Senate Finance Committee budget amendment: Wagner, R; Taking almost $1 Million this year only from DGIF and giving it to VMRC. Defeated. This move started after HB 2484 and SB 851 were defeated. VDHA's spokesman then suggested that VMRC should seek the taxes on equipment purchased by their own constituents for their own money, instead of trying to take what sportsmen helped DGIF obtain through HB 38 in 1998. VMRC is already a General Fund tax supported agency.

HB 1675; Pollard, D; Would have exempted watercraft purchased by a commercial waterman for his own use from the watercraft sales and use tax; currently exempt are watercraft constructed by a commercial waterman for his own use. Defeated. It seemed strange that this agency's constituents would try to take money we paid as taxes, and at the same time try to gain immunity from taxation for themselves. Maybe it was and accident. We really hope it was.

Hunting Ammunition Prohibition Proposed
HB 1573; Pollard, D; Prohibiting controlled expansion ammunition for hunting. A significant issue with this bill was how it could impact the use of commonly available ammunition that is used routinely for hunting purposes. Since ammunition is not necessarily labeled as either expanding or non-expanding, it would be very possible for hunters to find themselves in a situation of inadvertently using prohibited ammunition. Stricken by Patron. This bill would have outlawed most of the ammo used to hunt for big game. The patron was made aware of hunters' needs. He has asked that hunters be told that he struck his bill voluntarily. VDHA is happy to oblige him and hopes that he will contact us whenever he desires to improve the hunting laws.

Hunting Dog Owners Under the Gun Again
HB 1252; Brink, D; Increasing dog license tag tax from $10.00 to $25.00. Defeated. This issue has come up regularly for the past several years. Northern VA localities want revenue from hound and bird dog owners. Working dogs should not be considered companion animals.
SB 897; Reynolds, D; Felony penalty for killing a companion animal for any reason (includes hunting dogs). Amended to a misdemeanor for anyone except the owner to kill a companion animal. Passed. This bill was part of a continuing effort to deny owners control and use of their animals and give them humanlike status. Most patrons accept amendments when hunters oppose them.

Bad Judgment by Three People
SB 1185; Trumbo, R; This bill was introduced by Senator Trumbo in the 2000 session. The bill speaks to damage that may have resulted on a landowners property not only by the beavers (cutting trees, etc.) but also from the impounding water from the adjacent landowners upon whose property the beaver are located. Defeated. This is the second bill on this topic. If it ever passes, the precedent will certainly be expanded, by trial lawyers in search of fees, to all wildlife habitat owners. Hunting resources would soon be tied up in courtrooms. This issue rises from a beaver that eats trees on one man's land but lodges in a pond on another man's land. The owner of the pond site likes beavers, and presently he can't be sued for damage done by wild animals. The other guy likes his trees and wants to force destruction of the beaver. This problem needs a solution, but not at the expense of hunters, or DGIF funds. All wildlife is the property of the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth should be able to find a way to control damage short of individual litigation.

High Fence Deer Enclosures
SB 1339; Hawkins, R; High Fence deer enclosures prohibited. This legislation passed to prevent any deer pens from being constructed after July 1, 2001 and that the small number of pens that existed prior to that will be allowed to remain if they come into compliance with management guidelines established by DGIF. For those that question this new legislation, it would be a good idea to look at other states where many pens exist and the problems that have occurred.

General Deer Issues Grow More Serious For Hunters
HB 2098; Abbitt, D; Prohibiting night hunting for deer with certain light gathering sighting devices (scopes). Passed. The emphasis on this bill is that it enhanced the penalty for illegally shooting deer at night with a weapon equipped with any sighting device other than open or "iron" sights. The additional penalties were intended to further discourage the reprehensible act of illegally shooting deer at night. Poachers are said to be using military night sights to avoid the spotlighting law, and evade Game Wardens. Any legal definition of "light gathering optics" includes all the regular hunting scopes, but the bill is effective only at times when deer hunting is otherwise illegal. It does no harm to any hunting with scopes that is otherwise legal.

HB 2237; Hargrove, R; Spotlighting law amendment. It was intended to limit curve-of-the-road placement of decoys. Defeated. This is not the first bill on this topic. Proponents complain that Game Wardens set up deer decoys at curves on narrow country roads, so that when a driver approaches and sees the 'deer', he stops because it seems about to jump into the road. By the time he figures out that the 'deer' is not moving, a warden is approaching the charge him with spotlighting because his headlights are shining out of the curve over the land beside the road.

HB 2246; Day, D; Enabling a county to charge its deer season. Defeated. This bill was a pressure tactic to persuade DGIF to allow Patrick County to increase deer harvest in an attempt to protect apple orchards where the owners refuse to allow hunting on their own land. More specifically, this bill would have allowed localities to, by ordinance, authorize an additional day of either-sex deer hunting within the general firearms deer season. It has been introduced before. It worked this time. In its March meeting, the Board voted to increase the season in Patrick County.

HB 2253; Day, D; Assigning liability to the Commonwealth for collision with deer. Defeated. If this ever works, we can expect all the damage awarded payments to be assessed from DGIF funds. It is amazing what people will do to take the money paid by hunters and anglers out of wildlife management. This can never be safely allowed.

HB 2304; Cox, R; Assisting other hunters after taking a limit. Passed. Now any unarmed, licensed hunter who has taken his limit can stay with his friends and help others with the hunt. The intent is to help youngsters and novices get the field training they need.

HB 2460; Phillips, D; Permitting Sunday hunting. Defeated. Far western counties joined Tidewater and Northern Virginia to support it.

HJR 633; Day, D; Study damage done by deer. Defeated. This study resolution was tabled in the Committee on Rules and to our knowledge no further action is expected. DGIF was assigned to report next year on this topic. It recently completed a study.

vdha@virginiadeerhunters.org