1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A BILL 10 11 TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 12 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 5011525, SO AS TO PROVIDE 13 THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES THE 14 AUTHORITY TO PROMULGATE REGULATIONS 15 GOVERNING CERTAIN AREAS TO ESTABLISH SEASONS, 16 DATES, AREAS, BAG LIMITS, AND OTHER RESTRICTIONS 17 FOR HUNTING AND TAKING WILD TURKEY; AND TO 18 AMEND SECTION 5011520, AS AMENDED, 5011530, 19 5011540, AND 5011544, ALL RELATING TO THE 20 DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES’ REGULATION 21 OF THE HUNTING OF WILD TURKEYS, SO AS TO REVISE 22 THE SEASON FOR THE HUNTING AND TAKING OF MALE 23 WILD TURKEYS, TO ESTABLISH “SOUTH CAROLINA 24 YOUTH TURKEY HUNTING DAY”, TO ESTABLISH BAG 25 LIMITS FOR THE TAKING OF MALE WILD TURKEYS, TO 26 PROVIDE THAT THE DEPARTMENT MUST CONDUCT AN 27 ANALYSIS OF THE STATE’S WILD TURKEY RESOURCES 28 AND ISSUE A REPORT TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY 29 WHICH RECOMMENDS CHANGES TO THE WILD TURKEY 30 SEASON AND BAG LIMITS, TO REVISE THE 31 DEPARTMENT’S AUTHORITY TO REGULATE THE 32 HUNTING OF WILD TURKEYS, AND TO ALLOW IT TO 33 PROMULGATE EMERGENCY REGULATIONS FOR THE 34 PROPER CONTROL OF THE HARVESTING OF WILD 35 TURKEYS, TO REVISE THE PENALTIES FOR VIOLATING 36 THE PROVISIONS THAT REGULATE THE HUNTING OF 37 WILD TURKEY, AND TO PROVIDE THAT ALL WILD 38 TURKEY TRANSPORTATION TAGS MUST BE VALIDATED 39 AS PRESCRIBED BY THE DEPARTMENT BEFORE A 40 TURKEY IS MOVED FROM THE POINT OF KILL. 41

[57] 1 1 Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South 2 Carolina: 3 4 SECTION 1. Article 3, Chapter 11, Title 50 of the 1976 Code is 5 amended by adding: 6 7 “Section 5011525. The department may promulgate regulations 8 for wildlife management areas, heritage trust lands, and other 9 properties owned or leased by the department to establish seasons, 10 dates, areas, bag limits, and other restrictions for hunting and 11 taking wild turkey.” 12 13 SECTION 2. Article 3, Chapter 11, Title 50 of the 1976 Code is 14 amended by adding: 15 16 “Section 5011580. (A) Notwithstanding the provisions of 17 Section 50-11-520 or any other provision of law or regulation, the 18 season for hunting and taking a male wild turkey is March 20 19 through May 5. 20 (B) The Saturday preceding March 20 of each year is declared 21 to be ‘South Carolina Youth Turkey Hunting Day’. A person less 22 than eighteen years of age may be considered to be a youth hunter. 23 The license and permit requirements for hunting turkey are waived 24 for youth during this day, however, the youth must possess a set of 25 turkey tags when hunting turkey. A licensed hunter at least 26 twentyone years of age must accompany a youth hunter in the field 27 and may not harvest or attempt to harvest turkey during this 28 special hunting day, but is permitted to call turkeys for the youth. 29 The licensed hunter that accompanies the youth must have all 30 licenses, permits, and tags required to hunt turkey. 31 (C) The season bag limit per person for male wild turkeys is 32 three which may be taken with archery equipment or any lawful 33 firearm and ammunition. An individual also may obtain an archery 34 only turkey tag allowing them to take one additional male wild 35 turkey during the open season by means of archery equipment 36 only. The bag limits contained in this section are statewide unless 37 otherwise specified by regulation. 38 (D) Within one hundred eighty days of the conclusion of the 39 third turkey season following the effective date of this law, the 40 department must conduct an analysis of the wild turkey resources 41 in South Carolina and draft a report recommending any changes to 42 the wild turkey season and bag limits. This report must be 43 provided to the General Assembly.

[57] 2 1 (E) The department must provide an annual report of the wild 2 turkey resources in South Carolina to the chairman of the Senate 3 Fish, Game and Forestry Committee, and the chairman of the 4 House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.” 5 6 SECTION 3. Section 5011530 of the 1976 Code is amended to 7 read: 8 9 “Section 5011530. The department may, at its discretion, 10 prescribe methods by which turkeys may be taken in each game 11 zone and may fix the specific areas of the zones in which turkeys 12 have become numerous enough to be harvested. The department 13 may designate the sex of the turkeys that may be taken and may 14 prescribe any other promulgate emergency regulations considered 15 necessary and expedient for the proper control of the harvesting of 16 wild turkeys in the game zones.” 17 18 SECTION 4. Section 5011540 of the 1976 Code is amended to 19 read: 20 21 “Section 5011540. Any person taking, attempting to take, or 22 having in his possession turkey illegally or taking, attempting to 23 take, or killing turkey in any way not prescribed by the department 24 is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not 25 less than fifty dollars nor more than one five hundred dollars or 26 imprisoned for not more than thirty days. In addition, a person 27 taking a wild turkey unlawfully must be required to make 28 restitution to the department in the amount of up to five hundred 29 dollars for each bird taken. In addition, a person convicted of 30 taking a wild turkey illegally forfeits hunting and fishing privileges 31 for one year for each bird taken.” 32 33 SECTION 5. Section 5011544 of the 1976 Code is amended to 34 read: 35 36 “Section 5011544. A person who hunts wild turkeys is required 37 to possess a set of wild turkey transportation tags issued by the 38 department at no cost. All turkeys taken must be tagged before 39 being moved from the point of kill. All tags must be validated as 40 prescribed by the department before a turkey is moved from the 41 point of kill. No person may obtain or possess more than one set of 42 turkey tags.” 43

[57] 3 1 SECTION 6. The repeal or amendment by this act of any law, 2 whether temporary or permanent or civil or criminal, does not 3 affect pending actions, rights, duties, or liabilities founded thereon, 4 or alter, discharge, release or extinguish any penalty, forfeiture, or 5 liability incurred under the repealed or amended law, unless the 6 repealed or amended provision shall so expressly provide. After 7 the effective date of this act, all laws repealed or amended by this 8 act must be taken and treated as remaining in full force and effect 9 for the purpose of sustaining any pending or vested right, civil 10 action, special proceeding, criminal prosecution, or appeal existing 11 as of the effective date of this act, and for the enforcement of 12 rights, duties, penalties, forfeitures, and liabilities as they stood 13 under the repealed or amended laws. 14 15 SECTION 7. This act takes effect upon approval by the 16 Governor. Provided, upon the effective date of this act until 17 November 7, 2017, the provisions of Section 50-11-520 are 18 suspended. On November 7, 2017, the turkey hunting seasons and 19 bag limits in effect for the respective counties prior to the effective 20 date of this Act and delineated in Section 50-11-520 are effective, 21 and Section 50-11-580 is repealed. 22 XX 23

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