What’s New – Hunting

H. 4820

Turkey Seasons and Bag Limits

Amends Code Sections 50-11-500, 50-11-580, 50-11-590 and 50-9-640. Changes turkey season dates to April 3-May 3 statewide. Changes the season bag limit to 2 gobblers. Only 1 gobbler may be taken prior to April 10. Prohibits the harvest of jakes. Prohibits the practice of fanning or reaping on private lands statewide. Adds an additional youth weekend after the close of the regular season. Increases turkey tag fees to $25 for residents and $125 for non-residents. This legislation will sunset after the turkey season in 2028.

Act 65

Electronic Harvest Reporting of Big Game

Amends Code Section 50-11-546. To document the harvest of big game species (deer, wild turkey, and black bear) and to aid in enforcement of seasons, methods of harvest, and bag limits, all big game must be reported to the electronic harvest reporting system by the midnight of the day of harvest. A harvest report confirmation number will be provided by the department and must be recorded by the person submitting the harvest report. A person who takes a big game carcass to a processor must provide the tag number and harvest report confirmation number to the processor and the processor must record and maintain the confirmation number until the processed meat is received by the hunter or their designee. Prior to this legislation harvested deer were not required to be reported.

Effective July 1, 2024

Regulation 123-52

Antlerless Deer Limits in Game Zone 2

Amended regulation increases the bag limit on antlerless deer on private land in Game Zone 2 from 5 to 8 making it consistent with Game Zones 3 and 4. This makes the 2 free bonus Individual Antlerless Deer Tags valid in Game Zone 2.

Act 144

Aerial Hunting of Feral Hogs

Section 50-11-1190. There must be a parcel or group of parcels of at least 500 contiguous acres in order to take a feral hog from a helicopter. Parcels must be identified in the application for a permit so that law enforcement can locate the property.

Act 149

Deer Processors

A hunter may now donate a legally harvested doe to a processor, and the processor is now able to recover the processing fees for the doe from someone other than the hunter who donated the deer. This includes does harvested under depredation permits.