SB 8 — Hunting on Sundays; permits hunting on public or private land, etc.

SESSION ENROLLED VIRGINIA ACTS OF ASSEMBLY ––-- 2022 SESSION CHAPTER E98 An Act to amend and reenact § 29.1-521 of the Code of Virginia, relating to hunting on Sunday.

N R [S 8] O Approved LApril 5, 2022 Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

L 1.

Unlawful to hunt, trap, possess, sell, or transport wild birds and wild animals Exceptexcept as permitted;

DA. 1.

ToThe huntfollowing oris killunlawful: on Sunday (i) any wild bird or wild animal, including any nuisance species, with a gun, firearm, or other weapon, within 200 yards of a place of worship or any accessory structure thereof or to hunt or kill (ii) any deer or bear with a gun, firearm, or other weapon with the aid or assistance of dogs, on Sunday.

The1. provision of this subdivision that prohibits the hunting or killing of any wild bird or wild animal, including nuisance species, on Sunday shall not apply to (i) any person who hunts or kills raccoons;

(ii)To anyhunt personor whokill huntson orSunday kills(i) birdsany inwild thebird familyor Rallidaewild oranimal, waterfowl,including subjectany tonuisance geographicalspecies, limitationswith establisheda bygun, thefirearm, Directoror andother exceptweapon, within 200 yards of Ba place of worship or any accessory structure thereof;thereof or to hunt or kill (ii) any deer or bear with a gun, firearm, or other weapon with the aid or any wild bird or wild animal, including nuisance species, on Sunday shall not apply to (i) any persong of who hunts or kills raccoons;

or(ii) (iii) any landownerperson who hunts or memberkills ofbirds hisin the family Rallidae or aEywaterfowl, includingsubject anyto nuisancegeographical species,limitations onestablished by the landowner'sDirector property,and except within 200 yards of a place of worship or any accessory structure thereof.thereof;

or (iii) any landowner or member of his family or any person with written permission from the landowner who hunts or kills any wild bird or wild animal, including any nuisance species, on the landowner's property, except within 200 yards of a place of worship or any accessory structure thereof.

However, any properly licensed person, or a person exempt from having to obtain a license, who has obtained such daily bag or season limit while hunting may assist others who are hunting game by calling game, retrieving game, handling dogs, or conducting drives if the weapon in his possession is an unloaded firearm, a bow without a nocked arrow, an unloaded slingbow, an unloaded arrowgun, or an unloaded crossbow.

To knowingly occupy any baited blind or other baited place for the purpose of taking or attempting to take any wild bird or wild animal or to put out bait or salt for any wild bird or wild animal for the purpose of taking or killing it.

To shoot or attempt to take any wild bird or wild animal from an automobile or other vehicle, except (i) as provided in § 29.1-521.3 or (ii) for the killing of nuisance species as defined in § 29.1-100 on private property by the owner of such property or his designee from a stationary automobile or other-100other stationary vehicle.

However, the Director or his designee may authorize employees of federal, state, and local government agencies, and persons holding a valid Commercial Nuisance Animal Permit issued by the Department, to visit body-gripping traps that are completely submerged at least once every 72 hours, and the Board may adopt regulations permitting trappers to visit traps less frequently under specified conditions.

The Board shall adopt regulations of 2 permitting trappers to use remote trap-checking technology to check traps under specified conditions.

To hunt, trap, take, capture, kill, attempt to take, capture, or kill, possess, deliver for of 2 transportation, transport, cause to be transported, by any means whatever, receive for transportation or export, or import, at any time or in any manner, any wild bird or wild animal or the carcass or any part thereof, except as specifically permitted by law and only by the manner or means and within the numbers stated.