Game road kill.

2017
STATE OF WYOMING
17LSO-0568
Introduced
1.2

HOUSE BILL

NO.

HB0174

Game road kill.

Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Clem, Allen, Biteman, Blake, Brown, Freeman, Gray, Lindholm, Steinmetz and Zwonitzer and Senator(s) Driskill, Emerich and Hicks

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to game and fish; authorizing rules to provide for the collection of road killed animals; providing restrictions; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

W.S. 23
‑
3
‑
310 is created to read:

23
‑
3
‑
310
.

Possession of road killed wildlife.

(a)

The commission shall, in consultation with the state transportation commission, adopt rules to establish a
program whereby any person desiring to possess wildlife killed as a result of motor vehicle collisions on any public road or highway in the state of Wyoming is permitted to do so, provided that he possesses one (1) of the following:

(
i
)

A letter of prior authorization from the department. Letters of prior authorization may be available through the director to any person or entity which commits to putting road killed wildlife carcasses to a beneficial use;

(ii)

A valid scientific or educational collecting permit for the specific species issued pursuant to W.S. 23
‑
1
‑
302(
a)(xiii); or

(iii)

A donation certificate or Wyoming interstate game tag issued by the department
, including a certificate or tag issued through electronic licensing
. A person desiring to possess a road killed animal shall contact the department before taking possession of an animal to obtain a donation certificate. The rules may
provide that a person requesting the donation certificate may have to present the animal for inspection to verify its possession meets the criteria of the regulation. The rules may also provide for obtaining a donation certificate after the person takes possession of the animal.

(b)

None of the provisions of this section shall apply to bighorn sheep, gray wolves within any area of the state where gray wolves are classified as trophy game animals, grizzly bears, mountain goats, wildlife species covered under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, federal threatened or endangered species or those species whose possession is prohibited by federal or state statute or regulation.

(c)

Nothing in this section shall authorize the possession of any illegally taken wildlife or wildlife found dead due to causes other than motor vehicle collisions.

(d)

The commission may through rule require any antlers or horns, with skull plate intact, taken pursuant
to this section to be properly tagged with a Wyoming interstate game tag.

Section 2
.

W.S. 23
‑
3
‑
106(
a)(
i
), (ii) and by creating a new paragraph (iii) is amended to read:

23
‑
3
‑
106
.

Wyoming game and Wyoming interstate game tags; when required.

(a
)

Except as provided in subsection (f) of this section and W.S. 23
‑
2
‑
302(e), no person shall ship, transport, or receive for shipment or transportation within Wyoming, any game animal, game bird, or any part thereof, unless tagged with a Wyoming game tag or Wyoming interstate game tag, or unless:

(
i
)

The transportation is by a person accompanying the carcass of a big or trophy game animal who is in possession of a proper coupon;
or

(ii)

The transportation is by a properly licensed bird or small game hunter in possession of not more than his daily bag or possession limit
;
.

or

(iii)

The transportation is by a person possessing authorization pursuant to W.S. 23
‑
3
‑
310
except an interstate game tag may by rule be required as provided in W.S. 23
‑
3
‑
310(
d)
.

Section
3
.

This act is effective July 1, 2017
.

(END)

1
HB0174