailed zone proposal and new map can be found at www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/7340.htm

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A Mix of Good and Bad: Warm Winter Climate Effects on the Midwest

Temperatures in the Midwest and in many other parts of the United States have been unusually high and snowfall exceptionally low for the 2011/2012 winter season. Some industries are adjusting well to the unseasonably warm temperatures, while others have taken a hit, but are not suffering.

Given that so many parts of the outdoor industry are adjusting well, what is it exactly that’s being affected?

More Food and Less Predators for Michigan Upper Peninsula Deer

According to a Feb. 21, 2012 report by Jon Gaskell for the Capital News Service, the mild winter could provide more food for deer and give deer an advantage over their predators. The population could also grow, whereas in normal winters many fawns die off within their first year in extreme cold temperatures. Old and unhealthy deer that normally fall victim to severe temperatures might make it in greater numbers as well. All this could lead to an exceptional hunting season in the fall.

Hunting and Fishing Stayed the Same in Ohio, Even Though Patterns Changed

Vicki Ervin, the communications manager for the Ohio Division of Wildlife, said this year was the first time Lake Erie didn’t freeze over for fishermen. So there were no shanties on the lake with ice-fishers in them, anglers still took to the water on their boats.

As far as hunting goes, Ervin recalled one week in January where temperatures were in the 40s and 50s. She said the kill numbers went up that week as more hunters ventured out. “It doesn’t change those things,” Ervin said, referring to hunting, “it changes the patterns of those users; they adapt to it.”

Outdoor Product Sales Take a Big and a Small Hit

The final figures on outdoor product sales presented a complex result. Because of the “unusually late and tame onset of winter”, January sales rose by a slow one percent growth, according to a report by by the Outdoor Industry Association and The SportsOneSource Group. Certain outdoor products performed better than others, such as a strong sale of footwear and apparel.

Other outdoor products were not so fortunate to have grown. TMJ4 in Brookfield, Wisconsin reported that many motorsports shops are sitting on unsold snowmobile inventory. Bob VanZeist, owner of Don & Roy’s Motorsports, said, “People aren’t riding as much so service is down, parts, consumption’s down so it’s kind of hurt across the board and it’s really created more cabin fever than we’re accustomed to.”

On a side note, snowmobile registrations are down 40 percent from last year in the state of New York.

Snowmobile Fatalities Down in Wisconsin

Todd Schaller, the conservation warden for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, said his department has noticed less snowmobilers and ice-fishers this year. “Three weeks ago our non-residence trail pass [for snowmobiles] was down over 30 percent,” Schaller said. On a positive note, less snowmobiles means less accidents. “We have had less snowmobile fatalities, which is reflective a little bit on the volume of use,” said Schaller.

Mountain Sports Will Survive Through the Mild Winter

Surprisingly, mountain resorts seem to be affected less than expected. Both Shanty Creek Resorts and Boyne Mountain Highlands Resort (and similarly Boyne Mountain) in Michigan reported that despite a very small Christmas-time/holiday season, which is their most important, the resorts have retained enough customers in January and February to keep the business afloat. “It will not be a record year, but it will not be our worst year,” said Steve Kershner, the director of snow sports at Shany Creek Resorts.

Boyne Mountain Highlands’ natural snowfall totaled 52 inches through February, which is 30 inches less than this time last year. Compare those numbers to the 2008-09 season when total snowfall reached a higher-than-average 157 inches. Erin Ernst, the director of communications for Boyne, said the biggest problem the ski resort has experienced is actually not the snowfall, but the warm temperatures. The resorts and ski hills at Boyne have had to put additional resources into snowmaking this season to keep surface conditions at their best.

Campers Venturing Out Early

Outside of the Midwest, campers in West Virginia are already making reservations for campsites. State Parks Chief Ken Caplinger said, “This time of year, with the temperature as mild as I can remember, more campers than usual are checking the state parks website for campsite reservation forms.”

Overall, there are ups and downs in response to the warmer weather all across the board in the outdoor industry. Some hunters and the hunted are reaping the benefits while they last, while others are keeping their fingers crossed that winter 2012/2013 won’t be so warm.

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New Indiana Tri-State Fishing & Outdoor Show

December 7th.-8th. & 9th. 2012 will usher in the first annual Tri-State Fishing & Outdoor Show at the beautifully newly built “The Centre” in downtown Evansville Indiana. It will be the largest show of it’s type in the area. We will have everything outdoors under one roof. Fishing, Hunting, Guides, Charter Captains, bass boat dealers & educational seminars by professional fishermen & outdoorsmen/women!

It is truly an outdoor event for the entire family an outdoor enthusiast. We made a pledge that this will be an outdoor event to remember. Nothing but outdoor related vendors will be allowed into the show. No fancy kitchen gadgets, Ginsu-knives, Billy-Bob teeth or Fudge. Just 30,000 square feet of outdoor bliss!

Check out our web site for full details, or find us on facebook to keep abreast of all updates as they are moving quickly along!

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QDMA Urges Hunters in Seven States to Oppose Deer-Breeding Legislation

The Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) is urging hunters in seven states to oppose the expansion of the deer-breeding industry, which QDMA perceives as a growing threat to wild deer and the deer-hunting heritage. Legislation designed to loosen or dismantle regulatory barriers to white-tailed deer breeding and farming is being considered in Georgia, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia.

“There are no benefits for deer hunters in the growth of the captive deer-breeding industry – only risks,” said Kip Adams, QDMA’s Director of Education & Outreach and a certified wildlife biologist. “It is QDMA’s mission to protect the future of white-tailed deer and our hunting heritage, and we oppose anything that puts those at risk.”

In opposing the proliferation of “deer breeding,” QDMA is referring to captive deer facilities where controlled, artificial breeding technology is used primarily to produce whitetail bucks with enormous, often grotesque antlers – an industry that includes sales of semen, artificially impregnated does, and live bucks to other breeders or to captive deer shooting facilities. Current estimates suggest there are nearly 10,000 deer breeding operations in North America, and the number is growing as the industry pushes to expand into areas where it was historically not legal.

“Some argue this is an innocent endeavor with no negative impacts to wild deer or the everyday deer hunter. As CEO of North America’s leading whitetail conservation organization, I emphatically and unapologetically disagree,” said Brian Murphy, QDMA’s Chief Executive Officer. “Not only does this industry undermine the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation in which wildlife is a public resource, it also threatens the health of wild deer and the public’s perception of hunting.”

The distribution map of chronic wasting disease (CWD) – a fatal disease of deer and elk – suggests the disease likely arrived in several new states through transportation of live deer, either legally or illegally, and not through natural deer movements. Legalizing deer breeding in new areas increases the incentive for illegal transportation of untested animals at a time when these human-aided movements must be stopped. Transporting any captive whitetails is risky, as there is no acceptable and practical live-animal test  for CWD. Once CWD appears in wild deer in a new area, slowing the spread of the disease requires costly investigation, testing and surveillance efforts for many years and often requires drastic reductions in deer populations. There is currently no known way to decontaminate an environment once CWD is present.

In more than 40 states, regulatory authority over captive deer facilities is held by state agriculture agencies, or shared between agriculture and wildlife agencies. QDMA recommends that wildlife agencies have sole responsibility because they have more experience with wildlife species and wildlife disease issues, and they fully understand what is at stake with regard to transmission of diseases like CWD to free-ranging deer.

“QDMA’s current effort is to halt expansion of the deer-breeding industry,” said Adams. “We also want sole jurisdiction for existing facilities to remain with or be reassigned to state wildlife agencies. Considering the implications for our hunting heritage, we can’t afford to allow this industry to expand. The ramifications of being wrong are simply too great.”

QDMA is currently urging resident hunters to oppose existing or potential legislation in the following states:

• Georgia: House Bill 1043 – Legalizes the importation of live whitetails into Georgia for breeding purposes and creates a permitting system for deer-breeding operations, all under the jurisdiction of the state Department of Agriculture. Current status: House second-readers as of February 22.
• Indiana – House Bill 1265 – Provides for the licensing and operations of hunting preserves on which farm-bred, captive deer and elk will be hunted. Current Status – Senator David Long (President Pro Tempore) refused to hear the bill. It remains in committee.
• Mississippi – Senate Bills 2554 and 2555 – Legalizes importation of captive deer, semen and embryos and authorizes deer breeding facilities, under the jurisdiction of the state agriculture department. Current Status – Both bills referred to Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Committee on February 20.
• Missouri – House Bill 1375 – Adds deer to the definition of “livestock” for the purposes of the state sales and use tax law, meat inspection law, Missouri Livestock Disease Control and Eradication Law, and the Missouri Livestock Marketing Law. Current Status – House second-readers as of February 22.
• North Carolina – Currently at the proposal stage; no bill number yet.  The spoken intent is to loosen regulations to allow for expansion of the captive deer industry. A QDMA staff member will attend a board meeting with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission in Raleigh on March 7 on this topic.
• Tennessee – House Bill 3164 – Present law classifies white-tailed deer as Class IV wildlife, which may only be possessed by zoos, temporary exhibitors, and rehabilitation facilities. This bill adds authorization for possession of white-tailed deer by breeding facilities that receive a permit from the Department of Agriculture to breed or ranch such livestock for purposes determined by the Department. Current Status – Placed on calendar for Agriculture Committee for March 6.
• West Virginia – Senate Bill 421 – Captive Cervid Farming Act – Transfers regulatory authority over captive white-tailed deer facilities from the Division of Natural Resources (DNR) to the Department of Agriculture.  Current Status – referred to Rules Committee on February 17.

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