PRINTER'S NO. 3677
No. 2741 Session of 1978
INTRODUCED BY RENWICK, BITTINGER, STUBAN, MOWERY, WENGER,
SCHEAFFER, W. W. FOSTER AND COLE, SEPTEMBER 12, 1978
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON GAME AND FISHERIES, SEPTEMBER 12, 1978
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of June 3, 1937 (P.L.1225, No.316), entitled
2 "An act concerning game and other wild birds and wild
3 animals; and amending, revising, consolidating, and changing
4 the law relating thereto," clarifying deer, bear and turkey
5 tagging requirements and increasing certain game tagging
6 penalties.
7 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
8 hereby enacts as follows:
9 Section 1. Section 708 and subsection (f) of section 731,
10 act of June 3, 1937 (P.L.1225, No.316), known as "The Game Law,"
11 amended October 18, 1972 (P.L.982, No.243), are amended to read:
12 Section 708. Tagging, Removing, Transporting, and Reporting
13 Big Game and Wild Turkeys.--Each person killing a deer or a wild
14 turkey found in a wild state shall immediately after removing
15 the entrails, but in any event, within one hour, and before
16 [transporting or] removing the carcass in any manner from where
17 it was killed and before transporting it in or on a vehicle of
18 any description, legibly complete [and detach] the deer tag or
19 wild turkey tag and remove it from the license and attach it to
20 the head of the deer or leg of the wild turkey as the case may
1 require. The portion supplied with [his] the hunting license for
2 reporting such deer or turkey killed shall be completed in a
3 legible manner and mailed to the commission at Harrisburg within
4 five days following the killing of such deer or turkey. The deer
5 tag shall remain attached to the head of the deer until the head
6 is delivered to a taxidermist for mounting or until the head is
7 destroyed. The turkey tag shall remain attached to a leg of the
8 turkey until the turkey is processed for human consumption or
9 delivered to a taxidermist for mounting.
10 Each person killing a bear in a wild state shall immediately
11 after removing the entrails, but in any event, within one hour,
12 and before [transporting or moving] removing the carcass in any
13 manner from where it was killed and before transporting it in or
14 on a vehicle of any description, legibly complete the bear tag
15 if one is furnished with the hunting license and attach it to
16 the bear. If no bear tag is furnished with the hunting license
17 or if the bear was killed by a person not required to possess a
18 hunting license, legibly prepare [and attach] a home-made tag
19 giving the person's name, address, license number if applicable,
20 and time, date, and county where killed and attach it to the
21 bear. Before any bear lawfully killed may be possessed beyond
22 twenty-four hours it shall be presented to an officer of the
23 Game Commission for examination. Each person presenting a
24 lawfully killed bear for examination shall report such
25 information concerning the killing as may be required by
26 resolution of the commission, after which a metal tag, supplied
27 by the commission, shall be attached to the head, which tag
28 shall remain permanently attached, or until it has been tanned
29 or mounted.
30 If a deer or wild turkey has been lawfully killed by a person
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1 not required to secure a license, such person shall [make and
2 attach a tag within the time specified after such killing,
3 bearing] immediately after removing the entrails, but in any
4 event, within one hour and before removing the carcass in any
5 manner from where it was killed and before transporting it in or
6 on a vehicle of any description, prepare a homemade tag which
7 shall set forth in [plain English] a legible manner, his name,
8 address, date time and county where such game was killed and
9 attach the tag to the head of the deer or the leg of the wild
10 turkey as the case may require. The deer tag shall remain
11 attached to the head of the deer until the head is delivered to
12 a taxidermist for mounting or until the head is destroyed. The
13 turkey tag shall remain attached to a leg of the turkey until
14 the turkey is processed for human consumption or delivered to a
15 taxidermist for mounting. [On a similar tag or on a post card,
16 such person, or person who has previously killed a deer or
17 turkey, shall within five days following the killing of such
18 deer or turkey, mail to the commission at Harrisburg, a
19 statement setting forth the information above, including the
20 kind of game, whether male or female, the dressed weight, actual
21 or estimated, and if a male deer, the total number of points on
22 both antlers.] Every licensed hunter who kills a deer or turkey
23 during any open hunting season, shall within five days following
24 such killing, legibly complete the game kill report furnished
25 with the hunting license and mail it to the commission at
26 Harrisburg. Every non-licensed hunter who kills a deer or turkey
27 during any open hunting season, shall within five days following
28 such killing, legibly prepare a game kill report on a post card
29 and forward it to the commission at Harrisburg. The game kill
30 report shall contain the hunter's name, address, kind of game,
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1 sex, county and date killed, and if antlered deer, total number
2 of points on both antlers.
3 It shall be unlawful for any person to remove the tag
4 attached to a deer, or turkey, or the metal tag attached to a
5 bear, contrary to the provisions of this section, or while in
6 the field or forest after having killed the legal limit of deer
7 or turkey to be in possession of a tag for the species of game
8 killed.
9 Every failure to have said tag attached, or removing or
10 transporting such animal or wild turkey in any manner, or
11 failure to mail the deer or turkey kill report, or failure to
12 present a lawfully killed bear for examination, as herein
13 provided, shall subject the person so neglecting to the
14 penalties provided in this article; and if the person
15 responsible for such neglect to tag any such game cannot be
16 located, each member of the camp or party shall be individually
17 liable to such penalty.
18 Any game found in the possession of any person and not tagged
19 as herein provided may be confiscated by the Commonwealth to be
20 disposed of as hereinafter provided and may be sized by any
21 officer whose duty it is to enforce the game laws.
22 Section 731. Penalties.--Any person violating any of the
23 provisions of the sections of this article shall, upon
24 conviction, be sentenced to pay the following fines and costs of
25 prosecution for each offense:
26 * * *
27 (f) For failure to tag or mark a deer, bear, or wild turkey
28 as required by the provisions of this article, [ten dollars
29 ($10)] twenty-five dollars ($25) for each deer, fifteen dollars
30 ($15) for each wild turkey, and fifty dollars ($50) for each
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1 bear; for [removing or] transporting [in any manner] a deer, or
2 bear, or wild turkey in or on a vehicle of any description which
3 has not been tagged, as required by the provisions of this
4 article, [twenty-five dollars ($25)] fifty dollars ($50) for
5 each deer, [or] one hundred dollars ($100) for each bear and
6 [fifteen dollars ($15)] twenty-five dollars ($25) for each wild
7 turkey; for failure to present a lawfully killed bear for
8 examination within twenty-four hours after killing, [twenty-five
9 dollars ($25)] two hundred dollars ($200); for removing the tag
10 from a deer or turkey, or possessing a deer or turkey tag
11 contrary to the provisions of this article, [twenty-five dollars
12 ($25)] fifty dollars ($50) for each deer tag and [fifteen
13 dollars ($15)] twenty-five dollars ($25) for each turkey tag;
14 for removing the metal tag from a bear contrary to this article,
15 [twenty-five dollars ($25] two hundred dollars ($200); for
16 failure to report the killing of a deer or turkey taken during
17 the open season as required by the provisions of this article,
18 [five dollars ($5)] ten dollars ($10);
19 * * *
20 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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