Chapter 253 Oregon Laws 2001

AN ACT

HB 2605

Relating to wildlife; amending ORS 496.146.

Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:

SECTION 1. ORS 496.146 is amended to read:

496.146. In addition to any other duties or powers provided by law, the State Fish and Wildlife Commission:

(1) May accept, from whatever source, appropriations, gifts or grants of money or other property for the purposes of wildlife management, and use such money or property for wildlife management purposes.

(2) May sell or exchange property owned by the state and used for wildlife management purposes when the commission determines that such sale or exchange would be advantageous to the state wildlife policy and management programs.

(3) May acquire, introduce, propagate and stock wildlife species in such manner as the commission determines will carry out the state wildlife policy and management programs.

(4) May by rule authorize the issuance of such licenses, tags and permits for angling, hunting and trapping and may prescribe such tagging and sealing procedures as the commission determines necessary to carry out the provisions of the wildlife laws or to obtain information for use in wildlife management. Permits issued pursuant to this subsection may include special hunting permits for a person and immediate family members of the person to hunt on land owned by that person in areas where permits for deer or elk are limited by quota. As used in this subsection, “immediate family members” means husband, wife, father, mother, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, stepchildren and grandchildren. A landowner who is qualified to receive landowner preference tags from the commission may request two additional tags for providing public access and two additional tags for wildlife habitat programs. This request shall be made to the Access and Habitat Board with supporting evidence that the access is significant and the habitat programs benefit wildlife. The board may recommend that the commission grant the request. When a landowner is qualified under landowner preference rules adopted by the commission and receives a controlled hunt tag for that unit or a landowner preference tag for the landowner’s property and does not use the tag during the regular season, the landowner may use that tag to take an antlerless animal, when approved by the State Department of Fish and Wildlife, to alleviate damage that is presently occurring to the landowner’s property.

(5) May by rule prescribe procedures requiring the holder of any license, tag or permit issued pursuant to the wildlife laws to keep records and make reports concerning the time, manner and place of taking wildlife, the quantities taken and such other information as the commission determines necessary for proper enforcement of the wildlife laws or to obtain information for use in wildlife management.

(6) May establish special hunting and angling areas or seasons in which only persons less than 18 years of age or over 65 years of age are permitted to hunt or angle.

(7) May acquire by purchase, lease, agreement or gift real property and all appropriate interests therein for wildlife management and wildlife-oriented recreation purposes.

(8) May acquire by purchase, lease, agreement, gift, exercise of eminent domain or otherwise real property and all interests therein and establish, operate and maintain thereon public hunting areas.

(9) May establish and develop wildlife refuge and management areas and prescribe rules governing the use of such areas and the use of wildlife refuge and management areas established and developed pursuant to any other provision of law.

(10) May by rule prescribe fees for licenses, tags, permits and applications issued or required pursuant to the wildlife laws, and user charges for angling, hunting or other recreational uses of lands owned or managed by the commission, unless such fees or user charges are otherwise prescribed by law. Except for licenses issued pursuant to subsection (14) of this section, no fee or user charge prescribed by the commission pursuant to this subsection shall exceed $100.

(11) May enter into contracts with any person or governmental agency for the development and encouragement of wildlife research and management programs and projects.

(12) May perform such acts as may be necessary for the establishment and implementation of cooperative wildlife management programs with agencies of the federal government.

(13) May offer and pay rewards for the arrest and conviction of any person who has violated any of the wildlife laws. No such reward shall exceed $100 for any one arrest and conviction.

(14) May by rule prescribe fees for falconry licenses issued pursuant to the wildlife laws, unless such fees are otherwise prescribed by law. Fees prescribed by the commission pursuant to this subsection shall be based on actual or projected costs of administering falconry regulations and shall not exceed $250.

(15) May establish special fishing and hunting seasons and bag limits applicable only to persons with disabilities.

(16) May adopt optimum populations for deer and elk consistent with ORS 496.012. These population levels shall be reviewed at least once every five years.

(17) Shall establish a preference system so that individuals who are unsuccessful in controlled hunt permit drawings for deer and elk hunting have reasonable assurance of success in those drawings in subsequent years.

(18) May sell advertising in State Department of Fish and Wildlife publications, including annual hunting and angling regulation publications.

Approved by the Governor May 30, 2001

Filed in the office of Secretary of State May 30, 2001

Effective date January 1, 2002

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